cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regulation of Plexin: A Ring of Structural Twists and Turns.

The regulation of the guidance receptor plexin is incompletely understood. In this issue, Kong et al. (2016) present crystal structures of the full-length extracellular region of class A plexins, revealing its dual role in both autoinhibition and activation.
Disorder and Nonlinearity

These brief remarks paraphrase my extemporaneous comments, when asked to summarize in closing the workshop.
Metastatic Calcinosis of Aortic Valve Secondary to Renal Failure Mimicking Infective Endocarditis

End stage renal disease has a list of consequences, cardiovascular being the most common. Inefficient dialysis can cause significant deposition of calcium all over the body, including heart valves making heart function impaired. We illustrate a case of 38-year-old female with end stage renal disease on peritoneal dialysis. The patient had been complaining of pain and swelling of the right hand for the last few months and had been seen by hand surgeon and was admitted electively for the biopsy of hand lesions. Before her planned surgery, she developed severe shortness of breath. Urgent echocardiogram revealed severe aortic regurgitation and large vegetation on the aortic valve. Infective endocarditis was suspected but blood cultures were negative for any microorganism and the patient did not meet the Duke criteria. Because of her hemodynamic instability immediate mechanical valve replacement surgery was performed. The pathology report showed extensive calcification and myxoid degeneration. No infectious agent was found. Later on, biopsy of her hand lesions showed extensive calcification with macrophages and giant cells. No atypia or malignancy was identified. This is a rare case of the metastatic calcinosis of aortic valve secondary to renal failure mimicking aortic valve infective endocarditis.
The stress dependence of the crack growth rate during creep

An equation is derived for the crack growth rate under creep conditions. In the model, the propagation of a grain boundary crack is controlled by the plastic growth of cavities located in the grain boundaries ahead of the crack. It is assumed that the cavities grow by power law creep in the elastic crack tip stress field. Hence, the stress dependence of the crack velocity is provided through the elastic stress intensity factor, i.e., dC/dt=BK . The cavity spacing, λ, appears as an important factor in the coefficient,B ∝ λ−(p−2)/2. At large values of λ, corresponding to less severe creep damage in the grain boundaries, the above equation would predict very low values for the crack velocity. Under such conditions, we suggest that another mechanism, whose stress dependence is provided through the net section stress, becomes active, i.e., dC/dt=B′σ net ′ . Since λ increases with decreasing applied stress, one should observe the σnet correlation at low stresses. The results of recent creep crack growth experiments which tend to support this hypothesis are presented.
Racial Disparity in Localized Prostate Cancer Mortality.

Abstract This study aims to examine racial differences in all-cause mortality between African American (AA) and non-African American localized prostate cancer patients. This study advances academic discussion by being among the first to use a sample more representative of the general population that is different from certain subpopulations examined in literature. This study adopted a retrospective cohort study design using the Florida Cancer Data System. The hierarchical logistic regression was employed to analyze mortality in 2004 among living patients with localized prostate cancer from baseline 2000. Among 9617 patients, the odds of mortality in AAs were 57.6% higher than the non-AAs (Adjusted OR = 1.576, 95% CI: 1.243–1.999). Among prostate cancer patients, AA, older age, unmarried status, conservative treatment, Medicaid, and tumor grade III diagnosis predicted higher mortality relative to the reference group. Screening programs at a younger age can be considered, family and community support and aggressive treatments are suggested to prevent AA against adverse health outcomes.
Restructuring structural narrative analysis using Campbell’s monomyth to understand participant narratives

In this paper, we describe a method for performing structural narrative analysis that draws on narratology and literary studies, moving structural narrative analysis from a focus on examining linguistic parts of narratives to understanding thematic structures that make up the whole narrative. We explore the possibility of constructing participant narratives using Campbell’s monomyth as a coding and structuralizing scheme. The method we describe is the response to the question, “How might we find a reliable way to construct ‘smooth’ stories (with attention to the structures of stories) so that we might compare trajectories of student experiences?” To answer this question, we use narrative interviews from a larger study to show how this method can make sense of interviews and construct accessible and useful participant narratives. We close by providing an example narrative constructed using the monomyth coding scheme and discussing benefits and difficulties associated with this method.
Behavioral and Electrophysiological Activity of the Racemate and Enantiomers of a Monofluorinated Analog of European Corn Borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Sex Pheromone

The racemate and individual enantiomers of 2-fluoro-Z-11-tetradecenyl acetate (2F-Z-11), analogs of a European corn borer moth, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner), female sex pheromone were compared with ...
Forecasting hurricane wave height in Gulf of Mexico using soft computing methods

Abstract The main objective of this paper was to use different soft computing methods to forecast hurricane wave height over Gulf of Mexico. For this purpose, three well-known soft computing methods; Support Vector Machine (SVM), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and Random Forest (RF) were used. The friction velocity was also used instead of wind speed at 10 m height. For this case, three different assumptions were considered for computing friction velocity. For the analysis, one month (from August 20th, 2008 to September 20th, 2008) data including passage of hurricanes Gustav and Ike over Gulf of Mexico were collected from six different buoys. Next, seven different parameters were used to train the models based on the data observed from five buoys. Later the trained models were used to forecast observed wave height in the sixth buoy in different lead times. The results showed that using more number of input parameters leads to better performance of the methods, especially in longer lead times. Moreover, in longer lead times, the effect of other parameters such as air pressure were increased and assisted the models to outperform previous models. In addition; different assumptions for friction velocity eventuated comparable results.
Macrophage inflammatory factors promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer.

// Robert B. Bednarczyk 1 , Neha Y. Tuli 1 , Elyse K. Hanly 1 , Ghada Ben Rahoma 1 , Rachana Maniyar 1 , Abraham Mittelman 1 , Jan Geliebter 1 and Raj K. Tiwari 1 1 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA Correspondence to: Raj K. Tiwari, email: Raj_Tiwari@nymc.edu Keywords: epithelial-mesenchymal transition; inflammation; M1 macrophages; metastasis; secretory factors Received: June 03, 2017 Accepted: September 05, 2017 Epub: March 23, 2018 Published: May 11, 2018 ABSTRACT The majority of breast cancers (90–95%) arise due to mediators distinct from inherited genetic mutations. One major mediator of breast cancer involves chronic inflammation. M1 macrophages are an integral component of chronic inflammation and the breast cancer tumor microenvironment (TME). Previous studies have demonstrated that up to 50% of the breast tumor comprise of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and increased TAM infiltration has been associated with poor patient prognosis. Furthermore, breast cancer associated deaths are predominantly attributed to invasive cancers and metastasis with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) being implicated. In this study, we investigated the effects of cellular crosstalk between TAMs and breast cancer using an in vitro model system. M1 polarized THP-1 macrophage conditioned media (CM) was generated and used to evaluate cellular and functional changes of breast cancer lines T47D and MCF-7. We observed that T47D and MCF-7 exhibited a partial EMT phenotype in the presence of activated THP-1 CM. Additionally, MCF-7 displayed a significant increase in migratory and invasive properties. We conclude that M1 secretory factors can promote a partial EMT of epithelial-like breast cancer cells. The targeting of M1 macrophages or their secretory components may inhibit EMT and limit the invasive potential of breast cancer.
Surgical Management of Fossa Navicularis and Distal Urethral Strictures.

The management of Fossa Navicularis and distal urethral strictures remain a challenge for both reconstructive and general urologists. This is due to their location in the urethra, the risks of dehiscence, adverse cosmetic outcomes, fistula formation and most importantly stricture recurrence. With the advances in urethral reconstruction in the last few decades, various techniques can be utilized for the treatment of fossa navicularis and distal urethral strictures. These different techniques include: multi-staged and single staged procedures with the use of fasciocutaneous flaps, buccal mucosal grafts or a combination of both which could be performed through either open or transurethral approaches. Treatment modalities are trending towards single-staged repairs with grafts rather than multi-staged repairs with local skin flaps. The goal of this chapter is to describe the diagnosis and management of fossa navicularis and distal urethral strictures with the advantages and pitfalls of the different techniques.
Primary structure of human coagulation factor XIII.

Factor XIII (fibrin stabilizing factor or fibrinoligase) is a plasma transglutaminase that plays an important role in the final stages of blood coagulation and the regulation of fibrinolysis. The molecule occurs in blood as a tetramer, a 2 b 2 (about 320 kD), consisting of two a subunits (75 kD each) and two b subunits (80 kD each) as estimated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (Schwartz et al., 1973; Chung et al., 1974) (Fig. 1). The molecular complex is held together by noncovalent bonds (Schwartz et al., 1973). During the final stage of blood coagulation, thrombin converts the proenzyme (factor XIII) to an active form (factor XIIIa) by releasing an activation peptide (4 kD) from the N-terminus of each of the a subunits (Schwartz et al., 1973; Takagi and Doolittle, 1974). This reaction is stimulated by fibrin monomers (Lewis et al., 1985). In the presence of calcium ions, the activated a dimer dissociates from the b dimer (Cooke and Holbrook, 1974; Chung et al., 1974; Lorand et al., 1974) and binds to fibrin more tightly. Fibrin also lowers the calcium concentration required for the release of the b dimer (Credo et al., 1981). Calcium binds to the a subunit and unmasks its active site (Curtis et al., 1974; Cooke, 1974).
Statistical Mining of Potential Drug Interaction Adverse Effects in FDA’s Spontaneous Reporting System

Many adverse drug effects (ADEs) can be attributed to drug interactions. Spontaneous reporting systems (SRS) provide a rich opportunity to detect novel post-marketed drug interaction adverse effects (DIAEs), as they include populations not well represented in clinical trials. However, their identification in SRS is nontrivial. Most existing research have addressed the statistical issues used to test or verify DIAEs, but not their identification as part of a systematic large scale database-wide mining process as discussed in this work. This paper examines the application of a highly optimized and tailored implementation of the Apriori algorithm, as well as methods addressing data quality issues, to the identification of DIAEs in FDAs SRS.
Hazard Assessment for Emergency Planning

A key objective of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Emergency Management Program is to ensure that all DOE facilities and operations develop and maintain emergency planning, preparedness and response capabilities, as well as effective public and interagency communications to minimize consequences to workers and the general public from events involving the release of hazardous materials1. If planning and preparedness for emergencies is to be adequate and appropriate, then the hazards that are specific to each facility and operation must first be identified and understood. The Hazards Assessment process described herein forms the technical basis for such planning.
Copyright and Automated Programs – Beware the Shield and the Sword

The Federal Court of Australia on Appeal in the case of National Rugby League Investments Pty Limited v. Singtel Optus Pty Ltd [2012] FCAFC 59 has overturned the decision of the Primary Judge’s finding in Singtel Optus Pty Ltd v. National Rugby League Investments Pty Ltd (No. 2) and held that a telecommunication provider is capable of copyright infringement in certain instances involving free-to-air television programs.
Mathematics from the Beginning: Evaluating the Tayari Preprimary Program’s Impact on Early Mathematics Skills

Given the dearth of research on early numeracy interventions in low- and middle-income countries, this paper presents the instructional methodology and impact results of the Tayari program. Tayari is a preprimary intervention in Kenya (2014–2019) that prepares children aged four and five for entry into primary school through materials for students, training for teachers, and continuous in-classroom support. Evidence points to the long-term benefits of developing an early foundation in mathematics. The few preprimary mathematics studies in sub-Saharan Africa have not described the instructional methodology in enough detail to add to our knowledge of best practices. The Tayari methodology was built on the Kenyan government’s preprimary syllabus to produce instruction that was developmentally sequenced, linked to out-of-school experiences, and supportive of children’s number sense. Tayari is evaluated using a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and collection of longitudinal data from 2,957 children in treatment and control schools at three time points. Pupil assessment items were drawn from a growing body of research on preprimary numeracy in developing contexts, plus instruments and techniques from the Measuring Early Learning and Quality Outcomes (MELQO) program (UNESCO, UNICEF, Brookings Institution, & World Bank Group, 2017). The endline impact evaluation of the longitudinal RCT results showed statistically significant effects in the numeracy tasks of producing sets, identifying numbers, and naming shapes, while revealing no initial effects in the areas of oral and mental addition. We present recommendations for Tayari’s improvement in terms of mathematics instruction, as well as preprimary policy implications for Kenya and similar contexts.
Return to Alcohol Use After Liver Transplant: Patterns and Surveillance.

Alcohol‐associated liver disease (AALD) represents 40% to 50% of liver deaths in the United States. Since 2016, AALD has become the most common indication for LT in the United States.1 Although LT treats the hepatic complications of alcohol use disorder, it does not treat the addiction to alcohol, a chronic illness with relapsing and remitting periods of disease.2 This review discusses the patterns of alcohol use after LT, its negative consequences, and the tools available to transplant providers to monitor alcohol use.
Partial arytenoidectomy in 14 standing horses (2013-2017).

Objective To report our experience with partial arytenoidectomy in sedated standing horses. Study design Retrospective study. Animals Fourteen client-owned adult horses. Methods The medical records (2013-2017) of horses treated with unilateral partial arytenoidectomy while standing and sedated were reviewed. Demographics, endoscopic findings, previous treatments, and outcome after surgery were investigated and recorded. Results Thirteen horses had unilateral left-sided recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) and 1 horse had bilateral RLN. Five horses had a previous failed prosthetic laryngoplasty. Left-sided partial arytenoidectomy without mucosal closure was successfully completed in all horses under sedation and local anesthesia. Report of long-term outcome was obtained via telephone conversations for 12 horses, of which 9 also had an endoscopic reevaluation performed; 3 horses had granulomas at the surgical site, of which 2 eventually required a permanent tracheostomy. Nine horses returned to athletic use without respiratory noise, 2 horses returned to athletic use with noise during exercise that was reduced compared with preoperative levels, and 1 horse continued to be used as a broodmare. Conclusion Partial arytenoidectomy in standing horses was achieved with adequate sedation and local anesthesia. Clinical significance Partial arytenoidectomy on standing sedated horses could be considered as an alternative to eliminate the risks associated with general anesthesia.
Harmonic Scalpel Versus Coblation Tonsillectomy A Comparative Study

Tonsillectomy is an age old procedure in ENT practice. Though traditional dissection method is gold standard, we surgeons are trying different techniques like electrocautery, coblation, harmonic scalpel (HS) mainly to improve surgical convenience, to decrease operative time, post operative pain, intra and post operative bleeding and fast return to normal life. In this particular study we are comparing coblation and HS as surgical tool in tonsillectomy. It is a prospective double-blind randomized controlled trial where information was compared between two groups of coblation and HS tonsillectomy. A total number of 128 patients were compared over operation time, intra-operative blood loss, postoperative pain, time needed to regain the normal diet and activity and postoperative haemorrhage. We found statistically significant differences in operation time (p < 0.001) and intra operative blood loss (p < 0.001). Secondary haemorrhage rate was far better in HS (1.5%) group compared to coblation (7.8%). Whereas postoperative pain, time needed to go back to the normal diet and activity were better in HS group but the difference is not significant. This study revealed a significantly less operative time and intra-operative and post operative blood loss in harmonic scalpel tonsillectomy in comparison with coblation method. These findings addressed HS tonsillectomy as an advanced method.
Emergency department monitor alarms rarely change clinical management: An observational study.

Abstract Study objective Monitor alarms are prevalent in the ED. Continuous electronic monitoring of patients' vital signs may alert staff to physiologic decompensation. However, repeated false alarms may lead to desensitization of staff to alarms. Mitigating this could involve prioritizing the most clinically-important alarms. There are, however, little data on which ED monitor alarms are clinical meaningful. We evaluated whether and which ED monitor alarms led to observable changes in patients' ED care. Methods This prospective, observational study was conducted in an urban, academic ED. An ED physician completed 53 h of observation, recording patient characteristics, alarm type, staff response, whether the alarm was likely real or false, and whether it changed clinical management. The primary outcome was whether the alarm led to an observable change in patient management. Secondary outcomes included the type of alarms and staff responses to alarms. Results There were 1049 alarms associated with 146 patients, for a median of 18 alarms per hour of observation. The median number of alarms per patient was 4 (interquartile range 2–8). Alarms changed clinical management in 8 out of 1049 observed alarms (0.8%, 95% CI, 0.3%, 1.3%) in 5 out of the 146 patients (3%, 95% CI, 0.2%, 5.8%). Staff did not observably respond to most alarms (63%). Conclusion Most ED monitor alarms did not observably affect patient care. Efforts at improving the clinical significance of alarms could focus on widening alarm thresholds, customizing alarms parameters for patients' clinical status, and on utilizing monitoring more selectively.
Surviving Victimization: How Service and Advocacy Organizations Describe Traumatic Experiences, 1998–2016:

Service and advocacy organizations have long struggled to find the appropriate language to name traumatic experiences when working with vulnerable populations. Organizations have been pressed to ad...
Studying Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Global Higher Education: Evidence for Future Research and Practice

I present evidence that formal and informal research on ‘online education and distance learning’, followed by ‘international mobility’ and ‘public health’, are currently the three most important issues and topics facing scholars and practitioners as a result of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Using NVivo 12.0 qualitative software, I collected and analyzed data from 123 abstracts representing 147 contributors across 98 colleges and universities from the author’s forthcoming book (provisionally) entitled, Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Global Higher Education, to be published by Routledge (Taylor & Francis). Preliminary result suggests that the number of proposals submitted to the ‘online education and distance learning’ section (N = 34) suggest a major shift from international and comparative higher education scholars, policymakers and practitioners to investigate an area that is understudied, and perhaps largely overlooked in many developing and transitional economies. I provide several resource global researchers and community members could implement to publish empirical research and policy briefs surrounding the impacts of the COVID-19 on postsecondary (tertiary) education. Implications for future research and policymaking are discussed.
An Integrative Approach Uncovers Genes with Perturbed Interactions in Cancer

A major challenge in cancer genomics is to identify genes with functional roles in cancer and uncover their mechanisms of action. Here, we introduce an integrative framework that identifies cancer-relevant genes by pinpointing those whose interaction or other functional sites are enriched in somatic mutations across tumors. We derive analytical calculations that enable us to avoid time-prohibitive permutation-based significance tests, making it computationally feasible to simultaneously consider multiple measures of protein site functionality. Our accompanying software PertInInt is the first to combine knowledge about sites participating in interactions with DNA, RNA, peptides, ions or small molecules with domain, evolutionary conservation and gene-level mutation data. When applied to 10,037 tumor samples across 33 cancer types, PertInInt uncovers both known and newly predicted cancer genes, while additionally revealing what types of interactions or other functionalities are disrupted. PertInInt’s analysis demonstrates that somatic mutations are frequently enriched in interaction sites and domains, and implicates interaction perturbation as a pervasive cancer driving event.
Modifying the Trier Social Stress Test to Induce Positive Affect

Studies comparing the effects of positive and negative affect on psychological outcomes are limited by differences in the situations that evoke these states and in the resulting levels of arousal. In the present research, we adapted the speech portion of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) to create conditions with similar situational features that induce either positive, negative, or neutral affective states (N = 301). Pre-post emotion ratings showed that negative affect increased in the negative condition but decreased in the positive and neutral conditions. Positive affect increased in the positive condition, remained unchanged in the neutral condition, and decreased in the negative condition. Participants’ post-speech ratings of their positive and negative emotions differed significantly between the positive and negative conditions, which has not been accomplished in previous attempts to create a non-stressful positive TSST. Importantly, participants in the positive and negative conditions did not differ in self-reported levels of arousal and showed similar changes in mean arterial pressure across the speech period, although heart rate was relatively higher during the speech for participants in the negative compared to positive and neutral conditions. Findings demonstrate the effectiveness of a modified TSST for inducing positive affect with similar levels of emotional arousal to the traditional negative TSST.
Electron Transfer Reactions of Irreversibly Adsorbed Cytochromes on Solid Electrodes

Within the expanding research area of protein electrochemistry1–3, the study of irreversibly adsorbed proteins and enzymes has begun to receive increasing attention4–18. Studies of this type have significant potential for contributing to both fundamental and technological progress. In particular, the following research areas are expected to benefit directly from in-depth electrochemical investigations of adsorbed electroactive proteins: 1) biological electron transfer 2) protein adsorption at solid/liquid interfaces 3) amperometric biosensors 4) bioelectrosynthesis
A Hybrid Immersed Interface Method for Driven Stokes Flow in an Elastic Tube

We present a hybrid numerical method for simulating fluid flow through a compliant, closed tube, driven by an internal source and sink. Fluid is assumed to be highly viscous with its motion described by Stokes flow. Model geometry is assumed to be axisymmetric, and the governing equations are implemented in axisymmetric cylindrical coordinates, which capture 3D flow dynamics with only 2D computations. We solve the model equations using a hybrid approach: we decompose the pressure and velocity fields into parts due to the surface forcings and due to the source and sink, with each part handled separately by means of an appropriate method. Because the singularly-supported surface forcings yield an unsmooth solution, that part of the solution is computed using the immersed interface method. Jump conditions are derived for the axisymmetric cylindrical coordinates. The velocity due to the source and sink is calculated along the tubular surface using boundary integrals. Numerical results are presented that indicate second-order accuracy of the method.
Contemporary Ethical Issues in Stem Cell Research

Recent advancements in stem cell technologies bring the promise of finding treatments and cures to a wide range of conditions and diseases but also considerable ethical concerns. This chapter focuses on contemporary bioethical issues central to individuals’ participation in stem cell research as “human subjects.” It explores how the core ethical principles of beneficence, respect for persons, and justice may be implicated in research requiring donation of gametes, embryos, and somatic cells and in clinical trials or innovative stem cell therapies. The first section addresses certain rights of individuals who donate biological materials for the purposes of human embryonic stem cell research, including the necessity of providing voluntary informed consent and how compensation for participation may affect the voluntariness of such consent. The second section evaluates ethical issues relating to the testing and using novel stem cell therapies in humans.
Challenges for predictive process simulation in sub 0.1/spl mu/ silicon devices

The promise of process simulation has always been that it could replace costly experiments in the development of new technology. The reality has been far less, primarily because of deficiencies in the physical models underlying such simulations. This situation is changing rapidly however, as better physically based models are developed. We may be finally reaching the time when TCAD tools can do much more than "model yesterday's technology tomorrow".
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy: In a remote northern Ontario hospital

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is an acquired demyelinating syndrome that targets myelin sheaths of the peripheral nervous system. The course might be relapsing or steady, or follow a stepwise progression, with most younger individuals presenting with the relapsing
Affine and nonaffine motions in sheared polydisperse emulsions.

We study dense and highly polydisperse emulsions at droplet volume fractions $\ensuremath{\phi}\ensuremath{\ge}0.65$. We apply oscillatory shear and observe droplet motion using confocal microscopy. The presence of droplets with sizes several times the mean size dramatically changes the motion of smaller droplets. Both affine and nonaffine droplet motions are observed, with the more nonaffine motion exhibited by the smaller droplets which are pushed around by the larger droplets. Droplet motions are correlated over length scales from one to four times the mean droplet diameter, with larger length scales corresponding to higher strain amplitudes (up to strains of about 6%).
Dance/Movement Therapy's Influence on Adolescents' Mathematics, Social-Emotional, and Dance Skills

AbstractDance/movement therapy (DMT) was integrated into mathematics and social-emotional skill instruction for seventh-grade students diagnosed with learning disabilities, emotional/behavioral disabilities, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Students who participated in these integrated activities over a 1-month period demonstrated improved performance in mathematics, dance arts, and social-emotional dimensions of learning such as motivation, engagement, attention, and self-regulation. Implications for teaching and learning with special populations are discussed.
Fat mass deposition during pregnancy using a four-component model.

Estimates of body fat mass gained during human pregnancy are necessary to assess the composition of gestational weight gained and in studying energy requirements of reproduction. However, commonly ...
Reaction of cytochrome P450BM3 and peroxynitrite yields nitrosyl complex.

Peroxynitrite has come into the spotlight in recent years. Its effects on proteins have been implicated in several diseases such as acute lung injury, rheumatoid arthritis, implant rejection, artherosclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Peroxynitrite is thought to inactivate a variety of proteins including thiolate-ligated heme proteins such as cytochrome P450 2B1 and PGI2 synthase, through the nitration of tyrosine residues. In previous studies it was reported that thiolate-ligated heme enzymes react with peroxynitrite to form a ferryl intermediate. In an effort to spectroscopically characterize this species in P450BM3, we discovered that the peroxynitrite-generated intermediate is not an FeIVoxo, but rather an iron−nitrosyl {FeNO}6 complex. We present density functional calculations as well as Mossbauer and stopped-flow spectroscopic characterizations of the peroxynitrite-generated intermediate in P450BM3.
The effects of neuraminidase on concanavalin a agglutination of erythrocytes: Evidence for adsorption of neuraminidase to erythrocyte membrane

Neuraminidase-treated human erythrocytes, but not untreated erythrocytes, were agglutinated by concanavalin A. The degree of concanavalin A agglutinability was not directly related to sialic acid removal by neuraminidase. While maximal sialic acid release was obtained with 5 units neuraminidase/2 × 109 erythrocytes, maximal concanavalin A agglutination was only obtained after exposure to 20 units neuraminidase. Binding of 3H-concanavalin A by erythrocytes was 10-fold higher with rabbit compared to human red cells.Neuraminidase treatment of human erythrocytes caused a relative increase in 3H-concanavalin binding, but the absolute amount was still 10-fold less than that bound to rabbit erythrocytes. Specific adherence of neuraminidase to Con A-Agarose could not be demonstrated. There was no evidence for contamination of the neuraminidase preparation with proteases using a sensitive assay. These studies suggest that neuraminidase adsorbs to erythrocyte membranes and leads to concanavalin A agglutination of human erythrocytes by a mechanism other than removal of sialic acid.
Metal-oxide coaxial nanowire photovoltaic cells

Two of the biggest losses in conventional solar cells are reflections and carrier thermalization. The nanowire geometry presented here has the potential to mitigate both of these losses [1, 2], however it requires nonconventional and non-planer fabrication procedures. Presented here is a facile synthesis of nanowire array solar cells consisting of a metal oxide heterojunction. The nanowires consist of a core-shell geometry consisting of coaxial layers of copper, copper oxide, zinc oxide, and indium tin oxide: these layers correspond to the bottom contact, p-layer, n-layer, and top contact, respectively.
F-Cl-OH partitioning between biotite and apatite

Abstract An assessment of F-C1-OH partitioning between natural apatite and biotite in a variety of rocks was used to evaluate reciprocal (Mg, Fe2+, AlVI) (F, Cl, OH) mixing properties for biotite according to the reciprocal salt solution model of Wood and Nicholls (1978). Ideal mixing of F-C1-OH and Fe-Mg-Al VI in the hydroxyl and octahedral sites is assumed for biotites with dilute Cl concentrations. The reciprocal interaction parameters, in terms of Gibbs free energies, for the reactions KMg3[AlSi3O10](OH)2 + KFe3[AlSi3O10](F)2 = KMg3[AlSi3O10](F)2 + KFe3[AlSi3O10](OH)2 Phl Fann Fphl Ann and KMg3[AlSi3O10](Cl)2 + KFe3[AlSi3O10](OH)2 = KMg3[AlSi3O10](OH)2 + KFe3[AlSi3O10] (Cl)2 Clphl Ann Phl Clann are about −10 kcal/mol and −4.5 kcal/mol, respectively. These mixing properties are consistent with standard state thermodynamic properties for F and Cl endmember phases from Zhu and Sverjensky (1991). The approach of studying F-C1-OH partitioning between biotite and apatite permits distinguishing the reciprocal effects from the effects of temperature, pressure, and fluid composition. The resultant mixing properties are consistent with observations both in hydrothermal experiments and in natural mineral assemblages. The mixing properties presented in this study enable us now to predict F and Cl concentrations of hydrothermal fluids from the measured F and Cl concentrations in biotite with variable Fe-Mg-AlVI proportions. A case study of the Santa Rita porphyry copper deposits, New Mexico, shows that hydrothermal fluids responsible for the phyllic alteration had a salinity about 3 molal Cl−, in agreement with fluid inclusion studies. Our internally consistent standard thermodynamic properties and solid solution models also lead to recalibration of the apatite-biotite geothermometer. The revised geothermometer predicts temperatures that agree with those estimated from other independent geothermometers. The large reciprocal effects in biotite also point out the need to revise other geothermometers using biotite and to revise the ideal mixing model for biotite in petrologic studies.
A Global Reference Atmospheric Model for Surface to Orbital Altitudes

An empirical atmospheric model has been developed which generates values for pressure, density, temperature and winds from surface levels to orbital altitudes. The output parameters consist of components for: (1) latitude, longitude, and altitude dependent monthly means; (2) quasi-biennial oscillations; and (3) random perturbations to partially simulate the variability due to synoptic, diurnal, planetary wave and gravity wave variations. The monthly mean models consist of: NASA's four dimensional worldwide model for height, latitude, and longitude dependent monthly means from the surface to 25 km; and a newly developed latitude-longitude dependent model which is an extension of the Groves latitude dependent model for the region between 25 and 90 km. The Jacchia 1970 model is used above 90 km and is faired with the modified Groves values between 90 and 115 km. Quasi-biennial and random variation perturbations are computed from parameters determined from various empirical studies, and are added to the monthly mean values.
The low temperature formation of octacalcium phosphate

Abstract The low temperature formation of octacalcium phosphate (Ca 8 (HPO 4 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 4 ·5H 2 O) was investigated. Octacalcium phosphate (OCP) was formed by the hydrolysis of α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP), and by reaction between monocalcium phosphate monohydrate (MCPM) and tetracalcium phosphate (TetCP). Relationships between phase formation, microstructural evolution, and variations in solution chemistry were examined. Hydrolysis of α-TCP to form OCP occurs more rapidly at elevated temperatures. At the highest temperature studied, 70°C, initial precipitation of OCP occurs in about one hour, but its inevitable hydrolysis to the more stable HAp phase takes place over several days. At room temperature, nearly three days are required to initiate OCP formation, yet remains a final product phase for well over a period of months. When the initial solution pH is less than 7, pure phase OCP is the final product, while HAp forms when initial pH values are higher than this. Furthermore, OCP precipitates faster at the highest initial pH values where its formation is observed. OCP formation by reaction between MCPM and TetCP is also dependent on temperature and time of reaction. For temperatures between 40 and 55°C and at reasonable times (less than four days) the product is phase pure OCP. After that time, inevitable hydrolysis of the OCP product to HAp occurs. Between 30 and 40°C, DCPD (CaHPO 4 ·2H 2 O) is simultaneously present with OCP, and below 30°C, HAp and DCPD coexist within this aforementioned time span. Conversely, between 55 and 60°C, DCP (CaHPO 4 ) and OCP are the product phases (in the allowed time of reaction, before the eventual degradation of OCP), and above 60°C HAp and DCP are the final products.
Cash versus incentive compensation: Lawsuits and director pay

Abstract The role of the board of directors is to oversee managerial decisions and to protect the interests of shareholders. While director pay historically is a small cash fee, many corporations now use both stock and option grants as a part of a director's compensation. This paper examines whether this incentive pay aligns the interests of directors with those of the shareholders. We study the special case of shareholder lawsuits that specifically name the board of directors. These lawsuits indicate a breakdown in the trust and therefore the relationship between shareholders and directors. We find that when directors are paid with high incentive pay (designed to align their interests with shareholders) there is a greater incidence of lawsuits. Interestingly, greater cash compensation actually reduces the likelihood of a lawsuit.
Structural characterization of the bovine CYP17 (17α-hydroxylase) gene

The complete exonic and partial intronic sequence of the bovine CYP17 (P45017 alpha) gene has been determined. The gene contains eight exons with exon/intron boundaries which are identical to those determined previously for the human CYP17 gene. The site of initiation of transcription of this gene is located within a 6-base sequence 52 bp from the initiation of translation. Considerable sequence homology (58.7%) is found when approximately 500 bp of the 5'-flanking sequences of the bovine and human CYP17 genes are compared. A computer-based search of this region of bovine CYP17 for consensus sequences associated with binding of transcription factors (i.e., GR, PR, CREB/ATF, AP1, AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5, OTF, CTF/NF1, SP1) shows only the consensus CREB/ATF sequence TGACGT which is also found to be at approximately the same position in the human CYP17 gene. In bovine adrenal cortex, transcription of the CYP17 gene is regulated by the peptide hormone adrenocorticotropin via cAMP. Whether the consensus CREB/ATF sequence is associated with the cAMP-mediated transcription of the CYP17 gene remains to be elucidated.
Language as an indicator of meaning generation: An analysis of middle school students' written discourse about scientific investigations

The purposes of this study were to (a) investigate how one group of middle school students generated meanings for scientific data and expressed them in writing, and (b) develop a methodology for assessing the relationship between students' written text and their scientific thinking. Previous research on writing to learn has focused on the reformulation of content material supplied by the teacher, rather than authentic inquiry data that provide opportunities for meaningful interpretation. The research design was a content analysis of documents produced in a naturalistic setting. Data analysis focused on the frequency, placement, and purpose of meaningful inferences embedded in the reports, as well as coding for the elaboration, extension, and enhancement of science ideas. Results indicated that many student reports included a minimal number of written inferences, expressing only vague meanings for the data. However, some students integrated inference and data, using inference to (a) explain specific meanings for data points in context, and (b) pose new hypotheses to explain data. An analysis of expansion characteristics revealed that some students were able to elaborate richly upon their initial ideas through the use of language, thereby generating new meaning for the investigations. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 36: 1044–1061, 1999
Public Issues Education and Extension Practice in Nigeria

This paper advocates that public issues education (PIE) and conflict management are new societal concerns extension professionals in Nigeria should tackle. The paper believes that incorporating PIE into policy making will allow communities in Nigeria to use public-issue conflicts as an opportunity to collaboratively explore topics, better understand the issues, and consider alternative solutions. The paper provides an overview of the concept of PIE, the process of public policy education and how PIE helps communities involved in public-issue disputes to reach agreements. Furthermore, the paper identifies (1) roles extension professionals in Nigeria should play in PIE; (2) principles they should observe to successfully impart policy education; (3) ways for evaluating the success of PIE; and (4) institutional requirements for involvement of extension professionals in PIE in Nigeria. The paper concludes that involvement of extension professionals in PIE can only be possible when the institutional environment of extension agencies in the country gives it a worthy support. The extension professionals also will require training on the principles and process of PIE and the ability to practically apply skills so acquired for them to effectively impart public policy education.
Specificity and Regulation of Casein Kinase/Mediated Phosphorylation of α-Synuclein

α-Synuclein (α-syn) is the major component of pathologic inclusions that characterize neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson disease, dementia with Lewy body disease, and multiple system atrophy. The present study uses novel phospho-specific antibodies to assess the presence and regulation of phosphorylated Ser87 and Ser129 in α-syn in human brain samples and in a transgenic mouse model of α-synucleinopathies. By immunohistochemistry, α-syn phosphorylated at Ser129, but not at Ser87, was abundant in α-syn inclusions. Under normal conditions, Ser129 phosphorylation, but not Ser87 phosphorylation, was detected at low levels in the soluble biochemical fractions in human α-syn transgenic mice and stably transfected cultured cells. Therefore, a role for Ser87 phosphorylation in α-synucleinopathies is unlikely, and in vitro assays showed that phosphorylation at this site would inhibit polymerization. In vitro studies also indicated that hyperphosphorylation of Ser129 α-syn in pathologic inclusions may be due in part to the intrinsic properties of aggregated α-syn to act as substrates for kinases but not phosphatases. Further studies in transgenic mice and cultured cells suggest that cellular toxicity, including proteasomal dysfunction, increases casein kinase 2 activity, which results in elevated Ser129 α-syn phosphorylation. These data provide novel explanations for the presence of hyperphosphorylated Ser129 α-syn in pathologic inclusions.
A truncated proportional hazards test

We present two truncated proportional hazards tests. The first, which is applicable to those cases in which the time of action of an agent or treatment is known, was studied in two forms: One uses expected Fisher information and the other observed Fisher information. In this case the expected information statistic, C1(a0), had properties superior to the observed information statistic and is recommended. The use of the X2 distribution with one degree of freedom for percentiles appears to be satisfactory. When the time of action is unknown, a statistic based on the maximum of the C1(a) statistics is used. A simulation study gives empirical percentiles for the Max C1(a) statistic which agree with those given in a study by Muenz, Green and Byar (1977).
Muon Collider Studies

The article “Physicists dream of a muon shot” by Alexander Hellemans (News, 9 Jan., [p. 169][1]) gives a useful account of the 4th International Conference on Muon Colliders (San Francisco, December 1997), which I, with the assistance of others on the program committee, organized. The concept
Development of a Brief Behavioral Intervention for Children's Anxiety at Anesthesia Induction

The period surrounding children's surgery is a stressful one and it is estimated between 40% and 60% of children experience significant anxiety at anesthesia induction. Although pharmacological and behavioral interventions have been developed to address children's anxiety during induction of anesthesia, their widespread adoption has been limited by time and cost requirements. This study evaluated a brief intervention using shaping and exposure to address children's anxiety and compliance during anesthesia induction. The newly developed intervention significantly increased compliance and effectively dampened anxiety increases from baseline to induction of anesthesia. The intervention is time- and cost-effective and thus shows promise for its incorporation into standard medical care.