cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative enzymology of molluscan enolases

1. 1. Enolases from five molluscs have been isolated and partially characterized. 2. 2. Michaelis constants, metal ion activation constants and molecular weights of molluscan enolases are typical of those obtained for enolases from a wide variety of sources. 3. 3. Molluscan enolases are characteristically sensitive to sulfhydryl reagents. However, substrate or, in one case, Mg2+, protects against p-mercuribenzoate inhibition. 4. 4. Mg2+ protection seems to result from masking sulfhydryl groups near the active sites, whereas substrate protection is apparently more complex and may involve secondary substrate binding sites.
Crystallization of purines in the vacuole of Candida utilis.

WE have reported previously that Candida utilis removes seven purines (adenine, guanine, hypoxanthine, xanthine, uric acid, 2,6-diaminopurine and isoguanine) from the medium by an active transport process when these compounds are used as sources of nitrogen for the yeast1,2. These compounds and their metabolic products are held within the cell in high concentrations that appear to exceed the solubilities of the compounds in the volume of water available. For example, 5 gm. (wet weight) of yeast that had taken up 450 mgm. of uric acid was dried to constant weight, samples of the dried yeast were heated repeatedly in buffer at 100° C. to extract the uric acid, and the extracts were analysed with purified uricase by the method of Kalckar3. It was found that the dried yeast contained 16 per cent uric acid by weight and that 35 per cent of the uric acid administered was recovered in the extracts. It is presumed that the remaining 65 per cent of the uric acid had been metabolized via the yeast uricase. The wet yeast contained 82 per cent water, so that the concentration of uric acid would be about 35 mgm./ml. of water in the wet yeast. The solubility of uric acid is given as 2.53 mgm./100 ml. at 20° C. (ref. 4) and therefore the presence of crystalline uric acid in the yeast cell would be expected with the high concentrations that were observed.
Structural synthesis - Its genesis and development

An historical account is given of the development, from its conception in 1960, of the structural synthesis method. While synthesis techniques lag behind analytical ones in both sophistication and application, the structural design procedures created by combining finite element analysis and mathematical programming algorithms have progressed to the point of maturity. As in the case of finite element analysis, use and acceptance of structural synthesis methodology depends on the development and distribution of easily used and well-documented, production-quality computer programs. Attention is given such elementary applications of synthesis methods as the three-bar truss, an integrally stiffened waffle plate, a stiffened cylindrical shell, aircraft fuselage window panels, the structural efficiency of graphite-epoxy hat-stiffened panels, and an idealized delta wing.
Polytypism in desvenlafaxine succinate monohydrate

Two polytypes of desvenlafaxine succinate monohydrate, an antidepressant drug, contain essentially identical 2-D layers, but with different stacking arrangements, which is quite rare in organic compounds.
Licensed to elongate: a molecular mechanism for MLL-based leukaemogenesis

The RNA polymerase II (Pol II) elongation factor (ELL) was the first translocation partner of mixed lineage leukaemia (MLL) for which a biochemical function was determined. It was therefore proposed that the regulation of the elongation stage of transcription could be fundamental to MLL-based leukaemogenesis. Recent studies have identified ELL complexed with several of the translocation partners of MLL in a transcriptional super elongation complex (SEC). These studies provide evidence for the importance of the regulation of Pol II elongation in disease pathogenesis and suggest that MLL chimaeras function by licensing Pol II transcription elongation without the appropriate checkpoints.
Measurable Progress in Female Authorship in Otolaryngology

ObjectiveTo identify contemporary trends in female authorship in the otolaryngology literature.Study DesignAnalysis of 4 otolaryngology journals.SettingAll articles published in Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology, Archives of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Laryngoscope, and Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery in 2008 were reviewed and compared with prior data from 1978, 1988, and 1998.Subjects and MethodsEach published article’s authorship panel was examined for the number of authors and each author’s sex, degree, and the subspecialty area of publication. Year-to-year comparisons were conducted for the rates and characteristics of female authorship.ResultsA total of 544, 629, 713, and 785 articles from 1978, 1988, 1998, and 2008, respectively, were analyzed. From 1998 to 2008, the overall percentage of female authors increased from 14.5% to 22.5% (P < .001). Similarly, the percentage of articles with a female first author increased from 12.9% to 21.3% (P < .001). Whereas previously pedia...
Procedures for Estimating Optimal Solution Values for Large Combinatorial Problems

This study focuses attention on methods for generating useful solution standards for large combinatorial problems. In particular, several procedures that provide point estimates of the value of the optimum solution are suggested and tested. These concepts are applied to a representative combinatorial problem: flow shop sequencing. Detailed computational results are presented.
Recruiting U.S. and Canadian college students via social media for participation in a web-based brief intervention study.

Objective:Recruiting young adults for health research is challenging. Social media provides wide access to potential research participants. We evaluated the feasibility of recruiting students via free message postings on Facebook and Twitter to participate in a web-based brief intervention study. The sample comprised students attending U.S. and Canadian universities.Method:During three semesters, institutional review board–approved recruitment messages were posted in 281 Facebook groups, 7 Facebook pages, and 27 message “tweets” on Twitter.Results:A total of 708 eligible participants were recruited from Facebook. The mean enrollment rate per Facebook group was 0.21%; the rate was higher for host university groups (1.56%) compared with groups at other universities (0.10%). We recruited seven participants from Twitter. The sample was predominantly female (70%) with a mean age of 20.0 years. There were no significant differences between host university participants recruited through social media and traditio...
Reflections on Practice Within the Heartland Problem-Solving Model: The Perceived Value of Direct Assessment of Student Needs

Considerable variation exists across response-to-intervention (RTI) approaches. There is currently insufficient research on outcomes associated with these different RTI approaches to inform decision-making. However, school psychologists who are asked to work within an RTI model need guidance to select an approach that has a high likelihood of leading to optimal student outcomes. This article describes, illustrates, and supports two aspects of the RTI approach used at the Heartland Area Education Agency, from the perspective of a practicing school psychologist. These two aspects include (a) intervention selection that is based on an individualized problem analysis, and (b) the identification of specific instructional needs as a part of the special education eligibility determination process. An analysis of how the Heartland Problem-Solving Model (PSM) was applied to address the needs of a kindergarten student is provided to illustrate these features. Criticisms and challenges associated with the Heartland PSM are noted, along with guidance for future RTI model research and implementation.
Wave propagation and granular temperature in fluidized beds of nanoparticles

The speeds of motion of compression waves through a fluidized bed of 10 nm silica particles were determined by measuring the times of arrival of compression zones using a light probe. A correlation for the modulus of elasticity was determined as a function of void fraction. Using a kinetic theory type equation of state for particles, this experimentally determined modulus gives a value for the granular temperature for 10 nm particles of approximately one (meter per second) squared. This value is close to that obtained by assuming the motion of the 10 nm particles to be due to collision with air molecules with no energy dissipation. The values of the granular temperature were also determined in a two-dimensional (2-D) fluidized bed by measuring the volume fraction distributions of 10 nm silica particles. Granular temperatures were deduced from a one-dimensional particle momentum balance using an ideal equation of state for particles, which is similar to the barometric formula for gases. These granular temperatures agreed with the measurements obtained from wave propagation experiments. © 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2007
Software transactional distributed shared memory

We have developed a transaction-based approach to distributed shared memory(DSM) that supports object caching and generates path expression prefetches. A path expression specifies a path through the heap that traverses the objects to be prefetched. To our knowledge, this is the first prefetching approach that can prefetch objects whose addresses have not been computed or predicted. Our DSM uses both prefetching and caching of remote objects to hide network latency while relying on the two-phase transaction commit mechanism to preserve the simple transactional consistency model that we present to the developer. We have evaluated this approach on a matrix multiply benchmark. We have found that our approach enables to effectively utilize multiple machines in a cluster and also benefit from prefetching and caching of objects.
Steroid Hormone Analysis by Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Background: New high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods are among the most successful approaches to improve specificity problems inherent in many immunoassays. Content: We emphasize problems with immunoassays for the measurement of steroids and review the emerging role of LC-MS/MS in the measurement of clinically relevant steroids. The latest generation of tandem mass spectrometers has superior limits of quantification, permitting omission of previously employed derivatization steps. The measurement of steroid profiles in the diagnosis and treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia, adrenal insufficiency, chronic pelvic pain and prostatitis, oncology (breast cancer), and athletes has important new applications. Conclusions: LC-MS/MS now affords the specificity, imprecision, and limits of quantification necessary for the reliable measurement of steroids in human fluids, enhancing diagnostic capabilities, particularly when steroid profiles are available.
An overview and behavioral modeling of higher order multi-bit ΣΔ A/D converters

This paper presents an overview of the developments made in the field of oversampling sigma-delta (SigmaDelta) data converters. Further, an approach to model a 4th order multi-bit SigmaDelta ADC using Simulink, Matlab is proposed. It is shown that behavioral modeling provides comparable accurate results, and is much faster in comparison to spectre based simulations.
Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Treatment Selectively Alters N-Methyl-d-aspartate Receptor Subunit Surface Expression in Cultured Cortical Neurons

A chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure regimen consists of repeated episodes of ethanol intoxication and withdrawal. CIE treatment has been reported to result in a significant enhancement of N -methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated synaptic responses in vivo, and trafficking of NMDA receptors is emerging a key regulatory mechanism that underlies the channel function. Therefore, in the present study, we examined the effects of CIE on NMDA receptor subunit surface expression. Cultured cortical neurons were exposed to 75 mM ethanol for 14 h followed by 10 h of withdrawal, repeated this cycle five times, and followed by 2 or 5 days of withdrawal. Surface-expressed NMDA receptor subunits and their endocytosis were measured by biotinylation and Western blots. CIE significantly increased NMDA receptor (NR) 1 and NR2B but not NR2A subunit surface expression after 5 days of treatment. However, CIE treatment did not reduce the NMDA receptor endocytosis. Quantification of immunocytochemistry confirmed CIE-induced increase in both the total number of NR1 and NR2B subunit clusters and their targeting to synaptic sites. It is noteworthy that this effect persisted even after ethanol withdrawal with a peak expression occurring between 0 and 2 days after withdrawal, and the expression on the plasma membrane was still at high levels after 5 days of withdrawal. In addition, this was accompanied by significant increases in postsynaptic density protein 95 clusters. Protein kinase A inhibitor completely reversed CIE-induced increase in NR1 and partially in NR2B surface level and a long-lasting effect. These changes may contribute to the development of ethanol-induced neurotoxicity and ethanol dependence.
Self-healing, malleable and creep limiting materials using both supramolecular and reversible covalent linkages

A self-healing material containing two reversible cross-linkers was made. Relatively rapidly exchanging hydrogen-bonded and slowly exchanging Diels–Alder based cross-linkers were incorporated. Two time scales allowed partial healing at room temperature, and near complete healing upon heating. Slow linkers limited creep at room temperature but allowed reshaping upon heating.
Decay of Intensity of Certain Hg Lines in an Hg–Ar Discharge*

The afterglow of four mercury spectral lines was examined in a mercury–argon electric discharge. The 2537-A line decays in a complex fashion with three definite modes of decay. The 4077-, 4358-, and 5461-A lines exhibited an even more complicated decay. These lines exhibited an initial rapid decay followed by an increase in intensity. Finally the intensity of these lines went through two maxima before they decayed in intensity at a slow constant rate. The actual intensity behavior of the 2537-A line was masked by the imprisonment of resonance radiation. It is postulated that the main processes governing the initial decay were spontaneous radiative decay coupled with electron and ion repopulation of the excited mercury states. The negative decay constant occurring around 100 μsec was probably controlled by the group action of the following processes: ionization of mercury by argon and the resultant recombination, thermalization of discharge electrons and their resultant recombination, and production of electrons by the interaction of mercury metastable atoms and their recombination. The final slow rate of decay was probably controlled by mercury molecular dissociative recombination.
Travelling-wave solutions to the Korteweg-de Vries-Burgers equation

The existence and certain qualitative properties of travelling-wave solutions to the Korteweg-de Vries-Burgers equation,are established. The limiting behaviour of these waves, when e tends to zero and when δ tends to zero is examined together with a singular limit wherein both e and δ tend to zero.
Urinary incontinence: pharmacotherapy options.

AbstractThe impact of incontinence is felt by millions of people worldwide, with tremendous decrement in quality of life and enormous cost reaching billions of dollars. Urinary incontinence is defined as ‘involuntary leakage of urine’ and is categorized into two main types: urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Behavioral modifications and pharmacologic therapies, primarily antimuscarinic agents, are the mainstay of treatment for UUI. These drugs are moderately efficacious but have troublesome side-effects, the combination resulting in poor compliance and persistence with therapy. There are several agents on the market today, each with some variation in pharmacologic properties. Whether these translate into meaningful differences in clinical efficacy and tolerability remains a matter of debate. Treatment of SUI has seen little success with pharmacologic therapy. In Europe, duloxetine is approved for treatment of SUI with marginal success rates; this drug, although avail...
Leptin regulates cyclin D1 in luminal epithelial cells of mouse MMTV-Wnt-1 mammary tumors

Leptin, an adipose secreted cytokine, is implicated in mammary cancer stem cell self-renewal and tumor growth in murine mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-Wnt-1 transgenic mice. In vitro studies indicate that leptin induces expression of cyclin D1, a cell-cycle control protein necessary for mammary tumor development. The aim of the present study was to assess cyclin D1 expression in spontaneous tumors that develop in the MMTV-Wnt-1 transgenic mice and interrogate the in vivo effect of leptin. Cells derived from spontaneous MMTV-Wnt-1 tumors were orthotopically transplanted into wild-type, leptin-deficient, and hyperleptinemic mice. After 6 weeks, tumors were collected and formalin fixed. Immunoflurescence staining was used to assess cyclin D1, keratin 8, α-SMA, phospho-AKT expression. Cyclin D1 is expressed exclusively in luminal keratin 8 immunoreactive tumor cells and is dependent on the adipose secreted hormone leptin. Tumor cell transplant into leptin-deficient mice resulted in approximately an 80 % reduction of cyclin D1 immunoreactivity in keratin 8 luminal epithelial cells, and this was independent of Akt activation. These data and our previous findings indicate that inhibition of leptin signaling provides an excellent therapeutic target for breast cancer. The current data indicate that in luminal mammary tumors, leptin antagonists would potentially inhibit growth in a cyclin D1-dependent mechanism. In contrast, in basal mammary tumors, leptin antagonists would inhibit growth in an Akt-dependent manner leading to reduction in cancer stem cell self-renewal. Thus, leptin therapeutics may inhibit breast cancer via distinct mechanisms related to tumor type.
Fibers. A Model for Studying Cell Differentiation, Cell Elongation, and Cell Wall Biosynthesis

A prominent anatomical feature in the inflorescence stems of Arabidopsis is the presence of fiber cells in the interfascicular regions (Fig. [1][1]). The feasibility of using interfascicular fibers in the inflorescence stems of Arabidopsis as a model for studying cell differentiation, cell
Impact of Perceived Stigma on Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patient Outcomes

The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) are life-long, concealable illnesses that usually begin at a young age and are associated with significant burden from symptoms and/or treatments.1 These disease characteristics make IBD susceptible to stigma.2 Stigma is defined as the societal labeling of an individual as abnormal, and has been identified as an important construct in outcomes for chronic illnesses.3– 6 In addition to its concealability, symptom burden, and limited treatment options, IBD is at risk for stigmatization because of the nature of symptoms focused around the bowel and rectum, its relatively unalterable course, and its historical background as a psychosomatic illness among lay people.7 While the IBD literature has not, to our knowledge, measured stigma as an independent construct, patients with IBD do voice several stigma-related concerns, including being treated as different, having an ostomy bag, and being a burden on others.8 –10 These concerns occur cross-culturally11 and little is known about the impact of perceived stigma on disease outcomes and patient experience. Stigma research from other chronic illnesses12–15 supports the idea that stress associated with perceived illness stigma may worsen the clinical course of IBD, lead to poorer outcomes, increase the risk of developing other stress-related illnesses,16 contribute to relapse or worsening of IBD symptoms, reduce treatment adherence,17,18 increase psychological distress, and lead to poorer quality of life. We conducted an exploratory study to identify the role and impact of perceived stigma in IBD. We hypothesized that perceived stigma 1) exists among IBD patients; 2) is mediated by illness characteristics such as severity, duration, and remission status; and 3) correlates with outcomes of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and medication adherence.
Organizational Structure, Entrepreneurial Orientation and Trait Preference in Transportation Brokerage Firms

This article presents the results of an inductive, multiple-case study of the transportation brokerage industry. Insights from the organizational behavior and entrepreneurship literature help to sharpen understanding of how organizational structure and entrepreneurial culture relate to firm-level trait preferences in personnel hiring and promotion decisions. Using an inductive, theory-building approach, a typology of four different organizational structures within the transportation brokerage space is proposed. Working propositions are presented that relate organizational structure, entrepreneurial orientation, the differential prioritization of proactive personality and self-management at various stages of career progression, and perceptions of firm performance vis-a-vis competitors. Contributions to theory and practice, and the broader implications for supply chain intermediaries are discussed.
The role of NUP98 gene fusions in hematologic malignancy

Chromosomal aberrations occur with great frequency and some specificity in leukemia and other hematologic malignancies. The most common outcome of these rearrangements is the formation of a fusion gene, comprising portions of 2 genes normally present in the cell. These fusion proteins are presumed to be oncogenic; in many cases, animal models have proven them to be oncogenic. One of the most promiscuous fusion partner genes is the newly identified NUP98 gene, located on chromosome 11p15.5, which to date has been observed fused to 15 different fusion partners. NUP98 encodes a 98 kD protein that is an important component of the nuclear pore complex, which mediates nucleo-cytoplasmic transport of protein and RNA. The fusion partners of NUP98 form 2 distinct groups: homeobox genes and non-homeobox genes. All NUP98 fusions join the N-terminal GLFG repeats of NUP98 to the C-terminal portion of the partner gene, which, in the case of the homeobox gene partners, includes the homeodomain. Clinical findings are reviewed here, along with the findings of several in vivo and in vitro models have been employed to investigate the mechanisms by which NUP98 fusion genes contribute to the pathogenesis of leukemia.
The Characterization of High-Critical-Temperature Ceramic Superconductors by Vibrational Spectroscopy

The high-Tc superconducting ceramics have been extensively investigated by Raman and infrared spectroscopy. Some of the k = 0 phonons of the La2-xMxCuO4(M = Sr, Ba), MBa2Cu3O7-δ (MBCO), Bi-(Ca,Sr)-Cu-O, Tl-(Ba,Sr)-Ca-Cu-O, Pb-Sr-Ln-Ca-Cu-O, and Ba1-xKxBiO3 (BKB) systems have been observed, and assignments made. The Raman measurements on single crystals have provided the more enlightening results, inasmuch as assignments are facilitated by the use of polarization techniques. Assignments have also been aided by oxygen stoichiometry experiments, substitution of rare earth cations for Y3+ in YBa2Cu3O7-δ, low-temperature measurements, and isotopic studies. Infrared studies and assignments for the Bi, Tl, Pb, and BKB superconductors are lacking. Many of the zone-center phonons for each of the high-Tc materials (particularly those for non-totally-symmetric modes) remain undetected. Additionally, some disagreement in assignments (Raman and IR) persists, even for the more extensively studied La2-xMxCuO4 and MBCO superconductors.
Congruent and spurious motion in the learning and performance of a compensatory tracking task.

Examination of the importance of congruent and spurious yaw motion in compensatory tracking by eight airline pilots. The pilots, seated erect in the Ames man-carrying rotation device(MCRD), tracked with k/s+1 and k/s(s+1) vehicle dynamics in fixed- and moving-base simulation. Following the learning phase of the experiment, five levels of spurious angular acceleration were superimposed on the motion of the MCRD. Learning of the tracking task was found to be a function of both vehicle dynamics and mode of simulation. The presence of congruent motion information reduced learningtime in k/s(s+1) vehicle dynamics and resulted in lower tracking error in both vehicle dynamics. The spurious angular accelerations resulted in an increase in pilot tracking error; however, the relationship between the magnitude of the acceleration and its effect was highly complex. The data suggest that the minimal disturbance level for spurious angular accelerations during tracking is below 0.4 degec.
Changes in Dimension of the Dental Arches with Age

SYNOPSIS IN INTERLINGUAALTERATIONES DE DIMENSION DEL ARCOS DENTAL CON LE AVANTIAMENTO DEL ETATE.—Le largor del arco in le region inter molar e premolar secunde e le longor del arco esseva determinate in 1253 juveniles de etates de inter 6,6 e 19,5 annos qui habeva neutro-occlusion molar. Le resultatos indica, in terminos medie, que intra ille periodo le configuration crescential del areas mentionate se describe le melio per un curva e que, con le avantiamento del etate, le dentes occupa de minus in minus extense spatios intra le arcos dental. Le largor maximal del arco dental pareva esser establite ante le eruption del secunde premolares e del canines. Le longor del arco dental monstrava un tendentia reductori con le avantiamento del etate.
Bubble formation during silicon wafer bonding: causes and remedies

Several causes of bubble formation are reported. The role of surface contamination and methods of reducing bubble formation are discussed. In the experiments unstructured, polished single-crystal silicon wafers are used although for actual micromechanical applications, wafers with grooved surfaces frequently have to be bonded. Problems associated with wafer flatness, trapped air, and particles are considered and solutions proposed. The remaining problem of bubble formation in an intermediate temperature range is also discussed. It is proposed that the cause of wafer bonding bubbles formed during annealing is the presence of hydrocarbons contaminating silicon surfaces. Bubbles are generated when hydrocarbons are evaporated from the surface in the 200-800 degrees C temperature range. At higher temperatures, bubbles are dissolved into the bulk silicon or interface oxide layers. There are two different bubble sizes. The large one may be deducted by infrared, whereas the smaller one requires the use of X-ray topography. Preheating wafers at 600-800 degrees C prior to bonding can evaporate all the absorbed hydrocarbons on the surface and prevent bubble formation after bonding and annealing. >
A new noninvasive method to determine central venous pressure.

Summary Knowledge of central venous pressure (CVP) is considered valuable in the assessment and treatment of various states of critical illness and injury. Objectives We tested a noninvasive means of determining CVP (NICVP), by monitoring forearm volume changes in response to externally applied circumferential pressure to the upper arm veins. Methods Sixteen patients who were undergoing CVP monitoring as a part of their care had NICVP determined and compared with CVP. Volume changes were measured in the forearm with mercury-in-silastic strain gauge plethysmography. A pressure cuff is placed in the upper extremity. The cuff is inflated over 5s to a pressure above CVP but below diastolic arterial pressure (40mmHg). This allows blood into the forearm but prevents venous return. After 45–60s the cuff is rapidly deflated. NICVP was determined as the cuff pressure noted at the maximum derivative of the forearm volume decrease during deflation. NICVP was then compared to invasively measured CVP taken during the same period. Results A total of 48 trials (three per subject) were performed on 16 patients. The range of CVP recorded was 0–22mmHg. The correlation between CVP and NICVP was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.95–0.98) ( p Conclusion NICVP as determined in this study may be a clinically useful substitute for traditional CVP measurement and may offer a valid tool for early diagnosis and treatment of acute states in which knowledge of CVP would be helpful.
Guiding Students' Scientific Practice: Distinct and Common Roles for Teachers and Scientists

Many science education programs involve scientists in K-12 education to support students’ engagement in scientific practices and learning science process skills and scientific epistemologies. Little research has studied the actions of scientists in classrooms or how scientists’ actions may (or may not) supplement or complement the actions of teachers. In this descriptive study, we explore how teachers and scientists, working in pairs, guide high school students in the practice of scientific experimentation. In particular, we study the ways by which teachers and scientists act independently and in concert to guide students in designing and conducting biology experiments with unknown outcomes. We analyzed video recordings of classroom instruction in two different school settings, focusing on teachers’ and scientists’ acts as they are manifested through their language-in-use during face-to-face interactions with students. We argue that scientists and teachers act to support students in scientific experimentation in both distinct and common ways influenced by the particular teaching acts they perform and distinct authority roles they possess in the classroom (e.g., classroom authority vs. scientific authority).
Molecular mechanisms of renal ammonia transport.

AbstractAcid-base homeostasis to a great extent relies on renal ammonia metabolism. In the past several years, seminal studies have generated important new insights into the mechanisms of renal ammonia transport. In particular, the theory that ammonia transport occurs almost exclusively through nonionic NH3 diffusion and NH4+ trapping has given way to a model postulating that a variety of proteins specifically transport NH3 and NH4+ and that this transport is critical for normal ammonia metabolism. Many of these proteins transport primarily H+ or K+ but also transport NH4+. Nonerythroid Rh glycoproteins transport ammonia and may represent critical facilitators of ammonia transport in the kidney. This review discusses the underlying aspects of renal ammonia transport as well as specific proteins with important roles in renal ammonia transport.
The Mammalian Disaggregase Machinery: Hsp110 Synergizes with Hsp70 and Hsp40 to Catalyze Protein Disaggregation and Reactivation in a Cell-Free System

Bacteria, fungi, protozoa, chromista and plants all harbor homologues of Hsp104, a AAA+ ATPase that collaborates with Hsp70 and Hsp40 to promote protein disaggregation and reactivation. Curiously, however, metazoa do not possess an Hsp104 homologue. Thus, whether animal cells renature large protein aggregates has long remained unclear. Here, it is established that mammalian cytosol prepared from different sources possesses a potent, ATP-dependent protein disaggregase and reactivation activity, which can be accelerated and stimulated by Hsp104. This activity did not require the AAA+ ATPase, p97. Rather, mammalian Hsp110 (Apg-2), Hsp70 (Hsc70 or Hsp70) and Hsp40 (Hdj1) were necessary and sufficient to slowly dissolve large disordered aggregates and recover natively folded protein. This slow disaggregase activity was conserved to yeast Hsp110 (Sse1), Hsp70 (Ssa1) and Hsp40 (Sis1 or Ydj1). Hsp110 must engage substrate, engage Hsp70, promote nucleotide exchange on Hsp70, and hydrolyze ATP to promote disaggregation of disordered aggregates. Similarly, Hsp70 must engage substrate and Hsp110, and hydrolyze ATP for protein disaggregation. Hsp40 must harbor a functional J domain to promote protein disaggregation, but the J domain alone is insufficient. Optimal disaggregase activity is achieved when the Hsp40 can stimulate the ATPase activity of Hsp110 and Hsp70. Finally, Hsp110, Hsp70 and Hsp40 fail to rapidly remodel amyloid forms of the yeast prion protein, Sup35, or the Parkinson's disease protein, alpha-synuclein. However, Hsp110, Hsp70 and Hsp40 enhanced the activity of Hsp104 against these amyloid substrates. Taken together, these findings suggest that Hsp110 fulfils a subset of Hsp104 activities in mammals. Moreover, they suggest that Hsp104 can collaborate with the mammalian disaggregase machinery to rapidly remodel amyloid conformers.
Increasing Student Learning: A Comparison of Students' Perceptions of Learning in the Classroom Environment and their Industry-Based Experiential Learning Assignments

ABSTRACT Many hospitality curricula incorporate some form of industry-based experiential learning to complement the classroom environment. This study analyzed hospitality management student perceptions of learning both inside the classroom environment and in their experiential learning assignments outside the classroom. A review of the literature found documented benefits of experiential learning. This study confirmed many of these previously documented benefits of experiential learning and identified new learning outcomes or benefits for students who participate in experiential learning, such as an increased understanding of how organizations function, increased ability to view career expectations realistically, an increased network of professional contacts, increased ability to take initiative, increased ability to adapt to change, increased leadership skills, and increased financial management skills. This study attempted to identify the statistically significant differences, if any, between student pe...
The Case for Auditing the Fed is Obvious

Recently, the Federal Reserve has significantly altered the procedures and goals that it had followed for decades. It has more than doubled its balance sheet, paid interest to banks on reserves held as deposits with the Fed, made decisions about which institutions to prop up and which should be allowed to fail, invested in assets that expose taxpayers to large losses, and raised questions about how it will avoid inflation despite an unprecedented increase in the monetary base.We should document why the Fed took each step, what the expected results were, and whether those results were achieved. What is surprising is not that many congressional colleagues support Rep. Ron Paul's (R-TX) bill calling for an audit of the Fed. Remarkably, there is significant opposition to such oversight, and the political prospects for undertaking such an audit are relatively bleak.This paper has three main sections. The first section looks at opposition to the audit. Although audit opponents express concern over keeping the monetary authority insulated from political pressure to inflate, one could argue that the larger threat to Fed independence comes from its departure from standard operating procedures. The second section looks at the processes on which an audit should focus. How did Fed officials undertake to determine whether this was primarily a liquidity crisis or primarily a solvency crisis? The third section looks at the outcomes on which an audit should focus. The profit or loss of the Fed's investments would provide a very helpful indicator of whether the Fed's actions served the economy as a whole or merely transferred wealth from ordinary taxpayers to bank shareholders.
Endoscopic Techniques for the Management of Esophageal Perforation

Esophageal perforations or leaks can be spontaneous, iatrogenic, related to esophageal pathology, or postoperative. The modern management of esophageal perforations can involve endoscopy, surgery, or a hybrid approach, and it should be tailored to the individual patient to ensure the best outcome. It is important for the thoracic surgeon to understand current endoscopic technologies to manage esophageal perforations and their clinical applications.
Further Use of Natural Infrasound as a Continuous Monitor of the Upper Atmosphere

Abstract This is a further study of the use of natural infrasound in the atmosphere to monitor tidal circulation in the lower thermosphere. The height of this circulation is determined with the use of a reference atmospheric model, which is then used to calibrate infrasound/microseism ratios in terms of height. Also, we show from continuous observation over six years at 41°N, 74°W that the winter semidiurnal tide is present at least 62% of the time and the diurnal, at least 42% of the time.
Backward Contralateral Masking by Light and by Random Pattern

Letter-stimuli as targets were presented to the right or left visual fields and followed either by a flash of light or by a flash of light plus a patterned mask. The patterned mask always appeared in the opposite visual field of the letter targets. Analysis showed that masking occurred for both types of masks but that subjects produced more errors at each of five intervals between onset of the target and onset of the mask for the flash of light plus a patterned mask in the opposite visual field than for the flash of light alone. A pattern mask, when presented to the opposite visual field of a target stimulus, interferes with target processing at short target-mask intervals. These findings suggest that central backward masking may involve target-mask interactions beyond the visual cortex (Area 17).
Extended cystic fibrosis testing - does the end justify the means?

Introduction Mutation testing of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene is often required for a definitive diagnosis of cystic fibrosis, but >1000 mutations are known. Aims To compare the mutation detection rate of our in-house 11-mutation panel against a 33-mutation panel and direct gene sequencing in patient groups stratified by sweat test (SWT) status. Methods All clinically diagnosed cystic fibrosis (CF) patients presenting between 2003 and 2007 were reviewed to determine their SWT results and CFTR genotypes as identifiable by sequencing, the 11-plex screen or the Abbott-Celera 33-plex oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA) kit. In total, 85 patients in total were analysed. Results 56% of SWT positive patients were fully characterised by the 11-plex screen, compared with 62% by 33-plex screen and 85% by sequencing. The detection rate was substantially lower in SWT equivocal/negative patients (16% by 11-plex, 21% by 33-plex, 58% by sequencing). Ten of 66 SWT positive patients remained incompletely genotyped even by sequencing, while 11 of 19 SWT equivocal/negative patients carried 2 mutant CFTR alleles. Discussion The 33-plex screen offers improved detection rate over the 11-plex screen but sequencing remains necessary for a substantial proportion of patients. Negative SWT or negative sequencing alone should not be taken to exclude CF.
Establishment and application of multiple PCR for diagnosing four food-borne bacterial pathogens

Objective:To set up a fast,economical and practical multiplex PCR method for the simultaneous detection of four food-borne bacterial pathogens.Methods:Four sets of primers were designed to amplify the gene segments of invA of Salmonella spp.,ipaH of Shigella spp.,tl of Vibro parahaemolyticus and eaeA of pathogenic E.coli(EPEC),anticipated PCR product was 284,606,450,891 bp.The specificity and sensenitivity of PCR were analyzed for single and multi-gene,and multiplex PCR method has been developed for diagnosing Salmonella spp.,Shigella spp.,Vibrio parahaemolyticus,EPEC.Results:This multiplex PCR-based system allowed detection of bacteria from samples containing Salmonella 42 cfu/g,Shigella 36 cfu/g,Vibro parahaemolyticus 116 cfu/g and EPEC 91 cfu/g within 16~18 hours,and the high sepeificity was demonstrated by detecting 12 target stains and 15 non-target stains.Conclusion:A rapid,specific,and sensitive multiplex PCR-based system for the simultaneous detection of Salmonella spp.,Shigella spp.,Vibro parahaemolyticus and pathogenic E.coli(EPEC) has been established and it is valuable for application.
200 mg/m 2 melphalan—the gold standard for multiple myeloma

Palumbo and coauthors report on the results of a randomized trial comparing two doses of melphalan in patients with symptomatic multiple myeloma. Overall complete response rates, median progression-free survival and projected 5-year overall survival were significantly higher among patients receiving the higher melphalan dose. These results confirm that for this patient population melphalan 200 mg/m2 should remain the gold standard conditioning regimen.
Clinical Effect of SelfWart Embedded Operation for Verrucae

Objective To observe the effectiveness and safety of selfwart embedded operation in the treatment of verrucae. Method The operation was performed on 156 patients with verruca.Each case was observed for 3 months after the operation. Results The cure rate,excellent effective rate,and effective rate were 50.0%,14.8% and 17.9% respectively.The total effective rate was 82.7%.The clinical effect on verruca plana was best among 4 types of verrucae.The ocurrence rate of adverse reaction was 0.6%.The recurrence rate was 6.5%. Conclusions Selfwart embedded operation is a surgical method that is of high effectiveness,safety and low recurrence for verrucae,especially for verruca plana.
Scavenger Receptor B-1 Emerges as Anti-atherogenic Candidate

Scavenger receptor B-1 (SR-B1) facilitates reverse cholesterol transport by transferring cholesterol esters of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) into the liver. Zanoni et al. (2016) report that a genetic deficiency of normal SR-B1 appears to predispose subjects to coronary heart disease in spite of raising serum HDL cholesterol levels.
Experience with fossa recurrence of renal cell carcinoma.

AbstractWe describe the surgical management and followup of 11 patients with local recurrence of renal cell carcinoma in the renal fossa, 10 of whom demonstrated no evidence of distant metastatic disease at the time of recurrence. Average interval to recurrence was 31 months from nephrectomy, with the majority of patients presenting with symptoms of weight loss, fatigue and lumbar discomfort. A total of 13 resections of recurrent carcinoma was performed with 3 immediate postoperative complications, including a retroperitoneal abscess, jejunal necrosis requiring resection and a duodenal obstruction requiring duodenojejunostomy. There were 2 postoperative deaths, 2 patients died of disseminated disease at 8 and 22 months, and 3 died of causes unrelated to cancer recurrence at 4 months, 6 months and 10 years. Four patients were without disease at a followup of 35, 46, 48 and 211 months. We include in this review a report on 1 patient who maintains a disease-free survival of 17 years after resection of a recu...
The Multidisciplinary Management of Early Distal Esophageal and Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer

Esophageal cancer is an uncommon cancer in the USA, although the incidence of adenocarcinomas of the lower esophagus and gastroesophageal junction has steadily increased since the 1970s. Globally, esophageal cancer (mostly squamous cell carcinomas) is endemic in parts of the world, such as East Asia. In this chapter, we discuss validated pre-, peri- and postoperative strategies for locally advanced disease, which include chemotherapy and/or chemoradiation.
Plan IV and V dietetics program recruitment strategies and their perceived success.

A recruitment effort is essential to the vitality of the dietetics profession. To gather information about recruitment strategies and to identify recruitment techniques perceived to be successful, we surveyed 258 program directors of approved Plan IV and V programs listed in the 1989 Directory of Dietetic Programs. One hundred thirty-nine questionnaires were completed, a response rate of 55%. On-campus students were recruited primarily from general education or basic nutrition classes or by means of written information placed in campus offices. High school, community college, and junior high school students were usually contacted through career information days, although high school students were contacted more frequently than were community college or junior high school students. Almost half of the respondents made a special effort to recruit underrepresented groups. A variety of strategies had a significant positive relationship with perceived recruitment success. Some involved personal contact—for example, meeting with high school science and home economics teachers, attending career information days at community colleges, and having a full-time faculty member assigned to meet with prospective majors. Other strategies involved the development of printed materials and displays. Department or school names that were directly related to nutrition, dietetics, health, science, or professional management were perceived as having a positive effect on promoting the dietetics program. Recruitment strategies perceived to be successful may be a useful starting point for recruitment efforts. The findings indicate recruiting strategies can be categorized into two groups—those that involve personal contact and those that involve the use and development of the print and graphic media.
The Point of Origin before Destination

The paper seeks to help correct a certain imbalance in the sociological literature on Calvinism and its derivations like Puritanism, neo-Calvinism, etc. This is the literature’s centering on Calvinism’s various social consequences and decentering on its own origins and conditions in society. As a corrective to this asymmetry in the literature, the paper assumes and explores the societal roots and factors of the emergence and early development and expansion of Calvinism. This is done on the grounds that the analysis of the societal determination, i.e., the point of origin of Calvinism, like other religion and ideology, is equally and even more important than that of its social effects or destination. In formal terms, the paper considers Calvinism to be a dependent variable, function of certain societal determinants and settings as the explanatory factor, thus correcting the prevalent treatment of it as the independent variable in the sociological literature. In so doing it adopts and applies the main premises and findings of the sociology of religion and knowledge to Calvinism. Its aim is to contribute to a more complete sociology of the Calvinist religion that explores both its social conditions and its social consequences.
Carcinoma of the Lung and Bronchus, Not Otherwise Classified

Carcinoma of the lung and bronchus, which is otherwise not classified, consists of cancers that were described in the medical records only in very general terms, in many cases because no biopsy was performed and the diagnosis was based on clinical grounds. As a group, they are expected to have the same causes as the total set of lung cancers. Lung cancers of unclassified histology, like other lung cancers, were particularly uncommon in Utah, but also uncommon in Denmark. Risk to men is substantially higher than risk to women, and among those under 70, African-Americans are at highest risk; rates among whites become highest after that age. Men of lower social class and women of middle class are at higher risk. This group of lung cancers shows a pattern of occurrence consistent with the occurrence of squamous and small cell lung cancers combined, presumably because smoking is largely responsible.