cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Feeding Dried Milk on Production of Liver Cancer by p-Dimethylaminoazobenzene.

Summary1. The therapeutic action of dried whole milk upon liver cirrhosis and cancer has been investigated. The liver changes were induced in rats by feeding unpolished rice and p-dimethylaminoazobenzene. 2. The production of liver cancer in rats fed p-dimethyl-aminoazobenzene was partially inhibited by the daily ingestion of dried whole milk (50% protection at 200 days). 3. Liver cirrhosis produced by p-dimethylaminoazobenzene has been treated successfully by a rice diet containing 15% dried whole milk. (Based on previous evidence of the high incidence of liver cirrhosis in rats produced by p-dimethyl-aminoazobenzene-rice diet.11). 4. Once ade-nomatous hyperplasia of bile ducts, cholan-gioma, or hepatoma had been established in the livers, these benign and malignant tumors could not be destroyed by ingestion of the rice-milk diet.
Sonographic Imaging of Thyroid Nodules and Cervical Lymph Nodes

The initial application of sonography for the evaluation of the neck, more than 30 years ago, was to differentiate cystic and solid thyroid nodules. With improvements in technology, ultrasound has been applied to characterize distinct features in the appearance of thyroid nodules. More recently, its function has been expanded to assess cervical lymph nodes for metastatic thyroid cancer. This article discusses the sonographic features of thyroid nodules associated with malignancy and the role of ultrasound in the management of patients with thyroid cancer.
Building Empathy Through Identification and Expression of Emotions: A Review of Interactive Tools for Children With Social Deficits

This article is a review of available interactive aids designed to enhance the identification and expression of feelings in children. These skills are part of the overall development of empathy. The development of empathy, in turn, is crucial for social competence, social relatedness, and prosocial behavior. Improving these skills is likely to improve the social functioning of children. Children and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, and autism spectrum disorder demonstrated significant social deficits, which can influence the development of empathy. The goal of this article is to describe five interactive aids to foster empathy by teaching a more accurate identification of emotions and expression of feelings.
Isradipine treatment of hypertension in children: a single-center experience

Many children with hypertension, particularly those with new-onset hypertension related to glomerulonephritis, organ transplantation, or other forms of secondary hypertension, require treatment with a short-acting antihypertensive in order to quickly achieve blood pressure (BP) control. We administered isradipine, a short-acting, second-generation calcium antagonist, to 72 such children. Retrospective data collection was undertaken to determine the effects of isradipine treatment. The mean age of children treated with isradipine was 74±55 months (mean±SD). Nearly all of these children had secondary hypertension and were initially treated as hospital inpatients for newly diagnosed hypertension. Mean isradipine dose was 0.36±0.17 mg/kg per day, with no significant variation in dose according to patient age. Isradipine was administered three times per day in most instances, but 21% of the time it was administered four times per day. An extemporaneous isradipine suspension was used in 62% of treatment courses. BP control was achieved with isradipine alone in 38 children; the remainder received isradipine in combination with additional antihypertensives. Comparison of pre-treatment BP with BP obtained 8±9 days later demonstrated a significant BP reduction with isradipine treatment, with a mean reduction of 14±13 mmHg for systolic BP and 13±15 mmHg for diastolic BP. There was no effect of isradipine treatment on heart rate. Adverse effects occurred in 9.5% of treatment courses, and included headache, flushing, dizziness, and tachycardia. We conclude that isradipine successfully lowers BP in hypertensive children with secondary forms of hypertension. Use of isradipine suspension allows infants and young children to be treated as readily as older children.
The Drosophila SSL gene is expressed in larvae, pupae, and adults, exhibits sexual dimorphism, and mimics properties of the β subunit of casein kinase II

Drosophila melanogaster casein kinase II (CKII) is composed of catalytic alpha and regulatory beta subunits that generate the alpha2beta2 holoenzyme. A two-hybrid screen of a Drosophila embryo library using CKIIalpha as bait has resulted in the isolation of multiple cDNAs encoding SSL, a CKIIbeta-like polypeptide. We demonstrate that CKIIbeta, beta', and SSL exhibit robust and comparable interaction with CKIIalpha. Residues in SSL that mediate interaction with CKIIalpha appear similar to those in CKIIbeta, and SSL forms homodimers and heterodimers with CKIIbeta or beta' as well. We have tested all known Drosophila CKIIbeta-like proteins for rescue of the ion-homeostasis defect of yeast lacking beta subunits and find that CKIIbeta and SSL complement, beta' has marginal function, and Stellate appears non-functional. We have used real-time RT-PCR to assess developmental expression, and find that CKIIbeta is robust and ubiquitous, whereas SSL is restricted to males (third-instar-larvae, pupae, and adults), but is nondetectable in females of the corresponding stages. These results indicate that SSL expression encompasses a greater developmental window than that previously suggested and may confer distinct functions to CKII in a sex-specific manner.
Cancer screening among Latino subgroups in the United States.

Background Relying upon the Health Belief Model and a behavioral model of health care utilization, the purpose of this study was to examine current adherence to cancer screening among Latino subgroups. Methods Using data from the 2000 National Health Interview Survey, 5377 Latinos were surveyed for their use of Pap smear, mammogram, breast self-examination and the clinical breast exam among women, prostate specific antigen test among men, and the fecal occult blood test, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, and proctoscopy among both men and women. Using sampling weights, multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess screening use. Results Dominican women had 2.4 times greater likelihood of having had mammography than other Latinos. In addition, Latinas aged 50–69, who had more years of education, a personal history of cancer, who were not current smokers, had health insurance, had visited a primary care provider over the past 12 months, and had at least one other screening test had greater use of mammography. Younger age, marriage, greater acculturation, visits to a primary care provider, health insurance, and the use of other cancer screening tests predicted the uptake of the Pap smear. Latinas were more likely to use a CBE if they were younger, had a Bachelor's degree, a personal history of cancer, were more acculturated, had visits to a primary care provider over the past 12 months, and used other cancer screening tests. Puerto Ricans, Central or South Americans had half the likelihood of having colorectal cancer screening than other groups. Ages between 50 and 69, male sex, marriage, history of visiting a health care provider, and use of other screening tests predicted use of the FOBT. Older age, greater education, male sex, history of visiting a health care provider in the previous year, use of other screening tests, and better health status influenced the uptake of endoscopy for colorectal cancer screening. Cuban males had fivefold greater utilization of PSA testing. Additionally, PSA use among Latinos was predicted by older age, history of visiting a primary care provider in the past 12 months, and use of other screening tests. Conclusions Cancer screening programs must take into account differences among Latinos in age, gender, educational levels, marital status, cancer history, risk behaviors, insurance, health status and health services utilization.
Feeding ecology of Rhizophysa eysenhardti, a siphonophore predator of fish larvae1

Analysis of the gastrozooids (stomachs) of 646 colonies of the cystonect siphonophore Rhizophysa eysenhardti collected by hand in the Gulf of California showed that these specimens had fed only on fish larvae. Siphonophore density during bloom conditions averaged 0.038 ± 0.004 individuals · m‒3 in an open-water channel, and 0.91 ± 0.55 in a shallow cove. Siphonophore feeding was greater in the cove where fish larvae were more abundant than in the channel, and during dawn and dusk in the cove when prev were more available. Gastrozooid analysis and behavioral experiments showed that siphonophores fed only in the light. Digestion of fish larvae required 3–7 h, increasing with prey size. Food was assimilated by the siphonophores with 72% efficiency. Each siphonophore was estimated to consume an average of 8.8 fish larvae during a day in the cove. The heavy predation on fish larvae by R. eysenhardti suggests that both fish mortality and siphonophore population growth may be strongly affected.
Asymptotic analysis of the structure and extinction of spherically symmetrical n-heptane diffusion flames

Abstract A minimal chemical-kinetic mechanism for the oxidation of n-heptane is reduced to a global two-step mechanism by the systematic application of partial-equilibrium and steady-state assumptions, with the global reaction rates related to the elementary rates. From this mechanism, the structure of spherically symmetrical diffusion flames around n-heptane droplets is analyzed using rate-ratio asymptotics. The outer transport zones are described by the classical flame-sheet analysis with Lewis numbers of unity. The inner structure consists of a thin fuel-consumption zone on the rich side of the flame and a broader but still thin layer on the lean side where H 2 and CO are oxidized. The theory identifies a scalar dissipation rate, related to the droplet diameter, appropriate for droplet burning. From the analysis, the variations in flame temperature and in species concentrations with the stoichiometric scalar dissipation rate X 11 were obtained. Since extinction occurs where x 51 reaches a maximum, the ...
Turning everywhere, getting nowhere: experiences of seeking help for mortgage delinquency and their implications for foreclosure prevention

The growing literature on financial, demographic, and institutional aspects of the foreclosure crisis largely neglects the experiences and actions of homeowners. This in-depth account of homeowners' responses to mortgage delinquency and the success of the strategies they employ to prevent foreclosure is based on focus groups conducted in 2006 with low- and moderate-income homeowners, and nonprofit housing professionals in five US cities. The events precipitating mortgage delinquency often set off a cascade of trouble placing multiple demands on homeowners' financial, emotional, and social resources. Homeowners pursued foreclosure prevention assistance from a variety of sources including their lender, social welfare agencies, and nonprofit homeownership organizations, but encountered many obstacles to resolving mortgage delinquency. Their unsuccessful attempts to secure assistance contributed to financial and emotional strain and sometimes worsened prospects of preventing foreclosure. Despite the numerous ...
Examining Muslim Americans' Condence in U.S. Government Institutions

In a post-9/11 America, Muslim Americans have faced intense hostility and scrutiny from segments of the American public and government. How does such an atmosphere impact Muslim Americans' confidence in American government institutions which are charged with protecting their rights and liberties? This study examines the degree to which Muslim Americans have confidence in American government institutions and what factors influence feelings of alienation versus integration into the American system. These propositions are explored using survey data on Muslim Americans (N=475) collected in 2010 by the Gallup Organization. Descriptive fieldwork was conducted April 2011 to July 2012 to further shed light on the topic. This study argues that perceived animosity towards persons of the Islamic faith in and outside the U.S. erodes confidence in American institutions among Muslim Americans. The data confirm that individual religiosity does not prevent Muslims from feeling politically integrated into the American political system; however, threat and perceived discrimination towards Muslims is particularly alienating for those who hold a salient Muslim identity. The findings of the study have important psychological and political implications for the Muslim American community, as well as critical security implications for the U.S.. Muslim Americans have accounted for the single largest information source for assisting the FBI in disrupting terrorism plots. Maintaining the community's confidence will be critical for continued cooperation and assistance.
Directed evolution of gold nanoparticle delivery to cells

A newly selected anti-receptor (anti-EGFR) aptamer was conjugated to gold nanoparticles via a facile hybridization method and was found to specifically and quantitatively direct the delivery of gold nanoparticles to cells expressing EGFR through receptor-mediated endocytosis.
Observation of Ba + np 1/2 and ngj Rydberg series

The np1/2 and ngj Rydberg series of the Ba+ ion have been observed, using a multistep laser-excitation scheme. A single photon excites either the np1/2 levels from an initially populated Ba+ 8s1/2 state or the ngj levels from the Ba+ 5fj states. The Ba+ 8s1/2 state is populated directly through two-step laser excitation of ground-state Ba+ ions, and the Ba+ 5fj state is a decay product of neutral-Ba 8snd autoionizing states, which are produced by an analogous two-step excitation of bound 6snd states. We observe no excitation of the np3/2 levels, indicating a zero in the excitation cross section to these levels. Using the quantum defects of the ng series, we are able to extract values for the electric dipole and quadrupole polarizabilities of the Ba2+ core of 10.3(2)a03 and 51(10)a05.
Redefining Possible: Re-Visioning the Prison-to-College Pipeline

This article identifies college as the logical space for the articulation of civil rights through the complete integration of students with incarceration histories into the intellectual and social fabric of the institution. Academic institutions provide a fertile ground where possibilities for personal and social change are realized, networks are opened, knowledge is contributed and developed, and giving back is enabled. Using interview and focus group data collected from The Gifts They Bring, a participatory action research (PAR) project conducted with and for college students with incarceration histories, I analyze experiences of personal transformation through higher education, identifying the theme of possibility. I conclude with recommendations for creating a more inclusive environment in institutions of higher education for people who have been incarcerated and want to make a positive change in their lives.
Performance analysis of two direction estimation algorithms using an acoustic vector sensor

The authors analyze the statistical performance of two algorithms proposed earlier (1991) for source direction estimation using a single (lumped) acoustic vector sensor. The first algorithm uses the four-dimensional acoustic pressure-velocity vector, and the second uses only the three-dimensional acoustic velocity vector. The mean-square angular errors (MSAEs) of these algorithms are evaluated and compared with their lower bound. >
Exploring model uncertainty in economic evaluation of health interventions: the example of rotavirus vaccination in Vietnam.

Objective . Motivated by observed discrepancies between 2 published studies on the cost-effectiveness of rotavirus vaccination in Vietnam, the authors’ objectives were to illustrate a specific, systematic approach to assessing model (structure and process) uncertainty and to quantify explicitly the contributions of different sources of variation in the outputs of different studies that share the same research question.Methods. On the basis of a series of working definitions of key model elements, the authors developed 5 alternative computer simulation (state-transition) models of rotavirus disease. They examined how epidemiological outcomes and cost-effectiveness ratios associated with rotavirus vaccination would change as elements of model structure and modeling process were progressively modified. They also explicitly decomposed the relative contributions of different modeling elements to differences in the cost-effectiveness results between the 2 previous analyses motivating the present study. Results....
Cosmogenic neutron-capture-produced nuclides in stony meteorites

The complete neutron-flux results and production rates for Cl-36, Ni-59, and Co-60 in stony meteorites of various radii and composition are presented. The relative neutron source strengths and neutron production-versus-depth profiles were determined by using calculated H-3 production rates. The absolute source strengths were normalized to that determined for the moon by Woolum et al. (1975). The energy spectrum of the source neutrons and the neutron transport calculations, which employed the ANISN computer code, were similar to those used for the moon by Lingenfelter et al. (1972). The production rates of the three radionuclides were determined as a function of depth in various spherical meteoroids from the calculated equilibrium neutron-flux distributions and from energy-dependent neutron-capture cross sections. Rates for producing these radionuclides by spallation reactions were also calculated.
The "Thumb Sign" in Children

Protrusion of the thumb beyond the clenched fist is almost always found in chil dren with Marfan's syndrome.In a random pediatric population studied, 1.1 per cent of the whites and 2.7 per cent of the Negroes had this finding but not the syndrome. Hence the sign has limited value as a screening test.Because the sign is not present in homo cystinuria it may be clinically useful in dis tinguishing between this condition and Mar- fan's syndrome.
Predictors of Biochemical Outcome With Salvage Conformal Radiotherapy After Radical Prostatectomy for Prostate Cancer

Purpose: To identify predictors of biochemical outcome following radiotherapy in patients with a rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer. Patients and Methods: One hundred fifteen patients with a rising PSA after radical prostatectomy received salvage three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) alone or with neoadjuvant androgen deprivation. Tumor-related and treatment-related factors were evaluated to identify predictors of subsequent PSA failure. Results: The median follow-up time after 3D-CRT was 42 months. The 4-year actuarial PSA relapse-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival, and overall survival rates were 46%, 83%, and 95%, respectively. Multivariate analysis, which was limited to 70 patients receiving radiation without androgen deprivation therapy, showed that negative/close margins (P = .03), absence of extracapsular extension (P < .01), and presence of seminal vesicle invasion (P < .01) were independent predictors of PSA relapse afte...
The Influence of Diversity in Clinical Supervision: A Framework for Reflective Conversations and Questioning

This article introduces an approach to supervision that enhances the supervisor’s cultural responsiveness and attention to the influence of diversity. Organized around postmodern and constructivist perspectives, the conceptual intersections of solution-focused and narrative approaches set the stage for a supervisory process characterized by reflective conversations and questions, or RCQ. This orientation highlights the multiplicity, contextuality, and active co-construction of meaning in the supervisory conversation aimed at helping supervisees to become more critical, intentional, reflexive, and socially just in their work. We describe strategies to identify the supervisee’s personal qualities and skills that could be accessed in order to foster competent practice. An actual supervision case is used to illustrate this framework.
Analysing NATO expansion: An institutional bargaining approach

(2000). Analysing NATO expansion: An institutional bargaining approach. Contemporary Security Policy: Vol. 21, Explaining Nato Enlargement, pp. 63-82.
Ozone Exposure Response for U.S. Soybean Cultivars: Linear Reductions in Photosynthetic Potential, Biomass, and Yield

Current background ozone (O3) concentrations over the northern hemisphere’s midlatitudes are high enough to damage crops and are projected to increase. Soybean (Glycine max) is particularly sensitive to O3; therefore, establishing an O3 exposure threshold for damage is critical to understanding the current and future impact of this pollutant. This study aims to determine the exposure response of soybean to elevated tropospheric O3 by measuring the agronomic, biochemical, and physiological responses of seven soybean genotypes to nine O3 concentrations (38–120 nL L−1) within a fully open-air agricultural field location across 2 years. All genotypes responded similarly, with season-long exposure to O3 causing a linear increase in antioxidant capacity while reducing leaf area, light absorption, specific leaf mass, primary metabolites, seed yield, and harvest index. Across two seasons with different temperature and rainfall patterns, there was a robust linear yield decrease of 37 to 39 kg ha−1 per nL L−1 cumulative O3 exposure over 40 nL L−1. The existence of immediate effects of O3 on photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and photosynthetic transcript abundance before and after the initiation and termination of O3 fumigation were concurrently assessed, and there was no evidence to support an instantaneous photosynthetic response. The ability of the soybean canopy to intercept radiation, the efficiency of photosynthesis, and the harvest index were all negatively impacted by O3, suggesting that there are multiple targets for improving soybean responses to this damaging air pollutant.
Is memory for remembering? Recollection as a form of episodic hypothetical thinking

Misremembering is a systematic and ordinary occurrence in our daily lives. Since it is commonly assumed that the function of memory is to remember the past, misremembering is typically thought to happen because our memory system malfunctions. In this paper I argue that not all cases of misremembering are due to failures in our memory system. In particular, I argue that many ordinary cases of misremembering should not be seen as instances of memory’s malfunction, but rather as the normal result of a larger cognitive system that performs a different function, and for which remembering is just one operation. Building upon extant psychological and neuroscientific evidence, I offer a picture of memory as an integral part of a larger system that supports not only thinking of what was the case and what potentially could be the case, but also what could have been the case. More precisely, I claim that remembering is a particular operation of a cognitive system that permits the flexible recombination of different components of encoded traces into representations of possible past events that might or might not have occurred, in the service of constructing mental simulations of possible future events. So that imagination and memory are but one thing, which for diverse considerations hath diverse names. Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan 1.2.
Junction view densities in images

Line sketch images of real objects in a scene may contain junctions that represent corners of objects. The work reported in the paper shows how measures of the angles at a junction provide information concerning the structure of physical corners. The authors concentrate on the corners of a cube and derive the probability view densities of the corner angles under isotropic positioning of the viewpoint. Interpretation of the results shows that non-general viewing positions are quite likely, and that such placements of the viewpoint should not be treated as pathological when interpreting line sketches or analyzing scenes. >
A superfamily of archaeal, bacterial, and eukaryotic proteins homologous to animal transglutaminases

Computer analysis using profiles generated by the PSI-BLAST program identified a superfamily of proteins homologous to eukaryotic transglutaminases. The members of the new protein superfamily are found in all archaea, show a sporadic distribution among bacteria, and were detected also in eukaryotes, such as two yeast species and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Sequence conservation in this superfamily primarily involves three motifs that center around conserved cysteine, histidine, and aspartate residues that form the catalytic triad in the structurally characterized transglutaminase, the human blood clotting factor XIIIa'. On the basis of the experimentally demonstrated activity of the Methanobacterium phage pseudomurein endoisopeptidase, it is proposed that many, if not all, microbial homologs of the transglutaminases are proteases and that the eukaryotic transglutaminases have evolved from an ancestral protease.
CHARM2: towards an industry-standard wafer surface-charge monitor

The rationale and the content of the CHARM2 test chip, and an experimental program using it to develop an industry-standard wafer surface charging monitor, are discussed. The EEPROM-based monitors are based on the observation that most of the charging damage to IC structures associated with ion- and plasma-based processes is due to the transport and trapping of charges in the oxides of IC device structures. Therefore, to effectively monitor a broad spectrum of charge damage effects, it is sufficient to monitor the magnitudes of the driving forces behind the generation and transport of charges through oxides, namely, the potentials developed across oxides and the magnitudes of process UV emissions. >
Changes in lung permeability after chronic pulmonary artery obstruction

We have shown that left pulmonary artery ligation (LPAL) in mice causes a prompt angiogenic response, with new systemic vessels from intercostal arteries penetrating the pleura within 6 days. Becau...
Immunosuppression induced by nitric oxide and its inhibition by interleukin-4.

Mice immunized with attenuated Salmonella typhimurium, strain SL3235, while protected against virulent challenge, are unable to mount in vivo and in vitro antibody responses to non-Salmonella antigens, such as tetanus toxoid and sheep red blood cells, and exhibit profoundly suppressed responses to B and T cell mitogens. Suppression of antibody responses is mediated by macrophage (Mϕ)-released soluble factors, and is completely reversed by treatment with interleukin (IL)-4. The present report identifies the suppressor factor as nitric oxide (NO), and provides evidence for a mechanism by which IL-4 abrogates suppression. Suppressed antibody responses correlated with high levels of NO secretion by splenocytes of SL3235-immunized mice. NO production was observed only in cultures consisting of the adherent cell fraction of immune splenocytes. Further, immunosuppression was reversed by NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (NMLA), a competitive inhibitor of NO synthesis, and was completely blocked by the addition of excess L-arginine. Treatment with IL-4, or anti-interferon (IFN)-γ monoclonal antibody (mAb), also abrogated suppression. Optimal reversal of suppression was observed only when NMLA, IL-4, or anti-IFN-γ mAb, was added at day 0 of the 5-day plaque-forming cell assay. Treatment with either IL-4 or anti-IFN-γ mAb also lead to a sharp inhibition of NO production by immune spleen cells. Moreover, the addition of IL-4 to splenic adherent Mϕ inhibited their ability to generate NO. Our data characterize an immunoregulatory pathway, involving IFN-γ and NO, by which Mϕ mediate immunosuppression and identify IL-4 as a potent inhibitor of this pathway.
A 2.5 V 12 b 5 MSample/s pipelined CMOS ADC

A set of power minimization techniques is proposed for pipelined ADC's. These techniques include commutating feedback-capacitors, sharing of the op-amp between the adjacent stages of the pipeline, reusing the first stage of the op-amp as comparator pre-amp, and exploiting parasitic capacitors for common-mode feedback. This set of low-power design techniques is incorporated in an experimental chip fabricated in a 1.2-/spl mu/m, double-poly, double-metal CMOS process. At 12-b 5-Msample/s, the chip dissipates 33 mW of power from a 2.5-V analog supply while achieving a maximum differential nonlinearity (DNL) of -0.78 and +0.63 least-significant bits (LSB) with a peak signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 67.6 dB.
Parental Beliefs and Their Relation to the Parental Practices of Immigrant Chinese Americans and European Americans

This study examines the different parental beliefs that influence the parental practices of Chinese immigrants and European Americans. The sample comprised 307 Chinese (116 first-generation and 191 second-generation) and 280 European American (primarily third-generation and later) adolescents and their parents (the primary caregiver). Both adolescents and their parents provided reports of parental control and warmth, and parents also provided reports of their parental beliefs. The results indicated that based on both adolescents’ and parents’ reports, Chinese Americans endorsed parental control behaviors and Confucian parental goals more than European Americans. However, in looking at the types of control endorsed most by the Chinese Americans, two components of guan (Contingent Autonomy and Explains Obedience) were endorsed or practiced to a greater extent than behavioral control. In analyses that examined the relations among parenting goals and control practices, parental control was more strongly related to Confucian goals among Chinese American immigrants than European Americans. In some cases, though, both Confucian and child-centered goals influenced the parental control (i.e., Contingent Autonomy) of immigrant Chinese American parents. This study provides an empirical demonstration of cultural processes that influence parental practices through the construct of parental goals (i.e., Confucian and child-centered); little prior research has attempted to directly assess cultural processes. Our findings underscore the importance of cultural “meanings” attributed to parenting practices.
Tubulin Dimer Reversible Dissociation AFFINITY, KINETICS, AND DEMONSTRATION OF A STABLE MONOMER

Tubulins are evolutionarily conserved proteins that reversibly polymerize and direct intracellular traffic. Of the tubulin family only αβ-tubulin forms stable dimers. We investigated the monomer-dimer equilibrium of rat brain αβ-tubulin using analytical ultracentrifugation and fluorescence anisotropy, observing tubulin in virtually fully monomeric and dimeric states. Monomeric tubulin was stable for a few hours and exchanged into preformed dimers, demonstrating reversibility of dimer dissociation. Global analysis combining sedimentation velocity and fluorescence anisotropy yielded Kd = 84 (54-123) nm Dimer dissociation kinetics were measured by analyzing the shape of the sedimentation boundary and by the relaxation of fluorescence anisotropy following rapid dilution of labeled tubulin, yielding koff in the range 10(-3)-10(-2) s(-1) Thus, tubulin dimers reversibly dissociate with moderately fast kinetics. Monomer-monomer association is much less sensitive than dimer-dimer association to solution changes (GTP/GDP, urea, and trimethylamine oxide).
Corrector theory for elliptic equations in random media with singular Green’s function. application to random boundaries

We consider the problem of the random fluctuations in the solutions to elliptic PDEs with highly oscillatory random coefficients. In our setting, as the correlation length of the fluctuations tends to zero, the heterogeneous solution converges to a deterministic solution obtained by averaging. When the Green’s function to the unperturbed operator is sufficiently singular (i.e., not square integrable locally), the leading corrector to the averaged solution may be either deterministic or random, or both in a sense we shall explain. Our main application is the solution of an elliptic problem with random boundary condition that may be used to model diffusion of signaling molecules through a layer of cells into a bulk of extracellular medium. The problem is then described by an elliptic pseudo-differential operator (a Dirichlet-to-Neumann operator) on the boundary of the domain with random potential. In the physical setting of a three dimensional extracellular medium on top of a twodimensional surface of cells forming a layer of epithelium, we show that the approximate corrector to averaging consists of a deterministic correction plus a Gaussian field of amplitude proportional to the correlation length of the random medium. The result is obtained under some assumptions on the four-point correlation function in the medium. We provide examples of such random media based on Gaussian and Poisson statistics.
Sensitivity of Nonuniform Sampling NMR

Many information-rich multidimensional experiments in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy can benefit from a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) enhancement of up to about 2-fold if a decaying signal in an indirect dimension is sampled with nonconsecutive increments, termed nonuniform sampling (NUS). This work provides formal theoretical results and applications to resolve major questions about the scope of the NUS enhancement. First, we introduce the NUS Sensitivity Theorem in which any decreasing sampling density applied to any exponentially decaying signal always results in higher sensitivity (SNR per square root of measurement time) than uniform sampling (US). Several cases will illustrate this theorem and show that even conservative applications of NUS improve sensitivity by useful amounts. Next, we turn to a serious limitation of uniform sampling: the SNR by US decreases for extending evolution times, and thus total experimental times, beyond 1.26T2 (T2 = signal decay constant). Thus, SNR and resolution...
Sensing the ice: field science, models, and expert intimacy with knowledge

This paper analyses relationships that Antarctic glaciologists (including field scientists, modellers, and those working with remote satellite data) have formed with the Antarctic glacial environment. These relationships contribute to understandings about the tactile and experiential nature of scientific expertise, even when the experts claim to know little scientifically. Expert extrapolations about nature in the absence of data hint at the intimacy of field scientists with the environment with which they work, and of modellers with the virtual worlds with which they interact. However, my research on sensory engagement among scientists also makes apparent the ways in which the embodied and sensorial are not primitive, elemental, basic, or instinctual, but bound up in the complexities of nationalism, scientific translations of scale, and boundary skirmishes over what counts as expertise from within scientific disciplines. Expertise is formed in the spaces between intimate encounters in relationship with the weight of cultural learning that teaches experts-in-the-making how to encounter, analyse, compare, and interpret. Sentir la glace : science de terrain, modeles et intimite experte avec le savoir Resume Cet article analyse les relations des glaciologues de l'Antarctique (scientifiques de terrain, modelisateurs et utilisateurs de donnees de telemetrie par satellite) ont nouees avec l'environnement glaciaire. Ces relations contribuent a comprendre la nature tactile et experientielle de l'expertise scientifique, meme lorsque les experts affirment ne pas detenir beaucoup de savoir scientifique. Leurs extrapolations a propos de la nature, en l'absence de donnees, suggerent une intimite de ces scientifiques de terrain avec l'environnement dans lequel ils travaillent et des modelisateurs avec les modeles virtuels futurs avec lesquels ils interagissent. Mes recherches sur l'engagement sensoriel parmi les scientifiques revelent egalement les manieres dont ce qui est incarne et sensoriel n'est pas primitif, elementaire, basique ou instinctif mais integre dans les circonvolutions du nationalisme, des traductions scientifiques de l'echelle et des conflits aux marges de ce que chaque discipline scientifique considere comme son propre domaine d'expertise. L'expertise se cree dans les espaces entre les rencontres intimes, en relation avec le poids de l'apprentissage culturel qui enseigne aux aspirants experts comment rencontrer, analyser, comparer et interpreter.
Characteristics of death caused by cerebrovascular disease sequelae

[Objective] Toanalyze the ages at death,the places of death and concomitant disease resulting from cerebrovascular disease sequelae in Shanghai.[Methods] The causes of deaths were coded according to the international classification of disease version 10(ICD-10)issued by the World Health Organization.And this analysis was performed using the Deathreg software.[Results] Cerebrovascular disease was the leading cause of death among residents in Shanghai,in which the death due to cerebrovascular sequelae contributed 42.68% to all deaths caused by the cerebrvascular disease.And 45.64% of deaths due to cerebrovascular disease sequelae occurred at home.Hypertension,lung infection disease,diabetes,bedsore infection were the main concomitant diseases of the cerebrovascular disease sequelae.[Conclusion] As the major disease with a serious impact on the health of Shanghai residents,cerebrovascular disease sequelae has an important position in the death disease spectrum.
The influence of preoperative radiation therapy on morbidity and mortality for transhiatal esophagectomy.

Abstract To assess the morbidity and mortality of preoperative radiation therapy (RT), the authors reviewed 37 consecutive patients who underwent transhiatal esophagectomy for carcinoma of the esophagus. Twelve patients received no RT, 13 patients received RT only to the neck, and 12 received RT to the chest (three of these received radiation therapy to the chest and neck). Preoperative chest RT did not significantly increase postoperative fistula formation but was associated with significantly higher operative mortality, overall complication rate, and time on ventilators than either the patients receiving neck RT alone or no RT (P less than 0.05). Postoperative hospital stay was longer and intraoperative blood loss greater for the chest RT group compared to those with no RT (P less than 0.05). Neck RT did not result in these complications (P = NS). The authors conclude that preoperative chest RT is associated with significant postoperative morbidity and mortality.
Dietary Risk Factors by Race/Ethnicity, Age-Group, and Gender in a Representative Sample of US Older Adults.

Objective To explore the relationships among ethnicity/race, gender, demographics, age-group and dietary health in a nationally representative sample of older adults.
MOS Controlled Thyristors (MCTs)

Publisher Summary The MOS controlled thyristor (MCT) is a power switch with a MOS gate for turn-on and turn-off. It is derived from a thyristor by adding the features of a MOSFET. It is an improvement over a thyristor with a pair of MOSFETs to turn-on and turn-off current. The MCT overcomes several of the limitations of the existing power devices and promises to be a better switch for the future. When the MCT is in the forward blocking state, it can be turned on by applying a negative pulse to its gate with respect to the anode. An MCT will remain in the “ON” state until the device current is reversed or a turn-off pulse is applied to its gate. Applying a positive pulse to its gate turns off a conducting MCT. An MCT can be compared to a power MOSFET, a power BJT, and an IGBT of similar voltage and current ratings. The operation of the devices is compared under on-state, off-state, and transient conditions.
Universal meshes for smooth surfaces with no boundary in three dimensions

Summary We introduce a method to mesh the boundary Γ of a smooth, open domain in R3 immersed in a mesh of tetrahedra. The mesh follows by mapping a specific collection of triangular faces in the mesh to Γ. Two types of surface meshes follow: (a) a mesh that exactly meshes Γ, and (b) meshes that approximate Γ to any order, by interpolating the map over the selected faces; i.e., an isoparametric approximation to Γ. The map we use to deform the faces is the closest point projection to Γ. We formulate conditions for the closest point projection to define a homeomorphism between each face and its image. These are conditions on some of the tetrahedra intersected by the boundary, and they essentially state that each such tetrahedron should: (a) have a small enough diameter, and (b) have two of its dihedral angles be acute. We provide explicit upper bounds on the mesh size, and these can be computed on the fly. We showcase the quality of the resulting meshes with several numerical examples. More importantly, all surfaces in these examples were meshed with a single background mesh. This is an important feature for problems in which the geometry evolves or changes, since it could be possible for the background mesh to never change as the geometry does. In this case, the background mesh would be a universal mesh (see [1] ) for all these geometries. We expect the method introduced here to be the basis for the construction of universal meshes for domains in three dimensions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
HIF-1 alpha inhibition ameliorates neonatal brain damage after hypoxic-ischemic injury.

Background Hypoxia-inducible-factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) has been considered as a regulator of both prosurvival and prodeath pathways in the nervous system. This study was designed to elucidate the role of HIF-1alpha in neonatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI) brain injury. Methods 2-methoxyestradiol (2ME2), a HIF-1alpha inhibitor, was tested at different dosages (1.5, 15 and 150 mg/kg) and a therapeutic window was tested by administrating 2-methoxyestradiol (15 mg/kg) immediately or 3 hours after the induction of a hypoxic ischemic injury. Infarct size using TTC staining and brain edema were measured at 48 hours post hypoxia-ischemia. Blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability was examined by IgG staining. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and HIF-1alpha expression and distribution were studied by immunohistochemistry and western blotting analysis. Findings 2ME2 exhibited dose-dependent neuroprotection by decreasing infarct volume and attenuating brain edema. 2ME2 also attenuated BBB disruption, and decreased HIF-1alpha and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression. The neuroprotection, however, was lost when 2ME2 was administered 3 hours after neonatal HI. Conclusion The study shows that the acute inhibition of HIF-1alpha is neuroprotective in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic injury by preserving BBB integrity and reducing brain edema.
Wave–Mean-Flow Interactions in Moist Baroclinic Life Cycles

AbstractPrevious studies show that the moist Eliassen–Palm (EP) flux captures a greater eddy momentum exchange through form drag than the dry EP flux in the midlatitude climate. This suggests that the eddy moisture flux acts to decrease the baroclinicity of the zonal jet. This study investigates such a mechanism in moist baroclinic life cycles, which are simulated in an idealized general circulation model with large-scale condensation as the only moist process. The runs are analyzed using a linear diagnostic based on the Kuo–Eliassen equation to decompose the jet change into parts driven by individual forcing terms. It is shown that the wave-induced latent heating drives an indirect Eulerian-mean cell on the equatorward flank of the jet, which acts to reduce the baroclinicity in that region. The eddy sensible heat fluxes act to reduce the baroclinicity near the center of the jet. The moist baroclinic forcing strengthens as the amount of initially available moisture increases.The effect of the eddy moistur...
Estrogen and antiestrogen action: studies in reproductive target tissues and tumors.

Studies are reported using unlabelled and radiolabelled antiestrogens which are aimed at elucidating the nature of interaction of antiestrogens with uterine and mammary tissue. Antiestrogens and long-acting estrogens move estrogen receptor sites to the nucleus and maintain elevated nuclear receptor levels for a prolonged period. The antagonistic action of antiestrogens in the uterus, however, appears to derive from their ability to effect a marked perturbation in the subcellular distribution of receptor whereby very little (ca. 10%) is cytoplasmic and further estrogen receptor accumulation is blocked. In DMBA-induced rat mammary tumors, the nonphototoxic antiestrogen, U-23,469, effectively antagonizes the development and growth of tumors and elicits regression of 90% of established tumors with a time course similar to that seen after ovariectomy. Again, during antiestrogen treatment, the levels of cytoplasmic estrogen receptor are depressed with over 90% of total receptor being found in the nucleus.
Using SMS as an interface for a virtual mentoring system

Previous research has been done that has explored the use of embodied conversational agents as mentors in faculty-student relationships. This previous system requires users to go to a unique website to interact with the conversational agent. This paper presents the design and development of a conversational agent mentor that uses a more pervasive application for dialogue, short message service (SMS). The SMS conversational agent is constructed to be used as a virtual mentor, to mentor undergraduate computer science majors at a Historically Black College (HBCU) who are considering pursuing a graduate degree in computing. A study has been designed to compare the effectiveness of the SMS conversational agent to the original conversational agent, an embodied conversational agent (ECA).
Further elaboration of the Learning Through Activity research program

Abstract This article was prompted by the thoughtful commentaries of Norton, Tzur, and Dreyfus. Their commentaries pointed out important ideas that were left implicit or only partially explained. The clarifications made here include how the Learning Through Activity (LTA) research program differs from related research programs, the relation of the LTA theoretical framework to scheme theory, our choice to not employ the construct of perturbation in explaining learning, and the structure of hypothetical learning trajectories. In addition, I discuss a type of mathematical concept that we have not discussed previously.
Role of Glycoproteins during Early Mammalian Embryogenesis

The focus of this chapter is to identify the cellular interactions that occur during early mammalian embryogenesis and to summarize the current understanding of the molecular events at the cell surface that are involved in regulating these interactions. This description is restricted to shortrange cellular interactions, for example, between neighboring cells, and between cells and their local environment, such as the early basement membranes, and does not address longer-range interactions such as the role of growth factors during early development.
The transcendental argument in Kant's

From this summary account of the deduction we can draw a number of conclusions: In the first place, the guiding thesis used to make sense of the argument was that the argument needed to ground not just the moral law but a cognitive framework within which the moral law is the highest law. This distinction is important since it allows us to distinguish in the practical philosophy (as in the theoretical) a level of transcendental argumentation from a level of metaphysical argumentation: The concern of transcendental philosophy would be to establish the conditions of the possibility of a cognitive framework, whereas the concern of metaphysics (in Kant's sense) is to develop the principles of a given cognitive framework and to derive from them knowledge of objects (see KU, Introduction, Section V). (This distinction turns out to be invaluable in dealing with the problem of the “application” of the moral law.)