cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
FIVEx: an interactive multi-tissue eQTL browser

Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) characterize the associations between genetic variation and gene expression to provide insights into tissue-specific gene regulation.Interactive visualization of tissue-specific eQTLs can facilitateourunderstanding of functional variants relevant to disease-related traits. However, combiningthe multi-dimensional nature of eQTLs into a concise and informative visualization ischallenging. Existing eQTL visualization tools provide useful ways to summarize the unprecedented scale of transcriptomic data but are not necessarily tailored to answer questions aboutthefunctional interpretations of trait-associated variants or other variants of interest. We developed FIVEx, an interactive eQTL browser with an intuitive interface tailored to the functional interpretation of associated variants. It features the ability to navigate seamlessly between different data views while providing relevant tissue-and locus-specific information to offer users a better understanding of population-scale multi-tissue transcriptomic profiles. Our implementation of the FIVEx browser on the Gene-Tissue Expression (GTEx) dataset providesimportant insights for understandingpotential tissue-specific regulatory mechanisms underlying trait-associated signals.
Twin-arginine translocation (Tat) mutants in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium have increased susceptibility to cell wall targeting antibiotics

The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system is a protein secretion system that is conserved in bacteria, archaea and plants. In Gram-negative bacteria, it is required for the export of folded proteins from the cytoplasm to the periplasm. There are 30 experimentally verified Tat substrates in Salmonella, including hydrogenase subunits, enzymes required for anaerobic respiration and enzymes involved in peptidoglycan remodeling during cell division. Multiple studies have demonstrated the susceptibility of tat mutants to antimicrobial compounds such as SDS and bile; however, in this work, we use growth curves and viable plate counts to demonstrate that cell wall targeting antibiotics (penicillins, carbapenems, cephalosporins and fosfomycin) have increased killing against a Δtat strain. Further, we demonstrate that this increased killing is primarily due to defects in translocation of critical Tat substrates: MepK, AmiA, AmiC and SufI. Finally, we show that a ΔhyaAB ΔhybABC ΔhydBC strain has an altered ΔΨ that impacts proper secretion of critical Tat substrates in aerobic growth conditions.
Low pH Manganese Assisted Waterflooding Processes for Enhanced Oil Recovery in Carbonates

Summary Modifying the wettability of carbonate formations through divalent foreign metal incorporation can become a cost-effective practical method for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) applications. The addition of manganese ions to high salinity water (HSW) at dilute concentrations and optimized pH conditions is exploited in this study to mitigate compatibility issues at high temperature and promote water-wet conditions in carbonate reservoirs. In this experimental investigation, the compatibility of manganese ions in high salinity water (HSW), ultra-high salinity connate water (CW) and low salinity SmartWater is studied at reservoir temperature. The results from compatibility tests showed that manganese brines prepared under low pH equilibrium conditions are homogeneous at high temperatures. The combination of maganese ions with low pH conditions was found to eliminate the aqueous stability issues by mitigating the preciptation of MnCO3 and manganese oxides that coud become a main challenge for practical field implementation. The contact angle and spontaneous imbibition tests were then carried out in carbonate chips and cores, respectively, using crude oil and low pH maganese brines at reservoir conditions. The oil-water interfacial tensions are also measured to understand the interactions of manganese ions at the oil/brine interface in low pH equilibrium. The findings from contact angle measurments demonstrated the ability of manganese ions at low pH conditions (pH=5.5) to effectively decrease the contact angles from 162 to about 118o when added to HSW. Conversely, only marginal reductions in oil-water interfacial tensions were observed due to manganese ions. The manganese assisted spontaneous imbibition oil recoveries were increased by about 16% when compared to that obtained using high salinity injection water. By doubling the manganese ion concentration from 500 to 1,000 ppm further increased the oil recovery by about 36%. These results suggested that manganese ions at 1,000 ppm concentration and low pH conditions can become a practical recipe for both secondary and tertiary mode oil recovery in carbonates. The favorable wettability alteration towards water-wet conditions has been idenfied as the main mechanism responsible for incremental oil recovery in low pH manganese assisted water flooding processses proposed in this study. This work for the first time identified the favorable impact of incorporating Mn+2 ions under optimized pH conditions to enhance the aqueous stability and promote the wetting transition in carbonate reservoirs. The new knowledge gained from this experimental study highlights the practical significance of Mn+2 ions as cheap wettability modifiers for EOR applications.
Refugees in new destinations and small cities: resettlement in Vermont: by Pablo Bose, Singapore, Palgrave MacMillan, 2020, 267 pp., $99.99, ISBN: 978-981-15-6385-0

To resettle in third countries like the United States is truly quite extraordinary, and while refugees as a category of migrants receive much attention in the press and academic literature, the rea...
Moving from Access to Use of the Information Infrastructure: A Multi-Level Socio-Technical Framework

‘Universal access’ (UA) to the Internet and the associated information infrastructure has become an important economic and societal goal. However, UA initiatives tend to focus on issues such as physical access and geographical ubiquity, and measure adoption through penetration rates. In this paper, we apply an interpretive case study approach to analyze the Philadelphia wireless initiative to provide insights into the nature of UA and extend this concept to also consider Universal Use (UU). UU is important because simply providing access does not guarantee use. UU is presented as a conceptual goal that starts with the challenge of physical access but which necessarily also leads to considerations of use. The results show that the human and technological elements underlying individual access and use are deeply embedded within various institutional elements and collectives that enable but also constrain meaningful use. We integrate our findings into a multi-level framework that shows how access and use are influenced by both micro and macro factors. This framework provides new insights into the study of the information infrastructure, digital divide, and public policy.
Flows of clay and site ontologies: towards a realist archaeology of congealment and emergence

This article addresses the question of how a ‘site’ comes together through flows of materials. It engages with writing by geographers interested in flat ontologies who propose a view of sites as au...
Association of Body Mass Index With Severity and Lesion Location in Adolescents With Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Knee

Background:The association between body mass index (BMI) and severity of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the knee at presentation is poorly understood.Hypothesis:We hypothesized that adolescents...
Recycled Culture in Contemporary Art and Film: The Uses of Nostalgia

The reuse of images, plots and genres from film history has become prominent in contemporary culture. In this study, Vera Dika explores this phenomenon from a broad range of critical perspectives, examining works of art and film that resist the pull of the past. Dika provides an in-depth analysis of works in several media, including performance, photography, Punk film, and examples from mainstream American and European cinema. Proclaiming the renewed importance of the image and of genre, she investigates works as diverse as Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Stills, Amos Poe's The Foreigner, Terence Malick's Badlands, and Francis Ford Coppola's One from the Heart. Her study positions avant-garde art work within the context of contemporary mainstream film practice, as well as in relationship to their historical moment.
A Time to Preserve: A Call for Formal Private-Party Rights in Perpetual Conservation Easements

For more than a century, conservation easements have been used in the United States to maintain open space or protect the environment. Such easements produce a public good. They increase the amount of protected landscapes by preserving property encumbered by easements from private development or consumption while simultaneously allowing grantors the flexibility to negotiate the retention of development rights tailored to meet the grantors' needs. My thesis is that private parties should have a common law property interest in conservation easements sufficient to confer standing to seek injunctive relief to enforce conservation easements and to sue for damages when they are violated. More specifically, private parties should have standing to defend perpetual conservation easements. A common law property interest would be analogous to the third-party right of enforcement created by the Uniform Conservation Easement Act ("UCEA") and codified by many states in their state statutes. It is not my contention that either grantors, holders, or society in general should be bound by a perpetual conservation easement restriction forever. Some degree of flexibility to reflect changing societal needs is prudent. When measuring the appropriate moment in time to modify or terminate a perpetual conservation easement because of changed conditions, the interests of the larger society should be represented in the calculus. Conferring private-party standing would allow these interests to be represented. My Article provides an efficiency and social justice critique. First, in Part II, I briefly describe the history and rationales underlying the creation and perpetuation of conservation easements. I also discuss the close relationship between preservation and a strong private property regime. Second, in Part III, I discuss challenges to perpetual conservation easements, the doctrine of changed conditions, as well as the importance of private-party enforcement rights to the defense of conservation easements. Next, in Part IV, I consider efficiency and social justice arguments in favor of a restricted application of the doctrine of changed conditions, concluding that private parties should have a recognized, common law property interest in the conservation easement. Then, in Part V, I broaden my analysis of conservation easements to demonstrate that decentralizing ownership interests in property by enforcing the decisions of property owners to burden their property with perpetual conservation easements is consistent with a democratic property system. Finally, in Part VI, I discuss objections to my proposal and alternatives to aggressively defending perpetual conservation easements against challenges pursuant to the doctrine of changed conditions. I conclude that my proposals articulated in Parts IV and V will result in efficient and appropriate levels of conservation while promoting decentralization of private property ownership.
Organization Theory, Intelligence, and the Cuban Missile Crisis

Although scholars have been dissecting the Cuban missile crisis for almost half a century, this paper argues that we have learned the wrong intelligence lessons and neglected many important ones. Organizations explain why. Ever since Graham Allison’s Essence of Decision, scholars have concentrated on the pitfalls of individual perception and cognition while paying little attention to organizational weaknesses in intelligence. As a result, researchers have considered the crisis a stunning intelligence success instead of a stunning intelligence warning failure. And they have overlooked the silent but deadly organizational weaknesses that led analysts to make the wrong call. In part one, I make the empirical case for calling the crisis an intelligence failure by examining all of the pre-crisis national intelligence estimates of 1962. In part two, I discuss why the success narrative has stuck and why it matters. Part three explores three lingering questions from the historical record: (1) Why did estimators miss all of the signals pointing to Nikita Khrushchev’s true intentions? (2) Why were all of the pre-crisis estimates so consistent even in the face of alarming new evidence of a Soviet military buildup? (3) Why were there no dissents in any of the estimates? To date, answers have focused on mirror imaging and other aspects of misjudgment. Yet I find that organizational deficiencies also played a pivotal and unexplored role-causing signals to be found and then lost in the bureaucracy; driving the interagency estimates process toward a false consistency over time; and channeling dissenting hypotheses out of the Cuba estimates process entirely.
Gathering Insights on the Forest from the Trees: A New Metric for Financial Conditions

By incorporating the Harvey accumulator into the large approximate dynamic factor framework of Doz et al. (2006), we are able to construct a coincident index of financial conditions from a large unbalanced panel of mixed frequency financial indicators. We relate our financial conditions index, or FCI, to the concept of a "financial crisis" using Markov-switching techniques. After demonstrating the ability of the index to capture "crisis" periods in U.S. financial history, we present several policy-geared threshold rules for the FCI using Receiver Operator Characteristics (ROC) curve analysis.
Phylogenetic and biogeographical relationships of the Sander pikeperches (Percidae: Perciformes): patterns across North America and Eurasia

North America and Eurasia share several closely related taxa that diverged either from the breakup of the Laurasian supercontinent or later closures of land bridges. Their modern population structures were shaped in Pleistocene glacial refugia and via later expansion patterns, which are continuing. The pikeperch genus Sander contains five species – two in North America (S. canadensis and S. vitreus) and three in Eurasia (S. lucioperca, S. marinus, and S. volgensis) – whose evolutionary relationships and relative genetic diversities were previously unresolved, despite their fishery importance. This is the first analysis to include the enigmatic and rare sea pikeperch S. marinus, nuclear DNA sequences, and multiple mitochondrial DNA regions. Bayesian and maximum-likelihood trees from three mitochondrial and three nuclear gene regions support the hypothesis that Sander diverged from its sister group Romanichthys/Zingel ∼24.6 Mya. North American and Eurasian Sander then differentiated ∼20.8 Mya, with the former diverging ∼15.4 Mya, congruent with North American fossils dating to ∼16.3–13.6 Mya. Modern Eurasian species date to ∼13.8 Mya, with S. volgensis being basal and comprising the sister group to S. lucioperca and S. marinus, which diverged ∼9.1 Mya. Genetic diversities of the North American species are higher than those in Eurasia, suggesting fewer Pleistocene glaciation bottlenecks. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 110, 156–179.
SU‐E‐T‐98: An Analysis of TG‐51 Electron Beam Calibration Correction Factor Uncertainty

Purpose: To analyze the uncertainty of the TG-51 electron beam calibration correction factors for farmer type ion chambers currently used by institutions visited by IROC Houston. Methods: TG-51 calibration data were collected from 181 institutions visited by IROC Houston physicists for 1174 and 197 distinct electron beams from modern Varian and Elekta accelerators, respectively. Data collected and analyzed included ion chamber make and model, nominal energy, ND,w, I5₀, R5₀, k’R5₀, dref, Pgr and pdd(dref). k’R5₀ data for parallel plate chambers were excluded from the analysis. Results: Unlike photon beams, electron nominal energy is a poor indicator of the actual energy as evidenced by the range of R5₀ values for each electron beam energy (6–22MeV). The large range in R5₀ values resulted k’R5₀ values with a small standard deviation but large range between maximum value used and minimum value (0.001–0.029) used for a specific Varian nominal energy. Varian data showed more variability in k’R5₀ values than the Elekta data (0.001–0.014). Using the observed range of R5₀ values, the maximum spread in k’R5₀ values was determined by IROC Houston and compared to the spread of k’R5₀ values used in the community. For Elekta linacs the spreads were equivalent, but for Varian energies of 6 to 16MeV, the community spread was 2 to 6 times larger. Community Pgr values had a much larger range of values for 6 and 9 MeV values than predicted. The range in Varian pdd(dref ) used by the community for low energies was large, (1.4–4.9 percent), when it should have been very close to unity. Exradin, PTW Roos and PTW farmer chambers ND,w values showed the largest spread, ≥11 percent. Conclusion: While the vast majority of electron beam calibration correction factors used are accurate, there is a surprising spread in some of the values used.
The Influence of Cross-Link Density on the Creep Compliance of an Advanced Polyimide:

The effect of cross-link density on the visco-elastic performance of an advanced polymer matrix (LaRC™-PETI-SI) was investigated through creep compliance tests. Testing consisted of short-term isothermal creep and recovery with the creep segments performed under constant load. The tests were conducted at three temperatures below the glass transition temperature of each material with different cross-link density. Through the use of time-aging-time superposition procedures, the material constants, material master curves and aging-related parameters were evaluated at each temperature for a given cross-link density. It was shown that the high cross-link density materials have increased creep compliance and creep compliance rate, and are less sensitive to physical aging than the low cross-link density materials. The temperature sensitivity of the time-temperature superposition (TTSP) shift factor was shown to increase monotonically with increasing cross-link density. Furthermore, at the highest temperature, a ...
Changes in apatite crystal size in bones of patients with osteogenesis imperfecta.

Apatite crystal size in compact bone of children (age 12 years) with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) was analyzed by X-ray diffraction. Eight type I, 4 type II, 11 type III, and 14 type IV OI patients were studied along with 9 controls. The crystal size was most significantly reduced in type II patients, all of whom had died at birth. Crystal size was also diminished in both children and adolescents with types III and IV, whereas with type I OI, crystal size was reduced in children only, returning to normal in adolescence. There was a trend toward increased bone crystal size with age in both OI patients and controls.
Epidemiology of Traumatic Experiences in Childhood

The epidemiology of traumatic experiences in childhood is a key context for research, clinical treatment, program management, and policy development. This article discusses the conceptual, methodological, and programmatic challenges in precisely answering even relatively simple questions concerning the basic prevalence and incidence of important trauma types among American youth. Findings from studies using nationally representative samples and directly interviewing youth about their trauma histories are reviewed, and lifetime prevalence rates for various types of traumatic experience presented. Clinical application of this information and future directions are discussed.
A three-dimensional wavepacket study on photodissociation dynamics of methyl iodide

Abstract The photodissociation dynamics of methyl iodide is investigated on a three-dimensional grid using a time-dependent quantum mechanical method. Two electronic states which correlate with I and I * fragments are explicitly included in the calculation and their potential energy functions as well as their coupling are adapted from a recent ab initio calculation by Morokuma and co-workers. The dynamically active dimensions include (1) the dissociation coordinate, (2) the umbrella bend of the methyl group which is treated as a stretch between a hypothetic atom (H 3 ) and the carbon atom; and (3) the H 3 CI bend. The discrete variable representation is used to describe the dynamics in the bending coordinate θ while the other two degrees of freedom are treated by a FFT based approach. The time propagation of the wavepacket is carried out using the Chebychev expansion of the time propagator and the grid in the translational coordinate space is shifted during the propagation to avoid reflection at the end of the grid. Vibrational and rotational distributions for the CH 3 fragment and I * yields are calculated for several photon frequencies. The three-dimensional quantum mechanical results are compared with experimental data and an earlier quasi-classical calculation based on the same potential energy surfaces.
Synthesis and Surface Properties of Fluorocarbon End-Capped Biodegradable Polyesters

We report the synthesis and characterization of a new class of materials based on combining hydrolytically degradable polyesters and fluorocarbon surface chemistry. These materials have surface properties which overcome some of the limitations of polymeric materials in controlled cellular or tissue adhesion properties. Fluorocarbon chains of two lengths (CF3(CF2)m(CH2)n, where F7C1 and F10C2 represent m = 6 and n = 1 and m = 9 and n = 2, respectively) have been synthesized as the terminal end groups to l- and dl-polylactides (PLA) and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) copolymers. Using both ring-opening polymerization and the substitution of the fluorocarbon at terminal hydroxyl groups, polyesters with 1, 2, and 4 fluorocarbon end groups were obtained (F-polyesters). Angular dependent X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS or ESCA) revealed that end groups are segregated at the surface. Further, the results show their the surface coverage of fluorocarbon groups increases with increasing the concentration and the ...
Frequency of pericardial effusion as determined by M-mode echocardiography in acute myocardial infarction

Abstract A pericardial friction rub occurs in 6 to 16% of patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but the incidence of pericardial effusion (PE) is not known. M-mode echocardiography was done 1, 3 and 5 days after AMI in 43 consecutive patients admitted within 24 hours of AMI, and PE was detected in 16 (37%). The PE was small in 7 patients, moderate in 6 and large in 3. A pericardial friction rub developed in 8 (19%), of whom only 4 had PE. Pleuritic chest pain diminished by sitting up and relieved by antiinflammatory agents developed in 12 (28%), of whom only 5 had PE. The peak creatine kinase level was significantly higher in patients with PE (1,769 ± 1,003 U) than in those without (1,181 ± 838 units). More patients with PE were in Killip classification II, III or IV (11 of 16 [69%] vs 9 of 27 [33%]). The presence of PE was not associated with age, site of AMI, development of Q waves, use of heparin or previous AMI. In conclusion, PE as detected by M-mode echocardiography is frequently present after AMI, and its presence is not closely associated with the occurrence of a pericardial friction rub or typical pericardial pain.
Objective sensor placement for sampling regional turbidity.

Abstract Objective sensor-placement techniques are applied to the process of selecting locations for a network of ten pyranometers, which will be used to investigate regional patterns of high turbidity across the northeastern United States. The techniques involve adjusting via nonlinear programming methods the values of coefficients in a continuous function that describes correlations between turbidity values separated by temporal and spatial intervals, in order to best describe the structure of turbidity. With the correlation structure function that is found, sensor locations are evaluated by calculating the normalized residual variance obtained from objective analyses performed at gridpoints across the region of interest. Sensor positions are shifted by nonlinear programming methods until residual variance is minimized. A comparison is made between simultaneous and sequential methods of sensorplacement optimization, in which the incremental value of adding sensors is determined objectively.
Assessment of the safety of us nuclear weapons and related nuclear test requirements

This brief report was prepared in response to a letter of 17 July 1990 by Honorable Dante B. Fascell, chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, requesting an assessment of the safety of US nuclear warheads with particular attention to the extent to which additional nuclear explosive tests might be needed to further improve their safety. Chairman Fascell's letter contained five questions concerning this issue that I have attempted to answer as follows:
A comparison of different approaches to segment information search behaviour of spring break travellers in the USA: experience, knowledge, involvement and specialisation concept

The purpose of this research is to compare salient approaches for identifying the patterns of college students' information search behaviours while preparing for their spring break trips. Comparing four different prominent constructs (i.e. past experience, prior knowledge, involvement and a concept of specialisation combining those three variables), the results of the study indicate that involvement and the specialisation concept have more distinctive results than the others in terms of measurement of travellers' perceived usefulness of information sources and the importance of information content. In addition, the different groups assigned different priorities for usage of main information sources. As a result, involvement and the specialisation concept appear to provide more distinctive clarification for identifying the information search behaviours of spring break travellers. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of dietary fiber intake on blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled clinical trials

ObjectiveWe conducted a meta-analysis of 25 randomized controlled trials published in English-language journals before February 2004, to assess the effect of dietary fiber intake on blood pressure (BP).DesignUsing a standardized protocol, information on study design, sample size, participant charact
Precision measurements of hyperfine predissociation in I2 vapor using a two-photon resonant scattering technique

Abstract A two-photon resonant scattering technique is used to measure natural linewidths of individual hyperfine components of the ν′ = 43, J ′ = 12 and 16 rovibrational levels in the I 2 B state ( 3 π ou + ). Differences in the linewidths due to hyperfine predissociation are precisely determined. The predissociation constants and the radiative linewidth for ν′ = 43 are found to be [ a ν′ ] 2 = 3.36 ± 0.09 kHz, [ c ν′ ] 2 = 4.67 ± 0.51 Hz and Γ r = 51 ± 4 kHz, respectively.
ESD OF H+ AND D+ BY A TWO-ELECTRON PROCESS FROM HYDROGEN ADLAYERS ON PT(111)

Abstract The electron stimulated desorption (ESD) behavior of H+ and D+ from a Pt(1 1 1) surface covered with dissociatively adsorbed hydrogen or deuterium has been investigated. Incident electron energies of 150 eV caused both the H+ and D+ ion yields to initially increase before finally decaying away. The position of the ion-yield maximum in the ion-yield curves exhibits a strong dependence on electron-beam current density, but little dependence on the initial H2 or D2 exposures. Ion yield is seen to increase quadratically with electron-beam current density, indicating that ESD of H+ and D+ is a two-electron process. Kinetic energy distributions (KED) were also investigated. Comparison of the H+ and D+ ESD KED spectra clearly shows that the peak position for H+ KED is lower than that for D+ KED, and that H+ KED broaden to lower kinetic energy relative to D+ KED. The Menzel–Gomer–Redhead (MGR) model is used to develop a possible qualitative explanation of the differences observed in the ESD behavior for H+ and D+ . Total removal cross-sections were also measured for adsorbed hydrogen and deuterium, for which current density averaged cross-sections of QH=(1.6 ± 0.1) × 10−16 cm2 and QD=(1.3 ± 0.2) × 10−16 cm2 were obtained.
Family and Sociodemographic Predictors of School Readiness among African American Boys in Kindergarten.

Research Findings: Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–1999, were used to examine the relation between parenting, sociodemographic characteristics, and school readiness among (N = 1,136) African American boys in kindergarten. Parenting was defined as parenting style (i.e., warmth and control), home learning stimulation, and culturally relevant parenting. Two child outcomes previously linked to school readiness were examined: kindergarten reading and approaches to learning. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to address 2 research questions. First, does parenting predict kindergarten reading above and beyond the contribution of sociodemographic characteristics? Second, does parenting predict kindergarten approaches to learning above and beyond the contribution of sociodemographic characteristics? Practice or Policy: Children with parents who set consistent bedtimes, provided more books in their homes, and read to them more frequently had better kindergar...
Remaking the corporation: The 1991 U.S. Sentencing Guidelines

This is an essay about the philosophical and practical problems associated with the concept of punishment for corporations that have grievously broken the law. It is specifically an essay about the special incentives that the U.S. Government has put in place to encourage American corporations to create comprehensive ethics programs and observe them faithfully. First, I will look at the sorts of obstacles to effective punishment of recalcitrant corporations that eventually prompted extraordinary measures by the U.S. Government. Then I will present a detailed description of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines which took effect on November 1, 1991, describe what they entail, examine what purposes for which they were intended and question how likely they will be to accomplish their objectives. Finally, we will raise the question whether such policies will help further corporate social responsibility and ethical conduct in the workplace.
Sensitivity of human prostate cancer cells to chemotherapeutic drugs depends on EndoG expression regulated by promoter methylation

Analysis of promoter sequences of all known human cytotoxic endonucleases showed that endonuclease G (EndoG) is the only endonuclease that contains a CpG island, a segment of DNA with high G+C content and a site for methylation, in the promoter region. A comparison of three human prostate cancer cell lines showed that EndoG is highly expressed in 22Rv1 and LNCaP cells. In PC3 cells, EndoG was not expressed and the EndoG CpG island was hypermethylated. The expression of EndoG correlated positively with sensitivity to cisplatin and etoposide, and the silencing of EndoG by siRNA decreased the sensitivity of the cells to the chemotherapeutic agents in the two EndoG-expressing cell lines. 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine caused hypomethylation of the EndoG promoter in PC3 cells, induced EndoG mRNA and protein expression, and made the cells sensitive to both cisplatin and etoposide. The acetylation of histones by trichostatin A, the histone deacetylase inhibitor, induced EndoG expression in 22Rv1 cells, while it had no such effect in PC3 cells. These data are the first indication that EndoG may be regulated by methylation of its gene promoter, and partially by histone acetylation, and that EndoG is essential for prostate cancer cell death in the used models.
The nuclear quadrupole interaction in Pr3+:LaF3 — An optical-RF double resonance measurement of the ground electronic state

The nuclear quadrupole hyperfine splittings of Pr3+ in LaF3 have been measured for the ground electronic state using a RF optical resonance technique. A hamiltonian H = P[(I2z− 13I(I+1) + (η/6)(I2+−I2-)] was fitted to the data with zP=4.185 ± 0.003 MHzandη = 0.105 ± 0.010. Linewidths of 180 kHz were observed.
Effects of hypergravity on the prenatal development of peripheral vestibulocerebellar afferent fibers

Abstract The relationship between vestibular stimulation and the distribution of peripheral vestibulocerebellar sensory fibers was studied in embryonic rats that developed in normal gravity (1G), 1.75G, 2.0G, or rotational environments from 10 to 20 days of gestation. Subsequently a fluorescent neuronal tracer was applied to the cerebellum, and allowed to diffuse retrogradely to the vestibular periphery. The distribution of labeled fibers and terminals in the posterior vertical canal and the utricle was analyzed. Sensory fibers in the rotation- and hypergravity-exposed embryos of the posterior semicircular canal and utricle displayed fewer long extending fibers and more terminal fields, suggesting faster rates of maturation as compared to the synchronous controls. Hypergravity exposures in the posterior canal caused increased terminal formation in the central zone of the cristae, and in the utricle caused increased terminal formation, including calyces, in the medial extrastriolar zone. These results show the importance of the vestibular environment in the development of peripheral vestibular innervation.
Functions of the major nonstructural DNA binding protein of a herpesvirus (pseudorabies).

Abstract Eight mutants of pseudorabies virus belonging to complementation group 3 and situated between 0.14 and 0.18 units on the physical map of the genome were analyzed. All the mutants tested in this respect (seven) recombined with one another, indicating that the mutations were located in different regions of the gene. All mutants were DNA − ; the first round, as well as subsequent rounds, of DNA replication was completely blocked at the nonpermissive temperature in the mutant-infected cells. After shift-up from the permissive to the nonpermissive temperature, viral DNA synthesis continued for a short period of time only and viral DNA which had accumulated at the permissive temperature became degraded. Parental viral DNA, however, retained its integrity at the nonpermissive temperature and viral DNA synthesis started immediately after shift-down of the mutant-infected cells from the nonpermissive to the permissive temperature (even in the absence of protein synthesis). All mutants belonging. to complementation group 3 tested (5 out of 8) produced a thermolabile nonstructural DNA binding protein (136K). In some of the mutant virus-infected cells this protein failed to migrate to the nucleus. We conclude that the pseudorabies virus mutants in complementation group 3 code for a defective 136K protein and that this protein is not only essential to the process of viral DNA synthesis but also plays a role in the stabilization of progeny DNA (but not of nonreplicating parental DNA) within the infected cells.
Coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with cerebrovascular disease

The incidence of carotid artery disease in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting appears to be increasing as our population ages. The optimal treatment for these high-risk patients with concomitant carotid and coronary artery disease remains controversial. This review focuses on the management of patients with coexistent carotid and coronary arteriosclerosis. The significance and management of the patient with an asymptomatic carotid stenosis in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting and the role of combined coronary artery bypass grafting and carotid endarterectomy in these patients will be discussed.
The role of locus of control orientation in speed of discriminating facial affect

Abstract Individuals with an internal locus of control have been found to be more socially successful than those with an external orientation. In the present study, the possibility was tested that a significant contributor to the internals' social success was their ability to discriminate nonverbal information in the form of facial expressions more quickly than externals. Forty-two females were asked to discriminate which of a series of two facial expressions and which of a series of two words were similar, and which were different. Word discrimination performance was used to evaluate whether speed of discrimination differences between internals and externals was specific to facial expressions or to a more generalized ability to discriminate all information more quickly. As predicted, internals, compared to externals, were significantly faster discriminators of facial expressions but not of words. The results were discussed within an interpersonal communication perspective.
Imaginary Play in chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes )

Imaginary Play was studied in a group of five signing chimpanzees and it was found that chimpanzees engage in imaginary play similar to that found in human children. Fifteen hours of remote videotapes were analyzed for instances of imaginary play. Behaviors were defined as imaginary play by meeting a predetermined criteria which allowed them to be classified into one of six different categories of imaginary play. Six instances of imaginary play were found and these were classified into the two categories of Animation and Substitution. Observations of imaginary play in other research with chimpanzees were discussed.
New approach to improve performance by venting periodic reverse vapor flow in microchannel evaporator

Abstract This paper presents a proposal for a venting reverse vapor in flash gas removal A/C system in order to improve refrigerant distribution and reduce pressure drop in microchannel evaporator and thus increase system efficiency. Introduction to the reverse vapor flow observed in parallel flow microchannel evaporator was presented in earlier IJR paper by the authors. An experimental comparison of the A/C system with new approach to an FGB system revealed that vapor venting provided a 5% increase of cooling capacity and 3% of COP when operated at identical test conditions, while the maximum COP improvement was approximately 10%–12% when capacity is matched by reduction of compressor speed. The improvement compared to direct expansion system was significantly higher.
Cloning and localization of Rab3 isoforms in bovine, rat, and human parathyroid glands.

Rab3 proteins are small GTP-binding proteins known to play a role in regulated exocytosis processes. This study examines the expression of Rab3 mRNA and protein in bovine, rat and human parathyroid glands. mRNAs of several Rab3 isoforms were detected in bovine (Rab3A, Rab3B and Rab3C) and rat (Rab3A, Rab3B and Rab3D) parathyroid glands by RT-PCR and sequencing. Rab3A protein was detected in the cytosolic extract from bovine parathyroid gland by Western blotting using a monoclonal antibody for Rab3A. Rab3A protein was localized to parathyroid hormone-containing chief cells by immunohistochemical staining. Subcellular localization of Rab3A protein by immunogold electron microscopy revealed that the majority of Rab3A protein was not associated with dense-core vesicles, but localized in the cytosol of the chief cells. Altogether, our results demonstrate that Rab3 isoforms are expressed in parathyroid chief cells, suggesting that they may play a role in regulated exocytosis in these cells.
Abstract 995: Transient low doses of DNA demethylating agents exert durable antitumor effects on hematological and epithelial tumor cells

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Reversal of gene promoter DNA hypermethylation and associated abnormal gene silencing is an attractive approach to cancer therapy. The DNA methylation inhibitors, decitabine (5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine) and azacitidine (5-azacytidine) are proving efficacious clinically for hematological neoplasms, especially at lower, less toxic, doses. Experimentally, high doses induce rapid DNA damage and cytotoxicity, but these may not explain the prolonged time to response often seen in patients. We now show that transient exposure of cultured and primary leukemic and epithelial tumor cells to decitabine or azacitidine at clinically-relevant nanomolar doses, without causing immediate cytotoxicity, produces a “memory” for anti-tumor responses, including potent inhibition of subpopulations of cancer, stem-like cells which often resist other therapies. These inhibitory effects are accompanied by sustained decreases in genome-wide promoter DNA methylation with associated gene re-expression, and anti-tumor changes in multiple key cellular regulatory pathways, such as cell cycle events mediated through FOXM1, cell invasion and motility, and granulocyte and breast cancer cell maturation. Notably, most of the key pathways altered by decitabine or azacitidine involve high priority targets for pharmacologic anti-cancer strategies, which provides molecular basis for possible combination therapies. Thus, low dose decitabine and azacitidine regimens may potentially have broad applicability for cancer management. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 995. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-995
Effects of pipe diffusion on the creep behaviour of dry olivine

Abstract Analysis of creep data for large-grained and single-crystal dry olivine in the power-law region suggests that the transition from a stress exponent of 3 to 5 at higher stresses represents a change in creep controlled by lattice diffusion at high temperatures to creep controlled by dislocation-pipe diffusion at low temperatures. Creep data in the power-law region, when normalized by an effective diffusivity which incorporates the additive contribution of both lattice and dislocation pipe diffusion, exhibit a single stress exponent of 3.
Replacing the atherosclerotic ascending aorta is a high-risk procedure.

Abstract Background . Improved techniques in cerebral and myocardial protection have made replacement of the chronically aneurysmal ascending thoracic aorta a safe and effective procedure. We hypothesized that patients with severe ascending or aortic arch atherosclerosis were at greater risk for operative complications during ascending aortic replacement because of the diffuse nature of their atherosclerotic process. Methods . We retrospectively analyzed the records of 17 patients who received ascending aortic replacement during elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) because of the intraoperative finding of severe atherosclerosis. All 17 patients underwent tube graft replacement of the ascending aorta under hypothermic circulatory arrest and retrograde cerebral perfusion before coronary artery bypass grafting. The outcomes for these patients were compared with those of a control group of 89 consecutive patients who underwent replacement for ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm. Results . The hospital mortality rate for replacement of the ascending thoracic aorta for severe atherosclerosis was 23.5% (4/17) versus 2.25% (2 of 89) for the control group ( p = 0.006). The incidence of cerebrovascular accident in the atherosclerotic group was 17.6% (3/17) and 3.37% (3/89) for the control group ( p = 0.051). Nine of 17 atherosclerotic patients (52.9%) had operative morbidity. Only 20.2% (18 of 89) of the control patients had nonfatal postoperative complications. Conclusions . The severely atherosclerotic ascending aorta is a marker of diffuse atherosclerosis. Despite improved techniques of myocardial and cerebral protection, we have been unable to duplicate our success with ascending thoracic aneurysm repair. Preoperative screening of the ascending aorta by chest computed tomography may be appropriate in select high-risk patients to determine operability.
Utilization of 2′-Deoxy-6-thioguanosine 5′-Triphosphate In DNA Synthesis Catalyzed by DNA Polymerase I Klenow Fragment of Escherichia Coli

Abstract The substrate kinetics of 2′-deoxy-6-thioguanosine 5′-triphosphate for DNA polymerase I (Klenow fragment) of Escherichia coli were investigated. The analog nucleotide was readily incorporated in place of dGTP and it was misincorporated in place of dATP at low but detectable frequency.
Hormones, Pregnancy, and Autoimmune Diseases

Abstract: Hormonal factors linked to age, gender, and reproductive status are undoubtedly involved in regulating the onset of numerous autoimmune diseases. For example, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a disease characterized by immune complex-mediated pathology linked to excess Th2 cytokine production (e.g., IL-10) primarily affects women in the reproductive years. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a disease characterized primarily by cell-mediated joint immunopathology linked to deficient Th2 cytokine production, is also more common in women, but, in contrast to SLE, the highest incidence is at menopause. Pregnancy-associated changes in these diseases, however, provide the most compelling evidence that hormonal factors play a major role in modulating the expression of these diseases. SLE often flares during pregnancy, whereas RA commonly remits during pregnancy and flares or initially develops in the postpartum period, These observations appear to be explained by the accumulating data indicating that during pregnancy cell-mediated immune function and Th1 cytokine production (e.g., IL-12, interferon-γ) are suppressed, and humoral immunity and Th2 cytokine production (e.g., IL-4, IL-10) are enhanced. These patterns reverse in the postpartum period. In other words, antithetical Th1/Th2 cytokine profiles appear to characterize pregnancy and the postpartum period. Strong evidence now indicates that changes in the production of cortisol, progesterone, and estrogen play a major role in modulating Th1/Th2 cytokine balance.
Cisplatin and doxorubicin toxicosis in dogs with osteosarcoma.

Toxicosis associated with doxorubicin and cisplatin administration starting either 2 or 10 days after limb amputation for osteosarcoma was examined retrospectively in dogs. The purpose was to determine whether dosage and timing of chemotherapy affected rates of toxicosis after administration of the 1st treatment. Records of 100 dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma without evidence of metastases or concurrent disease were examined. Dogs received chemotherapy with doxorubicin and cisplatin every 3 weeks for 3 treatments starting 2 days (n = 51) or 10 days (n = 49) after amputation. The dosage of cisplatin was 60 mg/m2 and was given with 6-hour saline diuresis and butorphanol. Doxorubicin was given at 12.5-25 mg/ml during fluid administration. Hematologic data were collected before and weekly after treatment. Client interviews were conducted to assess gastrointestinal toxicosis during the interval between treatments. The reported toxicoses were graded on a scale of 0 to 4. Dogs receiving 25 mg/m2 of doxorubicin experienced greater rates of grade 4 toxicity (67%; n = 6) than dogs in groups receiving 12.5-20 mg/m2 of doxorubicin (< or = 25%; n = 94, P = .03). Dogs in the Day 2 group experienced greater rates (35%) of grade 4 toxicity than dogs in the Day 10 group (12%, P = .007). We concluded that chemotherapy administered 2 days after surgery produced an unacceptable level of toxicoses. except at greatly reduced dosages, and that even with a delay of treatment, 25 mg/m2 of doxorubicin, when given in combination with cisplatin at 60 mg/m2, was too toxic for routine use.