cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measurement of intracellular amino acids in cultured skin fibroblasts. The effect of storage on cystine recovery and evaluation of three methods of cell preparation.

Abstract Methodology for the preparation of cultured fibroblasts for measurement of their free (nonprotein) amino acids was studied in two ways. First, the effect of storage of fibroblasts at −20°C, −70°C, and −196°C was investigated. The recovery of free-cystine declined about 50% after 24 hr of storage and another 25% following six more days of storage at these temperatures. Second, three methods of removing fibroblasts from the surface of tissue culture vessels were studied. The recovery of amino acids was significantly lower when the cells were removed with a silicone rubber scraper than when trypsin or trypsin plus tetrasodium ethylenediaminetetracetate was used.
Using parental phenotypes in case-parent studies

In studies of case-parent triads, information is often collected about history of the condition in the parents, but typically parental phenotypes are ignored. Including that information in analyses may increase power to detect genetic association for autosomal variants. Our proposed approach uses parental phenotypes to assess association independently of the usual case-parent-based association test, enabling cross-generational internal replication for findings based on offspring and their parents. Our model for parental phenotypes also resists bias due to population stratification. We combine the information from the two generations into a single coherent model that can exploit approximate equality of parental and offspring relative risks to improve power and can also test that equality. We call the resulting procedure the Parent-phenotype Informed Likelihood Ratio Test (PPI-LRT). When some parental genotypes are missing, one can use the expectation-maximization algorithm to fit the combined model. We also develop a second composite test (PPI-CT) based on a linear combination of the parent-phenotype-based test statistic and that from the traditional log-linear, transmission-based test. We evaluate the proposed methods through non-centrality parameter calculations and simulation studies and compare them to the previously proposed approaches, parenTDT and combTDT. We show that incorporation of parental phenotype data often improves statistical power. As illustration, we apply our method to a study of young-onset breast cancer and find that it improve precision for SNPs in FGFR2 and that estimated relative risks based on triads are closely replicated using the parental data.
Seafood flavor from processing by-products.

Publisher Summary A viable approach to convert seafood by-products into commercially profitable products is “seafood flavor manufacturing”, since flavor is considered a high value product and good quality seafood flavors are in high demand. The production of natural seafood flavor extracts from the process by-products has been an industrial practice in France and Japan. As a common industrial practice, natural seafood flavors are reformulated by adding other ingredients and artificial flavors for desired flavor characteristics. Seafood flavors are being used in seafood sauces, chowders, soups, bisques, instant noodles, snacks, and surimi seafood. In seafood entreÂe, the use of good flavored sauce is critical to the acceptability of the meal. An analogy is that one may not eat salad without the dressing of one's choice. There are three basic process routes for making seafood flavors from finfish and shellfish processing by-products, namely, aqueous extraction, fermentation, and enzymatic hydrolysis.
Properties of chorismate synthase in Neurospora crassa.

Abstract Chorismate synthase was isolated from Neurospora crassa by diethylaminoethylcellulose chromatography, and two peaks of activity were obtained. The enzyme in the first peak had a sedimentation coefficient of ∼10 S and appeared to be an unstable, larger molecular form of the enzyme in the second peak, which was ∼8 S. Both forms of the enzyme required TPNH for activity, and the reactions catalyzed by both exhibited a lag which could be eliminated by prior incubation with the substrate 3-enolpyruvylshikimate 5-phosphate (ES-5-P). No other metabolic effectors were found, but diaphorase stimulated the reaction over 10-fold, suggesting that a flavin-like moiety is involved in the catalytic process. With diaphorase in the assay mixture, prior incubation with both ES-5-P and diaphorase was required to eliminate a remaining lag. The Michaelis constant for TPNH was ∼10 µm. The concentration of ES-5-P necessary to eliminate 50% of the lag was ∼0.1 mm. A chorismate synthaseless mutant, Arom-3, strain 87-5A, appears to carry out a portion of the chorismate synthase reaction but only in the presence of TPNH and diaphorase. A method is described for the preparation of ES-5-P from shikimate with greater than 90% yield. Previous yields were lower due to an inhibition by ADP of the ES-5-P synthetic activity catalyzed by the aromatic complex. Inhibition was eliminated by the addition of an ATP-regenerating system. These results suggest the possibility that the aromatic pathway of N. crassa is regulated by ADP.
Ophiolite concept and its evolution

The ophiolite concept, fi rst developed in Europe in the early nineteenth century, went through several phases of evolution. Early studies of ophiolites prior to the plate tectonic revolution emphasized the development of ophiolites as in situ intrusions within geosynclines. The genetic association of mantle peridotites with volcanic and plutonic rocks in ophiolites was not considered in these studies, and the emplacement of serpentinized ultramafi c rocks in orogenic belts remained a topic of debate regarding ophiolites among the North American geoscientists. Recognition of extensional sheeted dike complexes, the existence of a refractory mantle unit represented by peridotites with high-temperature deformation fabrics, fossil magma chambers in plutonic sequences, and the allochthonous nature of ophiolites by the mid 1960s was instrumental in the formulation of the ophiolite model and the ophiolite-ocean crust analogy within the framework of the new plate tectonic theory. This analogy was confi rmed at the fi rst Penrose Conference on ophiolites in 1972, whereby an ideal ophiolite sequence was defi ned to have a layer-cake pseudostratigraphy complete with a sheeted dike complex as a result of seafl oor spreading. Ophiolites were interpreted to have developed mainly at ancient mid-ocean ridges through this model. Geochemical studies of ophiolites challenged this view as early as the beginning of the 1970s and suggested the association of magma evolution with subduction zones. This paradigm shift in the evolving ophiolite concept led to the defi nition of suprasubduction zone ophiolites in the early 1980s. Systematic petrological and geochemical investigations of world ophiolites throughout the 1980s and 1990s demonstrated the signifi cance of subduction zone derived fl uids and melting history in development of ophiolitic magmas; forearc, embryonic arc, and back-arc settings in suprasubduction zones became the most widely accepted tectonic environments of origin. Major differences in their internal structure and stratigraphy, extreme variations in their chemical affi nities and mantle sources, and signifi cant changes in the mode and nature of their emplacement in orogenic belts indicate that ophiolites form in a variety of tectonic environments and that they do not need to have a certain internal stratigraphy to them as defi ned at the 1972 Penrose Conference. A new classifi cation scheme presented in this paper considers seven specifi c types of ophiolites, based on their inferred tectonic settings of igneous origin and emplacement mechanisms in different kinds of orogenic belts (i.e., collisional versus accretionary). Application of this new ophiolite classifi cation scheme may prove helpful in recognizing the Archean oceanic crust and in better understanding the crustal and mantle processes in Earth’s early history.
Interrelationship of Calcium and Somatostatin in the Secretion of Insulin and Glucagon

Using the isolated perfused rat pancreas, previous experiments suggesting that glucagon secretion is calcium dependent were expanded. Spontaneous glucagon secretion was inhibited when residual calcium in the system was removed by EGTA. However, glucose at various concentrations poorly inhibited glucagon secretion unless calcium was present. Thus, both stimulation of glucagon release and its inhibition by glucose are calcium requiring. The overall effect of calcium, therefore, depends on the relative concentration of secretagogues vs. glucose. In addition, a mixed stimulation/inhibition at higher levels of calcium was noted.
A multi-layer circularly polarized microstrip patch antenna with proximity coupling and increased gain

A three-layer circularly polarized microstrip, antenna using proximity coupling and exhibiting increased gain at 2.56 GHz has been presented. While the bandwidth has been increased over previous work, it is still relatively low, which limits applications of the antenna to those requiring smaller bandwidths. The stacked element was also applied in a 21-element array. Since the system is planned for Ka-band, the element was scaled to 32 GHz and simulated using commercial software. A description of the single stacked element is presented, and measured and calculated results at 2.56 GHz are given. Also included are measured results for the array, and calculated results of a stacked element for the required frequency-scaled version at 32 GHz.
Biochemical aspects of the interactions of the teratogens 5-fluorouracil and 5-fluorodeoxyuridine with normal nucleic acid precursors in mice selected for low and high expression of Strong's luxoid gene.

Pregnant female mice selected for plus- and minus-modifying genes of the limb-skeleton effects of Strong's luxoid gene (1st) were injected ip on day 10 of gestation with 20 mg/kg of 14C-labeled 5-fluorouracil (FU) or 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (FUdR) with or without added equimolecular amounts of unlabeled uracil (U) or thymidine (TD). At 1, 2, or 4 hours after injections, the treated mice were killed and their plasma, livers, embryos, and extraembryonic tissues removed. TCA-soluble, RNA, DNA, and protein fractions were separated from the tissue samples and the radioactivity of each fraction determined. Label was incorporated into the RNA of all materials but only into the DNA of embryos. The addition of U to FU and of TD to FUdR increased the retention of FU in the TCA-soluble fraction and the incorporation of FU into RNA. The radioactivity of the TCA-soluble fraction declined rapidly over the entire 4-hour sampling period, while the level of incorporation of FU into RNA of embryos and extraembryonic tissues showed large increases. No effects of 1st or of its modifiers on the biochemical parameters investigated were found. These results provide some understanding of the biochemical pathways for the teratogenicity of FU and FUdR and the effects of added U and TD.
Fever during treatment for bacterial meningitis

The records of 476 infants and children with bacterial meningitis treated between 1979 and 1982 were reviewed. By the sixth hospital day 90% or more of children with pneumococcal or meningococcal infection compared with 72% of children with Haemophilus infection (P less than 0.001) were afebrile. The rates of prolonged fever for 10 days or more, persistent fever for 5 to 9 days and secondary fever were 13, 13 and 16%, respectively. The conditions associated with prolonged fever for 10 days or more were subdural effusion (27%), drug fever (23%) and concomitant arthritis or pneumonia (20%); 15% were of indeterminable cause. The principal conditions associated with persistent fever for 5 to 9 days were other foci of disease (17%), nosocomial infections (16%) and subdural effusion (14%); in 42% the cause was unknown. The conditions associated with secondary fever were nosocomial infections (27%) and subdural effusion (23%); 39% were of indeterminable cause. Neither the duration nor the patterns of fever correlated with neurologic abnormalities at discharge, including hearing deficit.
Antitussive effect of the leukotriene receptor antagonist zafirlukast in subjects with cough-variant asthma.

Cough-variant asthma (CVA) occurs in a subgroup of asthmatics whose sole or predominant respiratory symptom is cough. Although bronchodilators are often sufficient to treat CVA, refractory cough may require therapy with inhaled or systemic corticosteroids. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, we examined the effect of a 14-day course of the leukotriene receptor antagonist zafirlukast on subjective cough score and cough-reflex sensitivity to inhaled capsaicin in eight subjects with CVA refractory to inhaled beta agonists, and in five subjects refractory to inhaled corticosteroids. Seven of eight subjects experienced significant subjective and objective improvement in cough after treatment with zafirlukast. Mean (± SEM) cough score improved from 7.75 ± 0.56 to 3.25 ± 0.84 (p = 0.0006). Cough sensitivity to capsaicin was suppressed by zafirlukast in all subjects. Patients with CVA may represent a distinct subgroup of asthmatics whose afferent cough receptors within the respirat...
Advances in Ultrasound imaging of venous thrombosis

In the contemporary clinical setting, a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis can be established using ultrasound. While different ultrasound modalities, including direct B-mode venous imaging, Doppler, and vein compression, have been employed to diagnose clot, it is the compression technique that has been established as the dominant method. In venographically controlled series, compression ultrasound has demonstrated a 93% sensitivity and 99% specificity for clot detection. These remarkable results have been achieved without the evaluation of calf veins. Recent improvements in instrumentation have permitted the direct visualization of calf veins, and it would seem likely that this will result in even better sensitivity for clot detection.
Photophysical properties of biologically compatible CdSe quantum dot structures.

The photophysical properties of CdSe and ZnS(CdSe) semiconductor quantum dots in nonpolar and aqueous solutions were examined with steady-state (absorption and emission) and time-resolved (time-correlated single-photon-counting) spectroscopy. The CdSe structures were prepared from a single CdSe synthesis, a portion of which were ZnS-capped, thus any differences observed in the spectral behavior between the two preparations were due to changes in the molecular shell. Quantum dots in nonpolar solvents were surrounded with a trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) coating from the initial synthesis solution. ZnS-capped CdSe were initially brighter than bare uncapped CdSe and had overall faster emission decays. The dynamics did not vary when the solvent was changed from hexane to dichloromethane; however, replacement of the TOPO cap by pyridine affected CdSe but not ZnS(CdSe). CdSe was then solubilized in water with mercapto-acetic acid or dihydrolipoic acid, whereas ZnS(CdSe) could be solubilized only with dihydrolip...
Attrition in the liberal arts college of a major metropolitan university

A variety of data was collected about students in the liberal arts college of a major metropolitan university. Random samples of 120 students were selected from each of two groups: “stayers” and “leavers.” The data include only those variables that would be known to administrators at the time an admissions decision is to be made. These data were then subjected to a stepwise linear discriminant analysis. Significant results are found for discriminating between the two groups, and nine variables are found to contribute to the discrimination.
Auricular Rhabdomyosarcoma in a Rat

Summary An ear (auricular) neoplasm from a 1-year-old male rat was removed surgically and examined histologically. Macroscopically, the neoplasm was firm, white and measured (0.5 × 0.5 cm). Microscopically, the neoplasm was expansile, non-encapsulated, and composed of large, pleomorphic, polygonal to spindle-shaped cells containing multiple nuclei. Using immunohistochemical and chemical stains, the neoplastic cells were positive for vimentin, myoglobin, phosphotungstic acid haematoxylin and desmin, but had no immunoreactivity for cytokeratin or α-smooth muscle actin. On the basis of histopathological, immunohistochemical and histochemical stains, a diagnosis of auricular rhabdomyosarcoma was made. Although reported infrequently in human, this is, to the author's knowledge, the first report that describes the detailed gross, histopathological, histochemical and immunohistochemical findings of auricular rhabdomyosarcoma in a rat.
Middle ear disease in young children with sensorineural hearing loss

Early identification of children with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), coupled with the provision of appropriate conventional amplification constitute important elements of a (re)habilitative strategy. Often overlooked, however, is the problem posed by recurrent and chronic middle ear disease in the child with coexisting SNHL. This study focuses on 437 (237 boys and 200 girls) consecutive patients with bilateral SNHL, in the moderate range or poorer, who were diagnosed prior to age 5 years at Boys Town National Research Hospital. The mean threshold shift with effusion was 25.0 dB at 250 Hz, 28.5 dB at 500 Hz, 29.5 dB at 1000 Hz, 24.5 dB at 2000 Hz, and 27.5 dB at 4000 Hz. During a median follow-up period of 3.21 years, 154 (35.2%) of these children required surgical placement of tympanostomy tubes because of the severity of middle ear disease and its impact on auditory acuity. Accurate determination of the degree and audiologic configuration of a SNHL may be seriously hindered by a coexisting middle ear effusion. If initial findings indicate the presence of a middle ear effusion, measures of auditory function must be repeated after the effusion has been resolved by medical and/or surgical intervention.
An underwater survey method for estimating submerged macrophyte population density and biomass

Abstract Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) was used to observe 40 species of submerged aquatic macrophytes in a large freshwater lake (Lake George, N.Y.) to determine its usefulness in the rapid assessment of relative species abundance and biomass. A population density index was used to estimate population densities for each species growing between 1 and 15 m deep. The exponential scale of the index permitted the scoring of population densities from 0.01 to 5,000 plant growing points m −2 based upon an average observation area of 1,000 m 2 . SCUBA observations as a means of estimating abundance were calibrated by collecting plant shoots with densities corresponding to each point on the scale and determining the number of shoots m −2 for each species present. Direct underwater observations of plant communities covering large areas yielded comprehensive data on species diversity, population density and biomass. The population density index was found to be statistically valid using 95% confidence limits and prediction intervals. When this index is used in conjunction with the average dry weight of mature shoots for each species, a useful estimation of the mature biomass for each species is possible to within an order of magnitude over a range from 0.01 to 200 g dry weight m −2 .
B-cell subsets in autoimmunity: an autoimmune hemolytic response to mouse erythrocytes is modulated by the CBA/N defect and anti-Lyb3 antisera

Abstract CBA/N mice lack one or more B-cell sets; one set which they lack has been defined by the presence of a cell-surface antigen called Lyb3. The immune defect in CBA/N is controlled by a gene on the X chromosome (xid) and is phenotypically expressed (predominantly) by a failure to respond to a certain class of “thymus-independent” antigens. The experiments reported in this manuscript have been designed to ask if Lyb3+ B cells are important producers of autoantibodies. Our results show that CBA/N mice fail to make significant numbers of plaque-forming cells against enzyme-modified autologous erythrocytes under any condition so far employed. Further, in vivo administration of anti-Lyb3 antiserum can induce B cells of normal mice to produce more plaque-forming cells against the enzyme-modified erythrocytes without any added manipulation. We have considered the possibility that this mapping of a particular autoantibody response to a defined B-cell set may reflect a more generalized phenomenon and that Lyb3+ cells are more likely to become activated when T-cell suppression is impaired.
Sketch Maps: Helping Students Get the Big Picture

Abstract Sketch maps: free-hand maps which are drawn from memory and help us to organize spatial information. Sketch maps provide an effective means for both the teacher and the student to assess levels of progress and proficiency in learning world place location. This article tells how teachers can use sketch map activities in their classrooms and provides examples of students' maps that illustrate progressive levels of learning world place location information.
A Comparison of Student Performance Following Instruction by Interactive Videodisc Versus Conventional Laboratory.

This experimental study compared an interactive computer/videodisc learning approach to the conventional laboratory approach for learning biology concepts and science process skills. Students at a large midwestern university were randomly assigned to instruction on respiration and biogeography by interactive videodisc or a traditional laboratory investigation teaching the same concepts. The videodisc delivery system consisted of a TRS-80 Model III microcomputer interfaced to a Pioneer laser disc player and a color TV monitor. Results show no statistically significant differences between the two approaches for student grades on laboratory quizzes, laboratory reports, and the laboratory final exam. However, the interactive videodisc group required approximately one-half the classroom time used by the conventional laboratory group. The two approaches appear equivalent when evaluated by traditional learning outcomes, but the interactive videodisc strategy was significantly more time efficient than a traditional laboratory approach.
Can Scientists Regulate the Publication of Dual Use Research

Dual use research has been defined as research that can be readily used to cause significant harm to public health, the environment, the economy, or national security (National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity 2007). The growing threat of the misuse of science and technology for terrorist or criminal purposes has led scientists, institutions, professional organizations, funding agencies, journals, and governments to consider how best to control research dual use research (Atlas 2002, Atlas and Dando 2006, National Research Council 2006, Resnik and Shamoo 2005). The three principal mechanisms for controlling dual use research are self-regulation by the scientific community, external regulation by the government, or some combination of the two (Miller and Selgelid 2007, Selgelid 2009). Most of the public debate thus far has focused on three types of dual use policies: funding of dual use research, access to dangerous research materials used in research, such as radiological, chemical, or biological agents, and control over the publication of data and results (Miller and Selgelid 2007). This commentary will focus on ethical and policy dilemmas related to the publication of dual use research.
California choice of law, insurance contracts, and environmental litigation

This essay proposes a ten‐step recipe for applying California's nearly unique—"comparative impairment"—choice‐of‐law rules. The formula is elaborated for environmental insurance claims, placed in the context of leading California cases, and compared and contrasted with the principal choice‐of‐law approaches in other jurisdictions and as set forth in the All's Complex Litigation Project. It is suggested that, as a practical matter, the customs and traditions of choice‐of‐law legal argumentation require explicit reliance on theoretical—impractical looking—academic sources.
Managing subjects, manufacturing citizens: Picturing sites of social control in nineteenth-century America

This article examines structures of social control that became institutionalized in the United States in the 1870s and 1880s. In particular, it examines how key philanthropic and penal institutions within New York City, including the school, workhouse and prison, were represented in the illustrated popular press as sites for both controlling and training an industrializing workforce. Examining how the language of scientific management seeped into the social realm, this essay argues that visual representations of these sites helped to reinforce normative middle-class ideals about education, work and punishment. Examining the ways that artists interpreted and framed these sites for a group of primarily middle-class viewers and readers, this essay argues that social systems helped to construct an ideal, imagined citizen who is, first and foremost, an efficient worker. The purpose of these institutions was, in main part, to teach their inmates to labor and to replicate the state apparatus by maintaining socia...
A dislocation theory of isotropic polycrystalline plasticity

Abstract A theory of polycrystalline plasticity is developed in which the polycrystalline solid is modeled as an isotropic continuum. The rate of plastic deformation tensor is shown to be a function of the mobile dislocation density and the dislocation velocity vector summed over all active glide planes. The dislocation velocity vector is expressed in terms of the stress tensor and the normal vector to the dislocation glide plane. The condition of plastic incompressibility yields the fact that the dislocation glide planes are the octahedral shear planes of the stress tensor. As a special case the rate of plastic deformation tensor reduces to a relation analogous to the Prandtl-Reuss flow rule. The theory has been implemented in a 2-dimensional finite element code and two example problems are presented.
Gravitational effects on the extinction conditions for premixed flames

The four particular classes of premixed flames which are of special interest include freely propagating gaseous flames, burner stabilized premixed gaseous flames, freely propagating particle-cloud flames, and burner stabilized two-phase flames. Associated gravitational effects are related to upward flame propagation, downward flame propagation, and flame propagation in microgravity. The results of theoretical and experimental studies suggest that a comprehensive approach to representation of extinction limits must deal with the full range of existence limits observed for flames. Issues awaiting solution are related to the flammability limits, extinction limit relations, and flame theories for g = 0. Attention is given to theoretical considerations, nonadiabatic features of premixed lycopodium-air flames, and general comments on the extinction conditions for premixed flames.
Processing Temperature Effects on Molybdenum Disilicide

A series of MoSi2 compacts were fabricated at increasing hot-pressing temperatures to achieve different grain sizes. The materials were evaluated by Vickers indentation fracture to determine room-temperature fracture toughness, hardness, and fracture mode. From 1500° to 1800°C, MoSi2 had a constant 67% transgranular fracture and linearly increasing grain size from 14 to 21 μm. Above 1800°C, the fracture percentage increased rapidly to 97% transgranular at 1920°C (32-μm grain size). Fracture toughness and hardness decreased slightly with increasing temperature. MoSi2 processed at 1600°C had the highest fracture toughness and hardness values of 3.6 MPa.m1/2 and 9.9 GPa, respectively. The effects of SiO2 formation from oxygen impurities in the MoSi2 starting powders and MoSi2–Mo5Si3 eutectic liquid formation were studied.
Building Knowledge Stocks Locally: Consequences of Geographic Mobility for the Effectiveness of State Higher Education Policies

There is increasing evidence that the stock of college-educated labor in an area has fundamental effects on state and local economies through its association with wages, economic growth, personal incomes, and tax revenues. As a result, policy makers in many states attempt to increase the percentage of the state’s population (or workforce) that has a college degree through the use of various higher education policies that have the potential to influence the supply side of the labor market. This article reviews evidence on the effectiveness of these policies in achieving that goal. The author discusses several types of policies related to the finance and production of undergraduate education within a state, including expansions in degree production, merit-based scholarships, location-contingent financial aid, adjustments to the composition of enrollment by residency or by field of study, and internships with state-based employers.
The influence of electrostrictive forces in natural thermal convection

Abstract The free convection of an electrostrictive fluid enclosed between a horizontally heated wire and a coaxial, cooled cylinder, under an applied nonuniform radial electric field, is examined. An approximate solution is obtained by extending Langmuir's conduction model for fine wires to the electrostrictive case. It is found that the increase in Nusselt number due to the additional circulation produced by the electrostrictive force depends on the Grashof number, Prandtl number and a third characteristic non-dimensional number of the same nature as the Grashof number but based on an electrostatic rather than gravitational field. The theoretical results are compared with available experimental data and are found in good agreement.
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors: structure based design, synthesis, pharmacophore modeling, and virtual screening.

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is a main drug target, and its inhibitors have demonstrated functionality in the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this study, a series of novel AChE inhibitors were designed and their inhibitory activity was evaluated with 2D quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) studies using a training set of 20 known compounds for which IC50 values had previously been determined. The QSAR model was calculated based on seven unique descriptors. Model validation was determined by predicting IC50 values for a test set of 20 independent compounds with measured IC50 values. A correlation analysis was carried out comparing the statistics of the measured IC50 values with predicted ones. These selectivity-determining descriptors were interpreted graphically in terms of principal component analyses (PCA). A 3D pharmacophore model was also created based on the activity of the training set. In addition, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) descri...
An Unusual Transduction Pathway in Human Tonic Smooth Muscle Myosin

The motor protein myosin binds actin and ATP, producing work by causing relative translation of the proteins while transducing ATP free energy. Smooth muscle myosin has one of four heavy chains encoded by the MYH11 gene that differ at the C-terminus and in the active site for ATPase due to alternate splicing. A seven-amino-acid active site insert in phasic muscle myosin is absent from the tonic isoform. Fluorescence increase in the nucleotide sensitive tryptophan (NST) accompanies nucleotide binding and hydrolysis in several myosin isoforms implying it results from a common origin within the motor. A wild-type tonic myosin (smA) construct of the enzymatic head domain (subfragment 1 or S1) has seven tryptophan residues and nucleotide-induced fluorescence enhancement like other myosins. Three smA mutants probe the molecular basis for the fluorescence enhancement. W506+ contains one tryptophan at position 506 homologous to the NST in other myosins. W506F has the native tryptophans except phenylalanine replaces W506, and W506+(Y499F) is W506+ with phenylalanine replacing Y499. W506+ lacks nucleotide-induced fluorescence enhancement probably eliminating W506 as the NST. W506F has impaired ATPase activity but retains nucleotide-induced fluorescence enhancement. Y499F replacement in W506+ partially rescues nucleotide sensitivity demonstrating the role of Y499 as an NST facilitator. The exceptional response of W506 to active site conformation opens the possibility that phasic and tonic isoforms differ in how influences from active site ATPase propagate through the protein network.
Review: lifestyle or pharmacological interventions prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in people with impaired glucose tolerance.

Gillies CL, Abrams KR, Lambert PC, et al . Pharmacological and lifestyle interventions to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in people with impaired glucose tolerance: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 2007;334 > :299. [OpenUrl][1][Abstract/FREE Full Text][2] Q In people with impaired glucose tolerance, do lifestyle or pharmacological interventions prevent or delay type 2 diabetes? ### ![Graphic][3] Data sources: Medline (1966 to July 2006), EMBASE/Excerpta Medica (1980 to July 2006), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Issue 2, 2006), references of relevant articles, and experts. ### ![Graphic][4] Study selection and assessment: randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in any language that evaluated an intervention to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes in people with impaired glucose tolerance and assessed development of diabetes as an outcome. 21 RCTs met the selection criteria, and 17 RCTs (n = 8084, mean age range 39–57 y, mean body mass index range 24–36 kg/m2, … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DBMJ%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1136%252Fbmj.39063.689375.55%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F17237299%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/ijlink?linkType=ABST&journalCode=bmj&resid=334/7588/299&atom=%2Febnurs%2F10%2F3%2F78.atom [3]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif [4]: /embed/inline-graphic-2.gif
High speed 3D shape and motion capturing system

A 3D motion capturing and reconstructing system at high speed is presented. The system utilizes the fringe projection technique with one modified DLP projector, one camera and a computing unit to provide real-time reconstruction of forty-two 3D frames per second with the relative accuracy of 1/5000.
Role of inner urethral softness in urinary continence

Given adequate external squeeze upon suitable urethral geometry, continence depends on the mechanical properties of the outflow tract wall. Evidence indicates that these mechanical properties include an ability to deform and behave in a fluid-like manner.
QSAR-assisted design of an environmental catalyst for enhanced estrogen remediation.

Abstract A quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) was used to streamline re-design of a model environmental catalyst, horseradish peroxidase (HRP), for enhanced reactivity towards a target pollutant, steroid hormone 17β-estradiol. This QSAR, embodying relationship between reaction rate and intermolecular binding distance, was used in silico to screen for mutations improving enzyme reactivity. Eight mutations mediating significant reductions in binding distances were expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae , and resulting recombinant HRP strains were analyzed to determine Michaelis–Menten parameters during reaction with the target substrate. Enzyme turnover rate, ln( k CAT ), exhibited inverse relationship with model-predicted binding distances ( R 2 = 0.81), consistent with the QSAR. Additional analysis of native substrate degradation by selected mutants yielded unexpected increases in ln( k CAT ) that were also inversely correlated ( R 2 = 1.00) with model-predicted binding distances. This suggests that the mechanism of improvement comprises a nonspecific “opening up” of the active site such that it better accommodates environmental estrogens of any size. The novel QSAR-assisted approach described herein offers specific advantages compared to conventional design strategies, most notably targeting an entire class of pollutants at one time and a flexible hybridization of benefits associated with rational design and directed evolution. Thus, this approach is a promising tool for improving enzyme-mediated environmental remediation.
Involving significant others in the care of opioid-dependent patients receiving methadone

Positive, abstinence-oriented, social support is associated with good substance abuse treatment outcome but few interventions are designed to help patients improve their social supports. This article reports on a behavioral intervention designed to encourage opioid-dependent patients receiving methadone to include drug-free family members or friends in treatment and to use these individuals to facilitate development of a supportive, non-drug-using social network. This report uses data from a quality assurance program review of the treatment response of 59 opioid-dependent outpatients who identified a drug-free significant other to participate in their treatment. Fifty-five (93.2%) brought a significant other (most often the patient's mother, 29%) to both the initial evaluation session and at least one joint session. Social support activities were family- (33%), church- (28%), and self-help group-related (30%). Approximately 78% of patients who participated in the social support intervention achieved at least four consecutive weeks of abstinence. Women responded better than men. We conclude that methadone-maintained patients can and will include non-drug-using family members and friends in treatment, and these individuals can be mobilized to help patients improve their recovery.
Targeted Delivery of Nanoparticles to Ischemic Muscle for Imaging and Therapeutic Angiogenesis

Targeting of nanoparticles to ischemic tissues was studied in a murine ischemic hindlimb model. Intravenously injected fluorescent nanoparticles allowed ischemia-targeted imaging of ischemic muscles due to increased permeability of blood vessels in hypoxic tissues. Targeting efficiency correlated with blood perfusion after induction of ischemia and was enhanced in early stages of ischemia (<7 days). Therapeutic delivery of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was achieved by VEGF-conjugated nanoparticles and resulted in a 1.7-fold increase in blood perfusion, as compared to control mice. This work supports the application of nanoparticles as imaging and therapeutic modalities for ischemia treatment.
Strauss and ‘Straussianism’: From the Ancients to the Moderns?

Do scholars inspired by Leo Strauss adhere to, or diverge from, his teachings as they contribute to turn of the twenty-first-century American conservative thought and new conceptions of the American political executive and constitutional order? Analyzing Strauss' view of the twofold task of political philosophy, as well as his position that modern political philosophy inexorably leads to philosophic and moral crises, the scaffolding of Strauss' political outlook – and the dimensions of its contemporary relevance – will begin to take shape. Turning to the writings on America by many of Strauss' most notable students, we discover that most of them point back to the admittedly liberal theories of John Locke and the American founders as the starting point for defining a new conservative outlook that will address the problems of modernity. We are thus confronted by a quandary. How can an important current of Strauss-inspired scholarship put forth that the theories of Locke and the American founders provide the...
Describing the Consequences of Disorders: Stuttering and the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps.

The International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps (ICIDH) proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO, 1980) can be a useful method for describing the experiences of i...
Selective Inhibition of Cation Absorption by Uranyl

INVESTIGATIONS into the interactions between cations in the ion absorption process of plant roots resulted in the observation that uranyl (UO2++) appeared to produce a differential inhibition of the uptake of certain cations. The only information found in the literature concerning such a differential effect by uranium was that reported by Rothstein1. He showed that uranium, in the form of uranyl chloride, inhibited the uptake of hexoses by yeast cells while having essentially no effect on the uptake and metabolism of other substrates such as alcohol and pyruvate. In the light of these observations detailed experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of UO2++ on the metabolic absorption of Li+, Na+, K+, Mg++ and Mn++ by excised barley roots.
Design method of robot kitting sytem for flexible assemble

Abstract This article describes the design method of robotic kitting systems, as an alternative parts entry process, which contribute to reduction of overall assembly costs. Utilizing robots rather than manual work to perform the parts kitting operation can, in certain cases, improve productivity, flexibility, and part flow control. The specific objectives of this article are to: (1) propose a design method for robotic kitting system, (2) develop design factors and criteria for planning robotic kitting system in accordance with individual steps of the design method, (3) describe the plan for robotic bin-picking workstation involved in a kitting system, and (4) explore robot hardware components (end-effector, manipulator, locomotion and sensors) suitable for automated kitting systems, and (5) analyze the several configurations of robotic kitting systems using simulation tools.
Deciphering Sex Segregation Vertical and Horizontal Inequalities in Ten National Labor Markets

Scholars and policy-makers increasingly treat occupational sex segregation as a generic indicator of female economic disadvantage. This view is difficult to reconcile with evidence that levels of sex segregation are lower in reputably ‘gender-traditional’ countries such as Italy, Japan, and Portugal than in ‘progressive’ Sweden and the United States. Understanding such seemingly anomalous patterns requires a two-dimensional conceptualization of occupational sex segregation - in particular, an analytical distinction between vertical and horizontal gender inequalities. Based on data from 10 industrialized countries, claims regarding (1) the hybrid nature of sex segregation and (2) the cultural and structural factors that influence its various components are empirically assessed. Results confirm that unequal distributions across the manual-non-manual divide (‘horizontal segregation’) and status differentials within these sectors (‘vertical segregation’) together account for a considerable share of occupation...
The enzyme histochemistry of developing brown fat in the fetal rat.

Histochemically demonstrable enzymes, glycogen, and lipids were studied during prenatal histogenesis of brown fat in fetal rats. SDH, MDH, LDH, DPN and TPN diaphorases, α- and β-naphthyl esterases were demonstrable in brown fat cells on day 17 of gestation. Glycogen, lipid, G-6-PDH, cytochrome oxidase, indoxyl esterase and alkaline phosphatase were detected on day 17.5. The progressive increase in MDH, LDH, SDH, DPN diaphorase and cytochrome oxidase content paralleled increases in mitochondrial population during differentiation. MAO and esterase content increased only slightly during the prenatal period studied. Alkaline phosphatase appeared in morula stage cells. These were rare at 17.5 days, but increased in number until, at day 20, they were the predominant cells in the dorsal suprascapular brown fat lobules. Further maturation resulted in the loss of alkaline phosphatase which was present in only occasional cells at birth. Reactions for acid phosphatase, ATPase, naphthol-AS esterase, leucine aminopeptidase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, cholesterol and plasmalogens were negative in prenatal and neonatal brown fat cells.
Sequence analysis and regulation of the htrA gene of Escherichin coli: a σ32-independent mechanism of heat-inducible transcription

Abstract Previous work has established that the E. coli htrA gene product is essential for bacterial survival at temperatures above 42 degrees. We have sequenced the htrA gene region and found an open reading frame (ORF) coding for a protein of 491 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 51,163 daltons. This molecular weight corresponds well with that seen following electrophoresis on SDS-polyacrylamide gels. This protein has an amino-terminal sequence typical for a leader peptide and undergoes post-translational modification by cleavage of an amino-terminal portion. The insertional mutations which affect the function of the htrA gene map inside this ORF. The levels of htrA mRNA increase rapidly and transiently upon heat shock in a manner independent of the rpoH gene, which encodes the sigma 32 RNA polymerase subunit and is known to regulate transcription of typical heat shock genes. Using S1 mapping and RNA primer extension, we have identified the htrA promoter and found that it is similar to the P3 promoter of the rpoH gene. The P3 promoter is especially active at high temperatures and is recognized by a recently identified transcriptional factor, sigma E.
Effect of theophylline on cortisol secretion

Abstract Theophylline is thought to improve asthma by increasing intracellular cyclic adenosine 3′-5′-monophosphate (cAMP) levels. It has been demonstrated in experimental animals that elevation of intracellular cAMP in the adrenal cortex causes an increased secretion of cortisol. We studied whether therapeutic doses of theophylline given intravenously and orally to human subjects over 3 days would increase cortisol secretion. A single-blind, 6-day protocol was employed in five normal and five asthmatic volunteers. Adrenal function was monitored by 8 a. m. and 4 p. m. serum cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels; daily 24-hr urine for urinary-free cortisol (UFF), 17-hydroxysteroids (17-OH), and 17-ketosteroids (17-KS); and alternate-day cortisol secretory rates (FSR) measured by isotope dilution after intravenous 14 C-cortisol. Serum theophylline concentration also was monitored. Results in normal and asthmatic subjects were similar. Theophylline caused a significant but transient increase in UFF and 17-OH excretion. Urine volumes also increased significantly, suggesting that the renal effect of theophylline accounted for the increased UFF and 17-OH excretion. FSR increased during the first 24 hr after theophylline in eight of nine cases (p
Model averaging procedure for partially linear single-index models

This paper is concerned with model selection and model averaging procedures for partially linear single-index models. The profile least squares procedure is employed to estimate regression coefficients for the full model and submodels. We show that the estimators for submodels are asymptotically normal. Based on the asymptotic distribution of the estimators, we derive the focused information criterion (FIC), formulate the frequentist model average (FMA) estimators and construct proper confidence intervals for FMA estimators and FIC estimator, a special case of FMA estimators. Monte Carlo studies are performed to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method over the full model, and over models chosen by AIC or BIC in terms of coverage probability and mean squared error. Our approach is further applied to real data from a male fertility study to explore potential factors related to sperm concentration and estimate the relationship between sperm concentration and monobutyl phthalate.