cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ectodomain cleavage of the EGF ligands HB-EGF, neuregulin1-β, and TGF-α is specifically triggered by different stimuli and involves different PKC isoenzymes

Metalloproteinase cleavage of transmembrane proteins (ectodomain cleavage), including the epidermal growth factor (EGF) ligands heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF), neuregulin (NRG), and transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-α), is important in many cellular signaling pathways and is disregulated in many diseases. It is largely unknown how physiological stimuli of ectodomain cleavage—hypertonic stress, phorbol ester, or activation of G-protein-coupled receptors [e.g., by lysophosphatidic acid (LPA)]—are molecularly connected to metalloproteinase activation. To study this question, we developed a fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) -based assay that measures cleavage of EGF ligands in single living cells. EGF ligands expressed in mouse lung epithelial cells are differentially and specifically cleaved depending on the stimulus. Inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) isoenzymes or metalloproteinase inhibition by batimastat (BB94) showed that different regulatory signals are used by different stimuli and EGF substrates, suggesting differential effects that act on the substrate, the metalloproteinase, or both. For example, hypertonic stress led to strong cleavage of HB-EGF and NRG but only moderate cleavage of TGF-α. HB-EGF, NRG, and TGF-α cleavage was not dependent on PKC, and only HB-EGF and NRG cleavage were inhibited by BB94. In contrast, phorbol 12-myristate-13-acetate (TPA) -induced cleavage of HB-EGF, NRG, and TGF-α was dependent on PKC and sensitive to BB94 inhibition. LPA led to significant cleavage of only NRG and TGF-α and was inhibited by BB94; only LPA-induced NRG cleavage required PKC. Surprisingly, specific inhibition of atypical PKCs zeta and iota [not activated by diacylglycerol (DAG) and calcium] significantly enhanced TPA-induced NRG cleavage. Employed in a high-throughput cloning strategy, our cleavage assay should allow the identification of candidate proteins involved in signal transduction of different extracellular stimuli into ectodomain cleavage.—Herrlich, A., Klinman, E., Fu, J., Sadegh, C., Lodish, H. Ectodomain cleavage of the EGF ligands HB-EGF, neuregulin1-β, and TGF-α is specifically triggered by different stimuli and involves different PKC isoenzymes.
Phase Stability of Single Crystalline Co-Ni-Ga Shape Memory Alloy

Single crystals of Co48Ni22Ga30 have been synthesized using a modified Bridgman method. The ability to solidify and retain single phase B2 austenite was found to depend not only on the starting composition and growth rate, but also the ability to maintain sufficiently high cooling rates to avoid the precipitation of a Co-rich FCC phase during post-solidification cooling. DSC measurements on the single crystal found the Ms, Mf, As, and Af to be 35.7°C, -1.8°C, 34.1°C and 72.2°C, respectively. On subsequent heating the B2 phase was found to partially decompose into the Co-rich phase at temperatures exceeding 380°C. Decomposition of the single phase B2 phase was tracked by microstructural observation, DSC, powder diffraction and low temperature heat capacity measurement. Restoration of the crystal to single phase B2 austenite required annealing of the crystal at temperatures above 1125°C followed by rapid cooling.
The Self-Energy Problem in Quantum Dielectrics

In these lectures we will study two important aspects of electron-electron interactions in insulators: (1) quasiparticles (electronic polarons) and (2) sidebands in excitation spectra, associated with the final-state emission of quanta of the dielectric polarization field. Thus we will be concerned with (the real and imaginary parts of) the self-energy of an electron in a quantum dielectric. Our study will be based on simple models which illustrate the essential physical aspects of the problem.
Insertions within the Actin Core of Actin-related Protein 3 (Arp3) Modulate Branching Nucleation by Arp2/3 Complex

The Arp2/3 (actin-related protein 2/3) complex nucleates branched actin filaments involved in multiple cellular functions, including endocytosis and cellular motility. Two subunits (Arp2 and Arp3) in this seven-subunit assembly are closely related to actin and upon activation of the complex form a "cryptic dimer" that stably mimics an actin dimer to nucleate a new filament. Both Arps contain a shared actin core structure, and each Arp contains multiple insertions of unknown function at conserved positions within the core. Here we characterize three key insertions within the actin core of Arp3 and show that each one plays a distinct role in modulating Arp2/3 function. The β4/β5 insert mediates interactions of Arp2/3 complex with actin filaments and "dampers" the nucleation activity of the complex. The Arp3 hydrophobic plug plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of the complex but is not absolutely required for formation of the daughter filament nucleus. Deletion of the αK/β15 insert did not constitutively activate the complex, as previously hypothesized. Instead, it abolished in vitro nucleation activity and caused defects in endocytic actin patch assembly in fission yeast, indicating a role for the αK/β15 insert in the activated state of the complex. Biochemical characterization of each mutant revealed steps in the nucleation pathway influenced by each Arp3-specific insert to provide new insights into the structural basis of activation of the complex.
COMING TO TERMS WITH HUMAN VARIATION

▪ Abstract Genetics has become the major tool of the life sciences. This is driven partly by technology, and partly by the belief that genes are the ultimate units of biomedical or evolutionary information. The search for variation associated with disease has motivated the Human Genome Project to construct a detailed road map of the entire set of human genetic material, and some additional form of globally representative human genome diversity resource has been proposed for the anthropological purposes of reconstructing human population history. Any such resource raises complex societal and ethical issues as well as scientific ones. However, the amount and complexity of genetic variation has frustrated hopes for simple genetic answers to important biomedical or anthropological questions, and a consequent converging of these differing interests suggests that developing a genetic variation resource will be important in many disciplines.
Turbulence Calibration of a Hot Wire Anemometer

Introduction T standard technique' for calibrating a hot wire is to plot the anemometer bridge voltage response as a function of the mean flow velocity U as measured with a pitot tube and micromanometer. This mean flow response is assumed to obey some variation of the King's Law response curve for flow over a cylinder and the graph of E vs U is differentiated to obtain dE/dU. It is assumed that the anemometer response to dynamic turbulent fluctuations is sufficiently represented by the static mean flow calibration for the purpose of calculatingthe turbulent characteristics of the flow. The criticism of this approach is that a law of heat transfer based on steady flow observations is assumed to correctly relate voltage fluctuations to velocity fluctuations in the unsteady turbulent flow. This criticism was made over 20 years ago by Vernotte. The recent research reported in Ref. 4 has shown that AE/Aw as measured with an oscillating wire does not agree with the value of dE/dU obtained by differentiating the King's Law response curve. In the research reported herein, the wire is exposed to an unsteady but deterministic flow pattern and the heat-transfer characteristics are determined under these conditions. The response of the anemometer bridge voltage to the known velocity perturbation is expanded in a Taylor series rather than assuming a King's Law type response. Detection of the wire signal with a lock-in amplifier gives a measurement of the terms in the Taylor series response of bridge voltage as a function of velocity perturbation up to second order. In the previous research, the response of the anemometer to the known velocity perturbation and any random background turbulence was all lumped into an approximate term AE/Aw. In the research reported herein, the linear response dE/du, the first term of the nonlinear response dE/du, and the response to the level of random backround turbulence are all separated through the technique of lock-in detection.'
Localized Dose Enhancement to Tumor Blood Vessel Endothelial Cells via Megavoltage X-rays and Targeted Gold Nanoparticles: New Potential for External Beam Radiotherapy

Purpose Tumor endothelial cell damage during radiation therapy may contribute significantly to tumor eradication and treatment efficacy. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) delivered preferentially to the walls of tumor blood vessels produce low-energy, short-range photoelectrons during external beam radiotherapy, boosting dose to the tumor microvasculature. In this study dosimetry at the single-cell level is used to estimate the anticipated AuNP-mediated dose enhancement to tumor endothelial cells during 6-MV X-ray irradiation. Methods and Materials Endothelial cells are modeled as thin slabs with 100-nm-diameter AuNPs attached within the blood vessel. The number of photoelectrons emitted per AuNP per gray of X-rays is computed at multiple points along the external beam central axis by use of a Monte Carlo–generated energy fluence spectrum. The energy deposited from AuNP emissions to the endothelium is calculated based on an analytic method incorporating the energy-loss formula of Cole. The endothelial dose enhancement factor (EDEF) is the ratio of the overall (externally plus internally generated) dose to endothelial cells in the presence of AuNPs to the dose without AuNPs (from the external beam only). Results At 20-cm depth, the EDEF is 1.7 (70% dose increase) for an intravascular AuNP concentration of 30 mg/g. Most of this dose enhancement arises from the low-energy (approximately 100 keV) portion of the linear accelerator X-ray spectrum. Furthermore, for AuNP concentrations ranging from 7 to 140 mg/g, EDEF values of 1.2 to 4.4 (20–340% dose increase) are calculated. Conclusions In contrast to calculations assuming that AuNPs distributed homogeneously throughout the target volume (macrodosimetry), our cellular microdosimetry calculations predict a major dose enhancement to tumor microvasculature from conventional linear accelerator X-rays. This effect may enable the delivery of ablative therapeutic doses to these sensitive microstructures while maintaining established dose constraints for the organs at risk.
The physical working capacity of normal school children. II. Swedish city and country.

The physical working capacity was determined for 196 normal Swedish country and city school children of both sexes and of ages 10, 11 and 12 years. Ninety-four of the children were from two country schools, and 102 were from a Stockholm city school. The working capacity was found to increase with age, height, weight, surface area, heart volume and degree of physical training. Of the variables tested, the working capacity had the highest correlation with the heart volume for the city and country boys and for the city girls. For the country girls, the best correlation of the working capacity was with body size—surface area, height and weight. Swedish boys had greater working capacities than girls for the same age, body size and heart volume. For both boys and girls, the surface area was chosen for detailed comparison with the working capacity. There was no significant difference in the slopes of the regression lines for the country and city boys, but there was a significant difference in the slopes of the lines for the country and city girls. Those boys and girls who had below average working capacities prior to the summer holidays tended to show an increase when retested in the fall. A comparison of the slopes of the working—surface area regression lines of Swedish city girls and of California girls revealed no significant difference. A comparison of the slopes of the working capacity—surface area regression lines for Swedish country girls and California girls revealed a difference at the 1% level. A comparison of the slopes of the working capacity—surface area regression lines for Swedish city boys and of California boys revealed a significant difference at the 1% level. This difference is believed caused by the narrow range of surface area in the Swedish boys studied. No difference was noted in the slopes of the regression lines for the Swedish country boys and the California boys.
Cytokines, Chemokines, and Growth Factors in Banked Human Donor Milk for Preterm Infants.

Background:There has been a recent increase in availability of banked donor milk for feeding of preterm infants. This milk is pooled from donations to milk banks from carefully screened lactating women. The milk is then pasteurized by the Holder method to remove all microbes. The processed milk is frozen, banked, and sold to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The nutrient bioavailability of banked donor milk has been described, but little is known about preservation of immune components such as cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors (CCGF).Objective:The objective was to compare CCGF in banked donor milk with mother’s own milk (MOM).Methods:Aliquots (0.5 mL) were collected daily from MOM pumped by 45 mothers of NICU-admitted infants weighing < 1500 grams at birth. All daily aliquots of each mother’s milk were pooled each week during 6 weeks of an infant’s NICU stay or for as long as the mother provided MOM. The weekly pooled milk was measured for a panel of CCGF through multiplexing using magnetic b...
Inductively Coupled Plasma Zoom–Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

A zoom-time-of-flight mass spectrometer has been coupled to an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) ionization source. Zoom-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (zoom-TOFMS) combines two complementary types of velocity-based mass separation. Specifically, zoom-TOFMS alternates between conventional, constant-energy acceleration (CEA) TOFMS and energy-focused, constant-momentum acceleration (CMA) (zoom) TOFMS. The CMA mode provides a mass-resolution enhancement of 1.5-1.7× over CEA-TOFMS in the current, 35-cm ICP-zoom-TOFMS instrument geometry. The maximum resolving power (full-width at half-maximum) for the ICP-zoom-TOFMS instrument is 1200 for CEA-TOFMS and 1900 for CMA-TOFMS. The CMA mode yields detection limits of between 0.02 and 0.8 ppt, depending upon the repetition rate and integration time-compared with single ppt detection limits for CEA-TOFMS. Isotope-ratio precision is shot-noise limited at approximately 0.2% relative-standard deviation (RSD) for both CEA- and CMA-TOFMS at a 10 kHz repetition rate and an integration time of 3-5 min. When the repetition rate is increased to 43.5 kHz for CMA, the shot-noise limited, zoom-mode isotope-ratio precision is improved to 0.09% RSD for the same integration time.
Class Discussions: Locating Social Class in Novels for Children and Young Adults

Few studies on representations of social class in children’s literature have been published in the United States. As a language arts teacher and media specialist in a high poverty school, the author describes children’s novels that directly address social class and the subtopic of the labor movement and consider the continued relevance of social class to educational research in the twenty-first century. Research that examines how children’s novels address these issues will assist educators who want to engage students in dialogue about class inequality, past and present. A seventh-grade boy whom I know to be an avid reader returns The Breaker Boys. Because it is one of several books about labor history in our school's media center collection, I ask, “What did you think about it?” “I liked it. Something about it reminded me of The Outsiders, but I don’t know why.” I am impressed and tell him so. I also tell him that I think I know why it reminds him of The Outsiders and that when he has time, we can talk about it. Later I hear that his family moved to another state not long after he returned his library book, and I am left to wonder what that next conversation might have included. His casual remark had touched on the subject of my doctoral research in the field of children’s literature, research that aims to fill a gap in existing scholarship. The Breaker Boys (Hughes, 2004), set in the late nineteenth century, opens as Nate Tanner is expelled from boarding school and sent home to his father and stepmother. There he finds friends among the young coal sorters who work for the coal company his family owns. He cannot tell them he is the son of the mine’s owner, but inevitably his new friends find out. What this has to do with The Outsiders, written by 16-year-old S. E. Hinton in 1967 about teenage gangs in Oklahoma, is that the conflict in each of these novels concerns the issue of social class. I am not surprised that this theme of social class was something a seventh grader could not name; many adults would be hard pressed to acknowledge the presence of social class in a young adult novel, even though the topic is part of the curriculum in many disciplines, including the study of children’s literature. Race, class, and gender studies provide means by which to critique cultures and their artifacts and to identify sites of resistance to the dominant culture. These three terms, “race,” class,” and “gender,” are linked so frequently that it is easy to miss how often the first and third are addressed while the second area, class, receives far less attention. Feminism (Christensen, 1991; Christian-Smith, 1993; Ernst, 1995; Paul, 1996; Segel, 1986; Zipes, 1987) and critical race theory (Harris, 1999; Kohl, 1995; MacCann, 1998; Sims Bishop, 1982, 2007)
Sources of inspiration and historical background

This chapter is written in the style of an acknowledgement of broad intellectual debts. All my scienfitic work fell under the influence of the branch of physics called thermodynamics, and of other independent traditions ranging from deep to very shallow. I came to scaling and renormalization by cross-fertilizing the influences of probability theory (Levy) and the social sciences (Pareto, Zipf and the economists’ idea of aggregation.)
Electron mobility Enhancement in Barrier Delta Doped Asymmetric Double Quantum Well Structures

We analyze the electron mobility in asymmetric double quantum wells by introducing different doping concentrations in the barriers and also by taking different well widths. We show that the asymmetry induced changes in the subband wave functions, energy levels and occupation of subbands lead to enhancement in subband mobility in a multisubband occupied system through the intersubband interactions.
Optic Neuropathy and Paratrigeminal Syndrome Due to Aspercillus Fumigatus.

\s=b\Chronic Aspergillus meningitis and cerebral vasculitis occurred in a 67-year\x=req-\ old man. He experienced periorbital pain that increased in severity during a tenmonth period. Although no focal neurologic deficits were initially present, oculosympathetic paresis, corneal hypesthesia, and optic neuropathy developed. This is the first report, to our knowledge, of paratrigeminal syndrome with optic neuropathy due to aspergillosis. The case was also unusual because it was chronic and there was no extracerebral infection
Release of Escherichia coli from Feathered and Featherless Broiler Carcasses in Warm Water

ABSTRACT Release of bacteria from individual broiler carcasses in warm water was measured as a model of bacterial contamination of scald water. Immediately after shackling and electrocution, feathered and genetically featherless broiler carcasses (n = 24 of each) were immersed individually in 42°C, air-agitated tap water for 150 s. Although any visible fecal material expelled as a result of electrocution was removed before sampling, carcass condition was typical for market-age broilers subjected to 12 h of feed withdrawal. Duplicate water samples were taken at 10, 30, 70, 110, and 150 s, and Escherichia coli counts were determined. Samples of initial tap water and contaminated water approximately 2 min after removal of carcasses indicated that E. coli could not be detected in the original water source and that mortality of E. coli in the warm water was negligible. Mean numbers of E. coli released were 6.2 and 5.5 log10 (cfu/carcass) at 150 s for feathered and featherless carcasses, respectively. For both feathered and featherless carcasses, the rate of release of E. coli was highest in the first 10 s, and the rate declined steadily during the remaining sampling period. This result is compatible with published reports of sampling of operating multiple-tank scalders, indicating that a high proportion of total bacteria in a multiple-tank scalder are in the first scald tank that carcasses enter. Higher numbers of E. coli released from feathered carcasses are probably due to the much greater surface area of contaminated feathers compared with the skin of featherless carcasses.
Using Language Sample Analysis to Assess Spoken Language Production in Adolescents

Purpose This tutorial discusses the importance of language sample analysis and how Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT) software can be used to simplify the process and effectively assess the spoken language production of adolescents. Method Over the past 30 years, thousands of language samples have been collected from typical speakers, aged 3–18 years, in conversational and narrative contexts. These samples have been formatted as reference databases included with SALT. Using the SALT software, individual samples are compared with age- and grade-matched samples selected from these databases. Results Two case studies illustrate that comparison with database samples of typical adolescents, matched by grade and elicitation context, highlights language measures that are higher or lower than the database mean values. Differences in values are measured in standard deviations. Conclusion Language sample analysis remains a powerful method of documenting language use in everyday speaking situations. ...
High doses of gonadotropins have no detrimental effect on in vitro fertilization outcome in normal responders

Objective To examine the effect of high doses of gonadotropins on IVF outcome in normal (intermediate) responders. Design Retrospective analysis of patients undergoing IVF therapy from 1990 to 1994 at our institution. Setting Academic tertiary center. Patients A homogeneous group of women that consisted of intermediate responders examined in their initial attempt and who received differing amounts of gonadotropins were examined. Interventions All patients were stimulated using a combination of a GnRH-agonist and FSH and hMG and were allocated into two groups, based on the amount of gonadotropin administered initially (four or six ampules). Main Outcome Measures Implantation and pregnancy (clinical and ongoing) rates were compared. Results There were no significant differences between patients receiving high doses versus those patients receiving lower doses of gonadotropins with regard to implantation and pregnancy rates. Conclusions We conclude that high doses of gonadotropins have no detrimental effect on IVF outcome in normal (intermediate) responders.
Effects of Different Environmental Conditions on the Wing Dimorphism of the Brown Planthopper

Effects of different illumination,density and rice varieties on wing dimorphism of the brown planthopper(BPH,Nilaparvata lugens) were studied in this paper,the results showed that in the room environment,short illumination and the density of BPH was below 20,the percentage of brachypterous female was over 87.22%,fitting for the formation of brachypterous. In the long illumination and the density of BPH was over 10,the percentage of brachypterous female was below 46.67%,fitting for the formation of macropters. In the outer environment,when the rice was sensitive rice varieties,the brachypterous female percentage was high. At the same time,the results indicated that the percentage of brachyterous male was very low,the environment conditions had weak effects on the wing dimorphism of male BPH.
Study and Analysis of DL/T1094―2008 Guide to the Choice of Power Transformer Oil

The characteristics of DL/T 1094―2008 Guide to the Choice of Power Transformer Oil(hereinafter referred to as Guide) are described from such aspects as practicality,guiding property and universality.Some performance indexes in IEC 60296―2003 Unused Mineral Insulating Oils for Transformers and Switchgear and SH 0040―1991 EHV Transformer Oil are compared and analyzed.The paper also expounds the basis of Guide as to popularizing naphthene base transformer oil and no longer classifying transformer oil according to voltage levels.
Use of a computer software program for qualitative analyses--Part 2: Advantages and disadvantages.

NUD·IST 3.0 was generally effective in managing the qualitative data of dyspnea stimuli. Yet, some disadvantages were found related to format restrictions of transcripts and data volume. In particu...
Montelukast for Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Results of a Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Rationale: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent in children and is usually treated by adenotonsillectomy. Nonsurgical therapies for OSA consist primarily of antiinflammatory approaches and have gained popularity, but their efficacy remains to be critically examined.Objectives: To determine the effect of montelukast on pediatric OSA.Methods: A prospective randomized double-blind controlled trial of polysomnographically diagnosed OSA in children ages 2–10 years who were treated with either oral montelukast (4 or 5 mg daily) or placebo for 16 weeks. Adherence to the medication was ascertained using automated timed pill dispensers along with weekly telephonic reminders.Measurements and Main Results: Ninety-two children diagnosed with OSA were approached, and 64 (69.6%) agreed to participate. Of these, 57 (89.0%) completed the 16-week trial, 28 in the montelukast group and 29 in the placebo group. Age, sex, and percentage of obesity were similar in the two groups, as were initial apnea–hypopnea in...
Cosegregation of codon 807 mutation of the canine rod cGMP phosphodiesterase beta gene and rcd1.

PURPOSE To determine if a previously reported nonsense mutation (G to A transition at nucleotide position 2420) in the canine rod cyclic GMP (cGMP) phosphodiesterase beta (PDEB) subunit gene cosegregates with the rod-cone dysplasia 1 disease allele (rcd1) in the rcd1-dog reference colony; to establish the prevalence of this mutation among rcd1-affected Irish setters in the United States; and to screen for this mutation in other forms of canine hereditary progressive retinal atrophy (PRA). METHODS Exon 21 of canine PDEB, previously reported to contain a nonsense mutation in rcd1-affected dogs, was amplified by polymerase chain reaction from genomic DNA isolated from peripheral blood samples. The mutation was detected in amplified DNA by restriction enzyme digestion and double-stranded conformational polymorphism. Linkage between rcd1 and the PDEB mutation was tested using the computer program LIPED: RESULTS Three different rcd1-informative canine pedigrees were tested for the PDEB nonsense mutation. The first was a multigenerational pedigree representing the rcd1 reference colony. The other two pedigrees represented purebred Irish setter breeding lines in which rcd1 was known to be segregating. In all three pedigrees, the same point mutation was present and segregated with no discordance with the rcd1 allele. Linkage analysis established a maximum logarithm of odds (LOD) score of 12.05 at a linkage distance (theta) of 0.0. In a representative sampling of Irish setters in the United States diagnosed clinically as affected with typical rcd1 phenotype, all dogs were demonstrated to have the same (codon 807) PDEB mutation. Three of four Irish setters affected with atypical, relatively slower disease also had this mutation, but one dog did not. This point mutation in the canine PDEB gene was absent in other forms of canine hereditary retinal degeneration. CONCLUSIONS In three informative pedigrees, the codon 807 mutation in canine PDEB cosegregates with the rcd1 disease allele with zero discordance. A linkage distance (theta) of zero, with an LOD score of 12.05, indicates identity of this mutation and rcd1. This appears to be the only mutation causing rcd1 in the United States. In all other forms of canine hereditary retinal degeneration tested (cd, erd, prcd, rcd2, X-linked PRA, and in one Iris degeneration tested (cd, erd, prcd, rcd2, X-linked PRA, and in one Irish setter with late onset PRA), this PDEB point mutation was absent.
Combined Antibody/Lectin Enrichment Identifies Extensive Changes in the O-GlcNAc Sub-proteome upon Oxidative Stress

O-Linked N-acetyl-β-d-glucosamine (O-GlcNAc) is a dynamic post-translational modification that modifies and regulates over 3000 nuclear, cytoplasmic, and mitochondrial proteins. Upon exposure to stress and injury, cells and tissues increase the O-GlcNAc modification, or O-GlcNAcylation, of numerous proteins promoting the cellular stress response and thus survival. The aim of this study was to identify proteins that are differentially O-GlcNAcylated upon acute oxidative stress (H2O2) to provide insight into the mechanisms by which O-GlcNAc promotes survival. We achieved this goal by employing Stable Isotope Labeling of Amino Acids in Cell Culture (SILAC) and a novel “G5-lectibody” immunoprecipitation strategy that combines four O-GlcNAc-specific antibodies (CTD110.6, RL2, HGAC39, and HGAC85) and the lectin WGA. Using the G5-lectibody column in combination with basic reversed phase chromatography and C18 RPLC-MS/MS, 990 proteins were identified and quantified. Hundreds of proteins that were identified demon...
Novel Processing of a Poly(phenyleneoxide) -b-Poly(vinylbenzyltrimethylammonium) Copolymer Anion Exchange Membrane; The Effect On Mechanical And Transport Properties

Abstract A poly(2,6 dimethyl 1,4-phenylene oxide)-b-poly(vinyl benzyl) chloride copolymer membranes was processed by solvent casting followed by melt pressing (SCMP) to provide uniformly thin films, 25 ± 5 μm, with improved conductivity, mechanical strength, water uptake, dimensional swelling, and chemical stability under 1 M KOH and 80 °C. These properties depended strongly on the length of the melt-pressing time. The solvent cast membranes melt pressing time was optimized to provided highly conductive membranes (high OH− conductivity of 75 ± 25 mS cm−1 for an IEC of 1.8 mmol g−1 at room temperature in water). Membranes that were only solvent cast and not melt-pressed swelled excessively and had insufficient mechanical integrity for detailed study. When the copolymer powder was melt pressed (without prior solvent casting) at 240 °C and ca.30 MPa for 20 minutes, membranes with high mechanical strength (tensile stress at break of 32 ± 6 MPa at 25%RH and 29 ± 3 MPa when 95%RH at 60 °C), high conductivity (Cl− conductivity of 80 mS/cm at 90 °C and 95%RH), and lower water uptake were formed. However, melt pressing alone did not give larger then 5 cm × 5 cm area films, homogeneously thin (
On the “Where” of Social Experiments: The Nature and Extent of the Generalizability Problem

Although randomized experiments are lauded for their high internal validity, they have been criticized for the limited external validity of their results. This chapter describes research strategies for investigating how much nonrepresentative site selection may limit external validity and bias impact findings. The magnitude of external validity bias is potentially much larger than what is thought of as an acceptable level of internal validity bias. The chapter argues that external validity bias should always be investigated by the best available means and addressed directly when presenting evaluation results. These observations flag the importance of making external validity a priority in evaluation planning.
Modification of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) using linoleic acid for oxygen barrier improvement: Impact of processing methods

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is commonly used in the packaging industry; however, there is considerable interest in reducing the rate of oxygen permeation through PET to extend product shelf life. One method being employed to improve oxygen barrier is the introduction of reactive compounds to bind the oxygen permeating through the polymer. This work investigates a naturally occurring oxygen scavenger, linoleic acid (LA), which was incorporated within blown PET bottles using two different processing schemes. The LA was incorporated within PET at 0.5% by weight using both by blending and reaction of carboxyl end of LA and hydroxyl end of PET. The effect of LA on the thermal, mechanical properties, and oxygen permeation were determined. There was a decrease in oxygen permeability for the PET/LA samples with little change in physical properties relative to base PET. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45023.
Does foreign direct investment affect host-country firms' financial constraints?☆

Abstract This paper finds foreign direct investment (FDI) significantly reduces the investment-cash flow sensitivity of United State firms. Using both an instrumental variable method and a quasinatural experimental setting, I identify a causal linkage from increased FDI to reduced investment-cash flow sensitivity. Further analysis indicates that the impact of FDI is because of the reduced liquidation value of physical assets that FDI causes. In turn, this reduced value restricts the borrowing capacity of domestic firms and their further capital investment. Increasing FDI also helps explain why the investment-cash flow sensitivity has declined over time. These findings together provide new evidence of the credit chain effect (Almeida and Campello, 2007) and the importance of FDI-induced financing difficulties on host-country firms' capital investments.
Model-based assessment of QoS adaptation in complex networked systems

The paper formulates methods to measure the trustsworthiness of a network system S under hostile environment conditions incident on S. How good is the system S in meeting the QoS expectations of applications (i.e. the QoS capability of S) is quantitatively measured — say on a [0,1] scale. We employ model-based assessment tools (e.g. PO-MDP) to benchmark the QoS capability by stress-testing S with artificially injected failure conditions. As a case study we describe the model-based assessment of the performance and security of a CDN (content distribution network). The study focuses on the optimal placement of content caching nodes in a distribution topology under performance and security induced constraints.
Bereavement Challenges and Their Relationship to Physical and Psychological Adjustment to Loss

Abstract Objective: The psychosocial challenges confronted by bereaved survivors may contribute to poor bereavement adjustment. Measures of the challenges of bereavement are limited. This study is a preliminary examination of the factor structure of a new measure of bereavement challenges and their relationships to quality of life and mental illness in bereaved cancer caregivers. This measure was designed to identify intervention targets to reduce the likelihood of prolonged grief. Methods: Caregivers of advanced cancer patients were administered measures of bereavement challenges (Bereavement Challenges Scale, BCS), quality of life (Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36), prolonged grief (PG-13), and mental disorders (Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV). Principal component factor analyses identified the underlying factor structure of the BCS. We examined associations between the factors and caregiver quality of life, prolonged grief, and rates of mental disorders. Results: A factor analysis ide...
Dynamic diffraction artefacts in Bragg coherent diffractive imaging

This article reports a theoretical study on the reconstruction artefacts in Bragg coherent diffractive imaging caused by dynamical diffraction effects. It is shown that, unlike the absorption and refraction effects that can be corrected after reconstruction, dynamical diffraction effects have profound impacts on both the amplitude and the phase of the reconstructed complex object, causing strong artefacts. At the dynamical diffraction limit, the reconstructed shape is no longer correct, as a result of the strong extinction effect. Simulations for hemispherical particles of different sizes show the type, magnitude and extent of the dynamical diffraction artefacts, as well as the conditions under which they are negligible.
Subtlety as Engagement

Imagine eighteenth-century capriccio paintings. Developing in the context of a renewed interest in the ruins of antiquity during the Grand Tour of Europe as well as new techniques of representation...
Future Opportunities at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams

This paper overviews the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, FRIB, its construction status at the time of the conference, and its scientific program. FRIB is based on a high-power, heavy-ion, superconducting linear accelerator that is designed to deliver at least 400kW at 200 MeV/u for all stable-ion beams and produce a large fraction of all possible isotopes of the elements. A three-stage fragment separator will separate rare isotope beams for use in experiments at high energy or stopped and reaccelerated to up to 10MeV/u. The facility is expected to have first beams in 2021. An overview of the planned scientific program, experimental capabilities, and equipment initiatives are presented.
Thermochemical conversion of carbon dioxide by reverse water-gas shift chemical looping using supported perovskite oxides

Abstract Perovskite-type oxides show clear potential for thermochemical solar-driven CO2 conversion. These materials exhibit the exact characteristics (e.g., structural endurance and high oxygen redox capacity and exchange kinetics) required by the low temperature reverse water-gas shift chemical looping process. In this study, the La0.75Sr0.25FeO3 (LSF) perovskite oxide was combined with various supports, including popular redox materials CeO2 and ZrO2 along with more abundant alternatives such as Al2O3, SiO2, and TiO2, for potential application at industrial scale. Supporting LSF on SiO2 by 25% mass resulted in the largest increase of 150% in CO yields relative to unsupported perovskite after reduction at 600 °C. This is a result of significantly reduced perovskite oxide particle size confirmed by SEM/TEM imaging and crystallite size from Scherrer analyses of XRD patterns. Due to solid-state reactions, minor secondary phases were observed at the LSF:support interface when using SiO2 or TiO2. Oxygen vacancy formation occurred only on the perovskite oxide phase, as suggested by low temperature experiments and consistent with density functional theory calculations. The role of each metal oxide support towards suppressing or enhancing the CO2 conversion is elucidated. Through utilization of SiO2 as support, the reverse water-gas shift chemical looping process using perovskite-based composites was significantly improved.
Changes of Oxidation State and Spin State

In Chapter 8 we discussed changes in the spin state of ferrous iron with pressure. In Chapter 9 we treated the reduction of ferric to ferrous iron. We now discuss two types of systems where both processes are occurring. We again use Mossbauer resonance to identify the states present. The analyses of the Mossbauer spectra are considerably more complex for these systems so that the quantitative aspects are less precise than for the system discussed in the previous chapters, and, in some cases, even the identification of some states may be open to question. There are, however, some significant results even on a qualitative scale. First we investigate the state of iron in three iron porphyrin compounds [1], and secondly we analyze the mixed valence compound Prussian Blue (ferric ferrocyanide) in which a high spin ferric ion is coupled to a low spin ferrous ion through a cyanide bridge [2].
Specific Stimulus-Evoked Violent Action in Psychotic Trigger Reaction: A Seizure-like Imbalance between Frontal Lobe and Limbic Systems?

A recently proposed diagnostic class, psychotic trigger reaction, is deduced from careful clinical studies of eight white men, who upon a very specific trigger stimulus committed murder or attempted to (and in one case also rape). The new class is defined as a sudden ego-alien, motiveless (at least with respect to aggression), motor-wise well organized, violent complex action without emotional concomitants. The action is evoked (not provoked) by an individually unique stimulus within a specific context reviving repeated past traumatic experience. Typically there is no (significant) loss of consciousness and practically full recall. Observed are first-time hallucinations (visual, auditory, tactile, somesthetic, but not olfactory as in temporal lobe epilepsy) and signs of imbalance in the autonomic nervous system (loss of bladder control, ejaculation, profuse sweating, nausea). Only four of these men had previous psychiatric diagnoses (and then various ones) or abnormal EEGs at some time in their lives. Var...
Multiple control responses and resurgence of human behavior

Abstract Behavior that was previously extinguished may reoccur, or resurge, when an alternative response contacts extinction or when reinforcement conditions worsen. Researchers have studied resurgence of human responding in laboratory settings with procedures commonly used with nonhumans. In contrast to nonhuman responding, researchers have failed to observe resurgence of the target response at rates that differ from an inactive control response with verbally competent humans. But this may have been the result of using a single control response. The current study examined this possibility by randomly allocating participants (N = 20) to a condition with either two or four control responses. When the alternative response contacted extinction, having more control responses did not reduce overall responding to control options, and aggregated responding to control options were similar to target response rates. Interestingly, most participants responded more to one control response over all other control responses when the alternative response contacted extinction. This study provides additional support for previous research that finds consistent differences between human and nonhuman responding during resurgence procedures. Two potential reasons for variability in human responding during resurgence tests include less time in experimental sessions and the influence of verbal behavior.
Abstract 3651: Increased prevalence of germline monoallelic RECQL4 mutations in children with cancer

RECQL4 encodes an essential helicase that repairs DNA damage and maintains genomic stability. Biallelic pathogenic germline mutations in RECQL4 cause the autosomal recessive (AR) Rothmund-Thomson, Baller-Gerold, and RAPADILINO syndromes. Predisposition to cancer has been observed in all three syndromes, with osteosarcoma (OS) representing the greatest risk. Monoallelic pathogenic variants in DNA damage response genes (e.g., ATM, NBN ) are associated with a moderate increase in cancer risk. Building upon this notion, we sought to determine whether monoallelic RECQL4 loss of function (LOF) variants contribute to childhood cancer, particularly OS. Here, LOF variants were defined as nonsense, frameshift, or canonical splice altering variants that are classified as pathogenic or likely pathogenic based on the 2015 ACMG Guidelines. Among 4,436 pediatric cancer patients at St. Jude and 1,127 in the National Cancer Institute TARGET database (total: 5,563 patients), we identified 20 individuals (0.36%; tumor types in Table) harboring germline monoallelic RECQL4 LOF variants. Compared to reference controls in the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD), we observed an enrichment of RECQL4 LOF variants in pediatric cancer patients ( P = 0.046, prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.51). We next assessed for enrichment of RECQL4 LOF variants across tumor types (Table). This examination revealed a significant association between monoallelic RECQL4 mutations and leukemia ( P = 0.032, PR = 1.91) and more notably, with OS ( P = 0.0028, PR = 7.03) where 1.7% of pediatric OS patients carried monoallelic RECQL4 LOF variants. No evidence of association was observed for the other tumor types examined. Our data provide the first evidence of an association linking germline monoallelic RECQL4 LOF variants to childhood cancer, especially OS. Examination of larger cohorts are warranted to elucidate the extent to which these mutations increase the risk for leukemia and OS and the mechanisms by which they promote tumor formation. Citation Format: Jamie L. Maciaszek, Gang Wu, Kayla Hamilton, Rose B. McGee, Zhaoming Wang, Regina Nuccio, Stacy Hines-Dowell, Lynn Harrison, Elsie L. Gerhardt, Annastasia Ouma, Scott Newman, Aman Patel, Joy Nakitandwe, Elizabeth Azzato, Alberto S. Pappo, Sheila A. Shurtleff, David W. Ellison, James R. Downing, Melissa M. Hudson, Leslie L. Robison, Victor Santana, Jinghui Zhang, Kim E. Nichols, Chimene A. Kesserwan. Increased prevalence of germline monoallelic RECQL4 mutations in children with cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3651.
Optimizing management of replacement fluids for therapeutic plasma exchange: Use of an automated mathematical model to predict post‐procedure fibrinogen and antithrombin levels in high‐risk patients

Background Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) utilizes an extracorporeal circuit to remove pathologic proteins causing serious illness. When processing a patient's entire blood volume through an extracorporeal circuit, proteins responsible for maintaining hemostatic system homeostasis can reach critically low levels if replacement fluid types and volumes are not carefully titrated, which may increase complications. Methods The charts from 27 patients undergoing 46 TPE procedures were reviewed to evaluate the accuracy of our predictive mathematical model, utilizing the following patient information: weight, hematocrit, pre- and post-TPE factor levels (fibrinogen, n = 46, and antithrombin, n = 23), process volume and volumes of fluids (eg, plasma, albumin, and normal saline) administered during TPE and adverse events during and after TPE. Results Altogether, 25% of patients experienced minor adverse events that resolved spontaneously or with management. There were no bleeding or thrombotic complications. The mean difference between predicted and measured post-TPE fibrinogen concentrations was -0.29 mg/dL (SD ±23.0, range -59 to 37), while percent difference between measured and predicted fibrinogen concentration was 0.94% (SD ±10.8, range of -22 to 19). The mean difference between predicted and measured post-TPE antithrombin concentrations were 0.89% activity (SD ±10.0, range -23 to 14), while mean percent difference between predicted and measured antithrombin concentrations was 3.87% (SD ±14.5, range -25 to 38). Conclusions Our model reliably predicts post-TPE fibrinogen and antithrombin concentrations, and may help optimize patient management and attenuate complications.