cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rabbit Antibodies to Histone Fractions As Specific Reagents for Preparative and Comparative Studies

Abstract Antibodies specific for each of the F1, F2a1, F2a2, and F2b calf thymus histone fractions were induced by immunization of rabbits with varying histone-nucleic acid complexes. At appropriate dilution, each serum reacted in quantitative complement fixation with only one homologous fraction. With very much higher serum concentrations, cross-reactions with other fractions occurred and were estimated to be approximately 5% in all but one case, in which 20% cross-reactivity was observed. Antibodies induced by F3 histone-RNA complexes were less specific than the other four types of sera. The more specific sera were effective as reagents for the identification of individual histone fractions obtained by preparative electrophoresis, column chromatography, and dissociation of histones from nucleoprotein by increasing salt concentrations. With each of the anti-F2a1, anti-F2a2, and anti-F2b sera, comparisons were made of the corresponding fractions from human, calf, chicken, frog, and lobster tissues. With any one fraction and the corresponding antiserum, little or no difference was seen in the reactivity of the protein isolated from any of these species.
Patterns of symptoms and functional impairments in children with cancer.

Background Children with cancer experience multiple symptoms due to their disease and as a result of treatment. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility and potential utility of using latent profile analysis (LPA), a type of cluster analysis, in children with cancer to identify groups of patients who experience similar levels of symptom severity and impairment of physical function. Procedure We analyzed patient-reported symptom and functional data previously collected using the Pediatric Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). LPA was used to identify and characterize groups of patients who reported similar levels of symptom severity and functional impairment. We then used the multinomial logit model to examine demographic and disease characteristics associated with symptom/function profile membership. Results The analysis included 200 patients in treatment or in survivorship. We identified four symptom/function profiles; children currently receiving cancer treatment and those with at least one other medical problem were more likely to be members of the profile with the highest levels of symptom severity and functional impairment. Gender, age, race/ethnicity, and tumor type were not associated with profile membership. Conclusions LPA is a cluster research methodology that provides clinically useful results in pediatric oncology patients. Future studies of children with cancer using LPA could potentially lead to development of clinical scoring systems that predict patients' risk of developing more severe symptoms and functional impairments, allowing clinicians, patients, and parents to better anticipate and prevent the multiple symptoms that occur during and after treatment for childhood cancer. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2014;61:1282–1288. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Intelligent Mobile Application for Traffic Monitoring

The usage of mobile devices has increased dramatically in recent years. These devices serve us in many practical ways and provide us with many services -- many of them in real-time. The delivery of streaming audio, streaming video and internet content to these devices has become common place. One emerging application in recent years is the use of mobile devices for tracking local traffic incidents and there are several such providers of this content on the Internet as Google Maps, here.com, Twitter, various Department of Transportation's web sites, various radio stations websites, and many others. Some sites as Twitter only provide text information but are updated often with recent data. Map enhanced websites provide visual information but are often not updated as often. The goal of this project is to integrate all the sources of traffic information together in one place and filter intelligently all the recent incident data so the results are as accurate and up to date as possible thus minimizing the number of false reports and incidents. This process, implemented for iOS 7 using XCode and Objective-C, allows the user to view traffic reports for 15 large US cities with the capabilities for the addition of many more locations. Results for the app are compared with the major individual sources and the percentage of additional incidents detected and false incidents incorrectly identified for several large cities are provided.
Laparoscopic Simple Nephrectomy

Clayman and associates performed the initial laparoscopic nephrectomy in 1990 (1). Since then, the laparoscopic approach has proven to be an effective alternative to traditional open nephrectomy, while providing significant advantages such as decreased analgesia requirements, reduced hospital stay, and an abbreviated convalescence period for the patient (2,3). Refinements such as entrapment bags and tissue morcellators have improved both the efficiency of specimen removal and the minimally invasive nature of the procedure.
Isolation and characterization of human bone marrow microvascular endothelial cells: hematopoietic progenitor cell adhesion

To examine potential mechanisms by which hematopoiesis may be regulated by endothelial cells within the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment, we have devised a technique for the in vitro study of the interaction of human BM microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC) with hematopoietic cells. Microvessels isolated by collagenase digestion of spicules obtained from filtered BM aspirate were plated on gelatin-coated plastic dishes, and colonies of endothelial cells grown from microvessel explants were further purified by Ulex europaeus lectin affinity separation. BMEC monolayers isolated by this technique grew in typical cobblestone fashion, stained positively with antibody to factor VIII/von Willebrand factor, and incorporated acetylated LDL. Immunohistochemical studies showed that BM microvessels and BMEC monolayers express CD34, PECAM, and thrombospondin. Incubation of resting BMEC with BM mononuclear hematopoietic cells resulted in the selective adhesion of relatively large numbers of CD34+ progenitor cells and megakaryocytes. The binding of purified BM-derived CD34+ progenitor cells to BMEC was dependent on divalent cations and was partially blocked by antibodies to CD34. IL-1 beta treatment of BMEC monolayers resulted in an increase of CD34+ progenitor cell adhesion by mechanisms independent of CD34 or divalent cations. BMEC exhibit specific affinity for CD34+ progenitor cells and megakaryocytes, suggesting that the BM microvasculature may play a role in regulating the trafficking, proliferation, and differentiation of lineage specific hematopoietic elements, and possibly of pluripotent stem cells within the CD34+ population.
An educational program for engineering careers in analog and mixed-signal electronic design

The analog and mixed-signal (AMX) BS/MS dual degree program in electrical engineering at RIT introduces the student to a broad range of subject material considered essential for a career in analog circuit design. It emphasizes the actual design and fabrication of complex analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits. Digital and analog signal processing principles are presented in a coordinated design environment. This paper outlines logical objectives of an educational program for analog and mixed-signal engineering, describes the AMX program that was launched in the Fall 2004, and discusses planned improvements.
LOST AND FOUND: NAGPRA, Scattered Relics, and Restorative Methodologies

This research examines the disarticulation of Native American funerary assemblages in museum collections and highlights the challenges of identifying them for inventories mandated by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) of 1990. Indigenous objects and human remains from burial sites were routinely subjected to collecting and sorting procedures that stripped them of meaning and context. NAGPRA does not, however, require museums to reassemble sites or locate related materials housed in other institutions. As a result, associated funerary objects and human remains can easily be ‘‘lost’’ in collections and tribal representatives may be unable to find them. This paper samples the evidence from the Middle Connecticut River Valley to illustrate how items were routinely excavated and categorized and proposes a few restorative methodologies for their recovery. [Keywords: NAGPRA, Native American, funerary objects, museum collections, human remains]
Creative Strategies in Social Media Marketing: An Exploratory Study of Branded Social Content and Consumer Engagement

This study employed a content analysis of the creative strategies present in the social media content shared by a sample of top brands. The results reveal which social media channels are being used, which creative strategies/appeals are being used, and how these channels and strategies relate to consumer engagement in branded social media. Past research has suggested that brands should focus on maintaining a social presence across social channels with content that is fresh and frequent and includes incentives for consumer participation (Ling et al., 2004). This study confirmed the importance of frequent updates and incentives for participation. In addition, several creative strategies were associated with customer engagement, specifically experiential, image, and exclusivity messages. Despite the value of these creative approaches, most branded social content can be categorized as functional.
Investor Protection Laws, Accounting and Auditing Around the World

Recent research documents that common law countries have stronger investor protection laws and more developed financial markets than civil law countries (La Porta et al., 1997, 1998). This line of inquiry is extended in our study to examine if variations in legal systems also affect accounting and auditing. For a sample of 31 countries, we document that national accounting standards are more timely (accrual-based) and transparent in common law countries, which is consistent with a greater role played by the public disclosure of accrual-based accounting information in corporate governance in these countries. There is also greater demand for auditing as an enforcement mechanism when accounting is more timely and transparent. We also examine if causality could run from high-quality accounting and auditing to the development of financial markets. La Porta et al. (1998) conjecture that high-quality accounting could mitigate the negative effect of weak investor protection on the development of financial markets. Specifically, we examine if those civil law countries that have more timely and transparent accounting, and more auditing, also have more developed financial markets relative to other civil law countries. We find little support that this is case, which raises questions about the rationale for the international harmonization of accounting and the work of the International Accounting Standards Committee, absent fundamental changes in investor protection laws of civil law countries.
Ovalbumin sensitization and challenge increases the number of lung cells possessing a mesenchymal stromal cell phenotype

Recent studies have indicated the presence of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in human lung diseases. Excess airway smooth muscle, myofibroblasts and activated fibroblasts have each been noted in asthma, suggesting that mesenchymal progenitor cells play a role in asthma pathogenesis. We therefore sought to determine whether MSCs are present in the lungs of ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized and challenged mice, a model of allergic airways disease. Balb/c mice were sensitized and challenged with PBS or OVA over a 25 day period. Flow cytometry as well as colony forming and differentiation potential were used to analyze the emergence of MSCs along with gene expression studies using immunochemical analyses, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and gene expression beadchips. A CD45-negative subset of cells expressed Stro-1, Sca-1, CD73 and CD105. Selection for these markers and negative selection against CD45 yielded a population of cells capable of adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation. Lungs from OVA-treated mice demonstrated a greater average colony forming unit-fibroblast (CFU-F) than control mice. Sorted cells differed from unsorted lung adherent cells, exhibiting a pattern of gene expression nearly identical to bone marrow-derived sorted cells. Finally, cells isolated from the bronchoalveolar lavage of a human asthma patient showed identical patterns of cell surface markers and differentiation potential. In summary, allergen sensitization and challenge is accompanied by an increase of MSCs resident in the lungs that may regulate inflammatory and fibrotic responses.
Locus of Short-Term Visual Storage

A rod monochromat can preserve visual information in iconic memory even when the initial stimulus is invisible to the subject. Since the initial invisibility is due to rod saturation, it can be shown that all the information must have been stored inside the photoreceptors. Because the spectral sensitivity for producing icons in normal subjects is that of the rods, the conclusion is that in normal subjects, under ordinary viewing conditions, the photoreceptors are the primary store for iconic memory.
Cardiac Couples at Hospitalization and 3 Months Later

Based on family systems theory, this study examined perceptions of familyfunction and affect of myocardial infarction (MI) patients and their spouses at the time of hospitalization and 3 months lat...
Optimization of PEM Fuel Cell Flow Channels: Modeling Analysis and Experimental Tests

The dimensions of gas flow channels and walls/ribs of PEM fuel cells are optimized using a convenient mathematical model. Experimental work for several PEM fuel cells with modeling-optimized gas flow channels was conducted, and the tested results validate the modeling work and the optimization.The model considered average mass transfer and species’ concentrations in flow channels, which allows the determination of an average concentration polarization, the humidity in anode and cathode gas channels, and thus the proton conductivity of membranes, as well as the activation polarization. An electrical circuit for the current and ion conduction is applied to analyze the ohmic losses from anode current collector to cathode current collector. The modeling computation required relatively less computational time and thus can be applied to compute a large number of cases with various flow channel designs and operating parameters for optimization analysis. Optimum ratio of the width of flow channels against the walls/ribs was found from the modeling analysis.In the experimental work, PEM fuel cells were fabricated based on the flow channel dimensions optimized from the modeling analysis. Experimental results agreed with the modeling analysis satisfactorily in respect to the comparison of V-I performance between fuel cells with several optimized designs. The model is recommended as a tool for optimization design of gas flow channels for PEM fuel cells. The optimization results are of significance to the improvement of PEM fuel cell designs and performance.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Functional MRI evidence for fine motor praxis dysfunction in children with persistent speech disorders.

Abstract Children with persistent speech disorders (PSD) often present with overt or subtle motor deficits; the possibility that speech disorders and motor deficits could arise from a shared neurological base is currently unknown. Functional MRI (fMRI) was used to examine the brain networks supporting fine motor praxis in children with PSD and without clinically identified fine motor deficits. Methods This case-control study included 12 children with PSD (mean age 7.42 years, four female) and 12 controls (mean age 7.44 years, four female). Children completed behavioral evaluations using standardized motor assessments and parent reported functional measures. During fMRI scanning, participants completed a cued finger tapping task contrasted passive listening. A general linear model approach identified brain regions associated with finger tapping in each group and regions that differed between groups. The relationship between regional fMRI activation and fine motor skill was assessed using a regression analysis. Results Children with PSD had significantly poorer results for rapid speech production and fine motor praxis skills, but did not differ on classroom functional skills. Functional MRI results showed that children with PSD had significantly more activation in the cerebellum during finger tapping. Positive correlations between performance on a fine motor praxis test and activation multiple cortical regions were noted for children with PSD but not for controls. Conclusions Over-activation in the cerebellum during a motor task may reflect a subtle abnormality in the non-speech motor neural circuitry in children with PSD.
The relative contribution of adsorption to the overall sorption and transport of small molecules in amber

Abstract In 1987, Berner and Landis reported that upon vacuum grinding of 80 million year old amber, a gas mixture was released which suggested an oxygen-rich prehistoric environment. Fundamental to their argument was the assumption that amber, an organic glass formed during the fossilization of tree sap, is a perfect sealant. Their assumption was challenged by three technical comments which collectively concluded that gases diffuse readily through amber. In order to defend their key assumption that gases are perfectly trapped in amber, Berner and Landis dismissed the data obtained through gravimetric sorption experiments as only a measure of surface adsorption rather than bulk absorption in and concomitant diffusion through the amber matrix. The validity of interpreting these gravimetric experiments as a measure of bulk diffusion is demonstrated by exploring the physical basis for interpreting gravimetric sorption data. Most importantly, new experimental gravimetric sorption data are presented which demonstrate an explicit separation of adsorption from diffusion-controlled absorption and also reveal that adsorption accounts for a very small fraction of the total sorption in amber.
Analysis of two measures of paw preference in a large population of inbred mice.

Abstract Two measures of lateralized forelimb usage, the Collins paw preference test and the Lateral Paw Preference test (LPP), were tested in 693 mice of 29 inbred strains and F 1 crosses, and 2 embryo transfer groups. These strains included NZB, SM, and the NXSM recombinant inbred (RI) strains; RF and the NXRF RI strains; BXSB and the Y-consomic BXSB-Yaa+; DBA/2 and F 1 s of DBA/2 and BXSB and BXSB-Yaa; and NZB × NZW F 1 s. The findings indicated that (1) the Collins and LPP tests were independent in terms of direction of lateralization, (2) there were significant population biases of 60.96% rightward on the LPP test, and 54.39% leftward on the Collins test, (3) there were significant strain differences on measures of absolute asymmetry on both tests, (4) there were strain differences for direction of asymmetry on the Collins test, but not on LPP, (5) on the basis of the NXSM RI strains, 3 genetic loci contribute to strength of laterality on the LPP test, and (6) there was a strong correlation among strain means for strength of lateralization on the two tests. These results extend previous findings on the strength and direction of laterality, showing that two independent systems for direction of laterality may depend on the same mechanism for magnitude, and establish that multiple factors of handedness, previously identified in humans and other primates, also exist in mice.
Essential Roles for Early Growth Response Transcription Factor Egr-1 in Tissue Fibrosis and Wound Healing

The early growth response gene (Egr-1) codes for a zinc finger transcription factor that has important roles in the regulation of cell growth, differentiation, and survival. Aberrant Egr-1 expression is implicated in carcinogenesis, inflammation, atherosclerosis, and ischemic injury. We reported previously that normal fibroblasts stimulated by transforming growth factor-s showed rapid and transient induction of Egr-1. Moreover, we observed that tissue expression of Egr-1 was elevated in patients with scleroderma, which suggests that Egr-1 may be involved in tissue repair and fibrosis. Here, we investigated matrix remodeling and wound healing in mice harboring gain of function or loss of function mutations of Egr-1. Using the model of bleomycin-induced scleroderma, we found that the early influx of inflammatory cells into the skin and lungs, and the subsequent development of fibrosis in these organs, were markedly attenuated in Egr-1 null mice. Furthermore, full-thickness incisional skin wound healing was impaired, and skin fibroblasts lacking Egr-1 showed reduced migration and myofibroblast transdifferentiation in vitro. In contrast, transgenic mice with fibroblast-specific Egr-1 overexpression showed exuberant tissue repair, with enhanced collagen accumulation and increased tensile strength of incisional wounds. Together, these results point to the fundamental role that Egr-1 plays in the regulation of transforming growth factor-s-dependent physiological and pathological matrix remodeling.
Calculation of nonlocal baseline resistance in a quasi-one-dimensional wire

Recent spin transport measurements on quasi-one-dimensional wire samples employ a nonlocal geometry. When current is injected at the center of a wire which is grounded at the left end, the portion of the wire to the right of the injector is approximated as having a uniform potential. A voltage measurement between two points on this portion gives a null result. This geometry is useful for studies of spin injection because a spin-sensitive electrode can detect a spin dependent electrochemical potential variation associated with nonequilibrium spin accumulation while contribution from any Ohmic resistance is eliminated. In any real experiment, however, the sample may deviate from the ideal geometry and a small baseline resistance may result. Accurate knowledge of the true baseline is important for the correct interpretation of spin transport experiments. An analytic solution for this nonlocal baseline resistance is found for nonideal injection or detection. The general solution is reduced to a specific case of interest, point injection and detection at the edges of the wire, a result which is compared with experiment.
The future of acute stroke treatment. Lessons we have learned from laboratory and clinical research.

A VARIETY of treatments have been tested in human trials for acute stroke. 1,2 Many others have been studied in the laboratory. 3 Although this work has yet to produce a proven effective treatment for acute stroke, it has generated important lessons that have brought us closer to solutions that may predict the future. The most important lesson from the study of acute stroke treatment is that "time is brain." 4,5 Treatments that have been effective in laboratory studies have often failed in human trials because the time to treatment was too great. 6-13 Recognition of the "time limits for reversibility of brain ischemia" 14,15 has led to human trials that now require treatment within 6 hours of symptom onset. 16 The logical consequences of this should be more valid assessment of treatment efficacy and increased likelihood of success. The tissue plasminogen activator, streptokinase, heparinoid, N -methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, free radical scavenger,
Patient self-reports three months after sustaining a major burn

As survival rates of patients with major burns increase, it is becoming more important to study the course and quality of their recovery. Few studies of the recovery of these patients exist that use a prospective design and standardized measures. This paper describes a preliminary study of the self-reported health of patients three months after sustaining a major burn. An initial analysis was conducted on selected data gathered from 29 patients as part of a more comprehensive, prospective study of burn rehabilitation outcome. Measurements analyzed included the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), the Health-Specific Locus of Control Scale (HLC), and the total body surface area burned (TBSA). Findings showed that TBSA was related to the degree to which patients perceived they had control over their health, but few correlations were found between TBSA, and HLC scale, and the SIP scale. On the SIP, most patients reported few or no problems, but a significant minority reported major problems in one or more areas of their lives. The problems that were reported tended to cluster in the areas of vocation and emotional adjustment. These results suggest that patients with major burns should not be considered a homogeneous group with respect to rehabilitation outcome.
Inhibition of methane adsorption on PdO(101) by water and molecular oxygen

Abstract We used temperature programmed desorption (TPD) to investigate the influence of molecular O 2 and H 2 O on the adsorption of CH 4 on the PdO(101) surface. We find that a strongly-bound state of molecularly adsorbed O 2 suppresses methane adsorption on PdO(101), whereas methane readily displaces a more weakly-bound form of molecular O 2 during adsorption on PdO(101). Pre-adsorbing O 2 in the strongly-bound state limits the subsequent adsorption of methane to only 10% of the saturation coverage in a pure CH 4 layer on PdO(101) obtained at 85 K. In contrast, adsorbing O 2 onto a CH 4 -saturated layer lowers the methane coverage to 49% of its saturation value, demonstrating that oxygen-induced displacement of methane from PdO(101) is only moderately effective at 85 K. Water adsorbed on the coordinatively unsaturated (cus) Pd sites is more effective than O 2 at both hindering methane adsorption and displacing adsorbed methane from PdO(101). We find that chemisorbed water limits the adsorption of methane on PdO(101) to a coverage as low as ~ 3% of the saturation coverage of a pure CH 4 layer on the PdO(101) surface. We also show that pre-adsorbed water on the cus-Pd sites completely suppresses the formation and dissociation of n-butane σ-complexes on PdO(101). These results demonstrate that methane preferentially binds on the cus-Pd sites of PdO(101) at 85 K, and suggest that occupation of the cus-Pd sites by H 2 O or O 2 is likely to inhibit methane activation on PdO(101) under conditions relevant to commercial applications of Pd-catalyzed combustion of natural gas.
Epitaxial Growth of Diamond and Diamond Devices

For the practical application of diamond semiconductor devices, the manufacture of planar-type devices is important. Homo-epitaxial growth of diamonds would be a useful technique for making semiconducting diamond films. Homo-epitaxial growth of diamonds is achieved by microwave plasma CVD. The properties of epitaxial diamond films depend on the deposition condition and the substrate orientation. Boron doping was easily carried out by this method and boron doped films were determined to be p-type semiconductors. Properties of boron doped epitaxial films were found to be similar to those of natural IIb diamond. The Schottky junction on boron doped epitaxial films was obtained by the deposition of tungsten and aluminum. The Schottky properties of this combination were affected by the surface roughness of the epitaxial films. A field effect transistor and a light emitting device were successfully fabricated using boron doped epitaxial films and Schottky junctions.
Diagnostic and predictive value of horizontal sections of scalp biopsy specimens in male pattern androgenetic alopecia

Background: Vertical sections of small scalp biopsy specimens are often inadequate for the diagnosis of male pattern androgenetic alopecia (MPAA). Quantitative analysis of follicular structures in horizontal sections can provide more information. Objectives: Our purpose was to establish better diagnostic criteria by comparing horizontal and vertical sections of scalp biopsy specimens from MPAA and normal control subjects and to determine the predictive value of horizontal sections, by relating counts of follicular structures in MPAA to subsequent hair regrowth from topical minoxidil therapy. Methods: Paired 4 mm punch biopsy specimens were taken from 22 normal control subjects and 106 patients with MPAA, for horizontal and vertical sectioning. In horizontal sections, hair bulbs, terminal anagen, catagen and telogen hairs, telogen germinal units, and vellus hairs were counted, as were follicular units and stelae. Results: The diagnosis of MPAA was confirmed by finding decreased terminal hairs and increased stelae and vellus hairs. The average horizontal section contained 22 terminal and 13 vellus hairs, a 1.7:1 ratio. Changes compatible with MPAA were found in most vertical and horizontal sections, but horizontal sections were required for follicular counts and showed terminahvellus hair ratios diagnostic of MPAA in 67% of cases. Of 44 patients treated with topical minoxidil, five with less than 2 follicular structures/mm2 showed no hair regrowth, 32 with 2 to 4 follicular structures/mm2 showed regrowth in 72%, and seven with more than 4 follicular structures/mm2 showed regrowth in 86% of cases. In MPAA with no significant inflammation, regrowth occurred in 77% of cases, versus 55% in cases with significant inflammation. Conclusion: Horizontal sections of scalp biopsy specimens in MPAA provide more diagnostic information than vertical sections and appear to have a predictive value for hair regrowth.
Nodal Surfaces in Molecular Wave Functions

One electron molecular orbitals for mobile electrons, subject to the potential energy of a molecular skeleton, are considered. If the atoms are far apart, the orbitals can be built up exactly from $2p$ atomic wave functions. The molecule in natural size is formed by adiabatic approach. It is shown that all the nodal surfaces reach into infinity, if the atoms are all alike, but that closed nodal surfaces may exist, if they are not. It is proved that the number of electrons inclosed in nodal surfaces is invariant against adiabatic change. Nodal surfaces for antisymmetrized molecular orbitals are then discussed.
Structural precursor to the metal-insulator transition in V2O3

The temperature dependence of the local structure of ${\mathrm{V}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ in the vicinity of the metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) has been investigated using hard x-ray absorption spectroscopy. It is shown that the vanadium pair distance along the hexagonal $c$ axis changes abruptly at the MIT as expected. However, a continuous increase of the tilt of these pairs sets in already at higher temperatures and reaches its maximum value at the onset of the electronic and magnetic transition. These findings confirm recent theoretical results which claim that electron-lattice coupling is important for the MIT in ${\mathrm{V}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$. Our results suggest that the distortion of the symmetry of the basal plane plays a decisive role for the MIT and orbital degrees of freedom drive the MIT via changes in hybridization.
Characterization of mosquitocidal activity of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. fukuokaensis crystal proteins.

The mosquitocidal crystals of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. fukuokaensis were isolated and bioassayed against fourth-instar larvae of two mosquito species. The 50% lethal concentration values of the crystals to Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus were 4.1 and 2.9 micrograms/ml, respectively. In addition, the solubilized crystals had hemolytic activity; 50 micrograms/ml was the lowest detectable level. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis revealed that the crystals consisted of polypeptides of 90, 86, 82, 72, 50, 48, 37, and 27 kDa. When the solubilized inclusion was treated with C. quinquefasciatus midgut brush border membrane vesicles or Manduca sexta gut juice, only one major protein was detected. This protein retained mosquitocidal activity but had no detectable hemolytic activity. Immunological analysis of this subspecies and the subspecies israelensis, kyushuensis and darmstadiensis by using polyclonal antisera raised against the whole-crystal protein of B. thuringiensis subsp. fukuokaensis revealed that the proteins in subsp. fukuokaensis are distinct from proteins in the other subspecies because little cross-reaction was observed. Analysis of the plasmid pattern showed that the crystal protein genes are located on a plasmid of 130 MDa. Analysis of plasmid and chromosomal DNA from subsp. fukuokaensis showed little homology to the 72-kDa toxin gene (PG-14) of B. thuringiensis subsp. morrisoni. However, some of the proteins of B. thuringiensis subsp. fukuokaensis are homologous to other B. thuringiensis toxins because N-terminal amino acid analysis revealed that the 90-kDa protein is encoded by a cryIV gene type. Images
Suppression of exogenous alanine uptake in isolated zooxanthellae by cnidarian host homogenate fractions: species and symbiosis specificity

Abstract Low molecular weight fractions (2–10 kDa) from symbiotic cnidarian host homogenates markedly suppressed the uptake of exogenous L-(U- 14 C) alanine by their isolated zooxanthellae. Inhibitory fractions (IF) from symbiotic Cassiopea xamachana (Bigelow), Aiptasia pallida (Verrill), and Condylactis gigantea (Weinland) demonstrated no statistical interspecies difference in the degree of suppression when tested with zooxanthellae from these species and thus did not exhibit species specificity. IF preparations from aposymbiotic Aiptasia failed to significantly suppress alanine uptake by zooxanthellae from this species and therefore the effectiveness of symbiotic Aiptasia IF is apparently symbiosis specific. Alanine uptake by Cassiopea zooxanthellae, on the other hand, was suppressed by aposymbiotic Aiptasia IF. These findings appear to be related, in part, to physiological and species differences in the algae isolated.
Chemically defined projections linking the mediobasal hypothalamus and the lateral hypothalamic area

Recent studies have identified several neuropeptide systems in the hypothalamus that are critical in the regulation of body weight. The lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) has long been considered essential in regulating food intake and body weight. Two neuropeptides, melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) and the orexins (ORX), are localized in the LHA and provide diffuse innervation of the neuraxis, including monosynaptic projections to the cerebral cortex and autonomic preganglionic neurons. Therefore, MCH and ORX neurons may regulate both cognitive and autonomic aspects of food intake and body weight regulation. The arcuate nucleus also is critical in the regulation of body weight, because it contains neurons that express leptin receptors, neuropeptide Y (NPY), alpha-melanin-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), and agouti-related peptide (AgRP). In this study, we examined the relationships of these peptidergic systems by using dual-label immunohistochemistry or in situ hybridization in rat, mouse, and human brains. In the normal rat, mouse, and human brain, ORX and MCH neurons make up segregated populations. In addition, we found that AgRP- and NPY-immunoreactive neurons are present in the medial division of the human arcuate nucleus, whereas alpha-MSH-immunoreactive neurons are found in the lateral arcuate nucleus. In humans, AgRP projections were widespread in the hypothalamus, but they were especially dense in the paraventricular nucleus and the perifornical area. Moreover, in both rat and human, MCH and ORX neurons receive innervation from NPY-, AgRP-, and alpha-MSH-immunoreactive fibers. Projections from populations of leptin-responsive neurons in the mediobasal hypothalamus to MCH and ORX cells in the LHA may link peripheral metabolic cues with the cortical mantle and may play a critical role in the regulation of feeding behavior and body weight.
Sequential adaptation of retrieval systems based on user inputs

Abstract A general model for utilizing user-generated feedback in the modification of a retrieval system is developed. The process is depicted as a sequential decision process and an adaptive estimation scheme for minimizing expected cost is obtained by means of dynamic programming, with the user responses treated as random variables. The paper assumes no knowledge of probability distributions and achieves a significant reduction in the dimension of the problem. Some tactics for the further reduction of computational effort are mentioned.
Solid state micro-detectors for high energy experiments

Abstract A new integrated circuit type solid state micro-detector is proposed. Its use in high energy experiments is discussed.
Cell sorting enriches Escherichia coli mutants that rely on peptidoglycan endopeptidases to suppress highly aberrant morphologies.

ABSTRACT Bacterial morphology imparts physiological advantages to cells in different environments and, judging by the fidelity with which shape is passed to daughter cells, is a tightly regulated characteristic. Surprisingly, only in the past 10 to 15 years has significant headway been made in identifying the mechanisms by which cells create and maintain particular shapes. One reason for this is that the relevant discoveries have relied heavily on the arduous, somewhat subjective process of manual microscopy. Here, we show that flow cytometry, coupled with the sorting capability of fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), can detect, quantify, and enrich bacteria with morphological alterations. The light scattering properties of several highly aberrant morphological mutants of Escherichia coli were characterized by flow cytometry. Cells from a region that overlapped the distribution of normal rod-shaped cells were collected by FACS and reincubated. After 4 to 15 iterations of this enrichment process, suppressor mutants were isolated that returned almost all the population to a near-normal shape. Suppressors were successfully isolated from strains lacking three or four penicillin binding proteins (PBPs) but not from a mutant lacking a total of seven PBPs. The peptidoglycan endopeptidase, AmpH, was identified as being important for the suppression process, as was a related endopeptidase, MepA. The results validate the use of cell sorting as a means for studying bacterial morphology and identify at least one new class of enzymes required for the suppression of cell shape defects.
Doping single-walled carbon nanotubes with surfactant peptides containing electron-donor substituents and nitrogen heterocycles

Abstract We examined the potential of a series of aromatic moieties with different electron-donating ability to alter SWCNT electronic properties. The selected aromatic moieties included p-amino-phenylalanine, 3-[4-(dimethylamino)phenyl]propanoic acid, tyrosine, tryptophan, and 4-pyridylalanine. These moieties contained exocyclic electron-donor substituents, such as amine, dimethylamine, and hydroxyl groups, as well as nitrogen-containing heterocycles, including indole and pyridine. We attached these aromatic molecules to the N-terminus of an amphiphilic surfactant peptide and obtained stable aqueous peptide/SWCNT dispersions. Atomic force microscopy images and ultraviolet–visible–near-infrared spectra revealed that, under the conditions used, all peptides, except for the one with 4-pyridylalanine, disperse SWCNTs well in solution. The local electron density of states of the peptide-coated SWCNTs was examined using scanning tunneling spectroscopy dI/dV plots. All spectra showed an additional peak in the conduction band side very close to the Fermi level, indicating n-type doping of the SWCNTs. The doping behavior was further verified by Raman spectroscopy G-band peak downshifts. Additionally, we found that the location of the heteroatom contributes significantly to the interaction between the aromatic moieties and the SWCNTs.
Interactions between stimuli with different taste qualities.

Abstract Adaptation effects were examined between all possible pairs of the following substances: water, NaCl, urea, citric acid, caffeine, and sucrose. Each substance was used both as an adapting solution and as a test stimulus. Adaptation to a stimulus of one quality affects the taste of other stimuli through the addition of a water taste to the usual taste of the second stimulus, rather than by enhancement of the response to the second stimulus, per se, as had previously been thought. That is, water becomes a taste stimulus when it is presented following various adaptation conditions. The taste of the water solvent in the second stimulus adds to the normal taste of the solute in that stimulus. No evidence was found for true interactions among different taste qualities.
The electron-electron interaction in doubly-excited states of atoms

Doubly-excited states of the isoelectronic sequence of H−, in which both electrons are in high principal quantum numbers, are examined on the basis of alternative pictures of the correlations between the two electrons. Restricting ourselves to the lowest1 S states with both electrons in principal quantum numbern, we parametrise the electron-electron interaction on the basis of these pictures and compare the resulting simple expressions with more elaborate numerical calculations. This provides further understanding of the nature of correlations in such states.
Cancer mortality in poultry slaughtering/processing plant workers belonging to a union pension fund

Abstract Background The role of zoonotic biological agents in human cancer occurrence has been little studied. Humans are commonly exposed to viruses that naturally infect and cause cancer in food animals such as poultry that constitute part of the biological environment. It is not known if these viruses cause cancer in humans. Objective To study cancer mortality in the largest cohort to date, of 20,132 workers in poultry slaughtering and processing plants, a group with the highest human exposures to these viruses. Methods Mortality in poultry workers was compared with that in the US general population through the estimation of standardized mortality ratios. Results Significantly increased risks were observed in the cohort as a whole or in subgroups, for several cancer sites, viz: cancers of the buccal cavity and pharynx; pancreas; trachea/bronchus/lung; brain; cervix; lymphoid leukemia; monocytic leukemia; and tumors of the hemopoietic and lymphatic systems. Elevated SMRs that were not statistically significant were observed for cancers of the liver, nasopharynx, myelofibrosis, and myeloma. New sites observed to be significantly in excess in this study were cancers of the cervix and penis. Conclusion This large study provides evidence that a human group with high exposure to poultry oncogenic viruses has increased risk of dying from several cancers. Other occupational carcinogenic exposures could be of importance in explaining some of the findings, such as fumes from wrapping machines. These findings may have implications for public health amongst persons in the general population who may also be exposed to these viruses. What is needed now are epidemiologic studies that can demonstrate whether the excess of specific cancers can be attributed to specific occupational exposures while adequately controlling for other potential occupational and non-occupational carcinogenic exposures.
Geriatric outpatient group therapy

Summary Outpatient group therapy experience with geriatric patients has been described. The psychologic problems of the aged have been reviewed as well as the ways in which they resemble and differ from those of other age groups. A review is presented of previous therapy experiences with older patients both in individual and institutional milieu settings. The presenting symptoms of the group members described herein have been summarized. A synopsis has been given of therapy sessions at different stages in the evolution of the group. Implications for this approach as an effective means of coping with the therapeutic needs of the geriatric population have been discussed.
The exocyst complex in exocytosis and cell migration

Exocytosis is a fundamental membrane trafficking event in eukaryotic cells in which membrane proteins or lipids are incorporated into the plasma membrane and vesicle contents are secreted to the exterior of the cell. The exocyst, an evolutionarily conserved octameric protein complex, plays a crucial role in the targeting of secretory vesicles to the plasma membrane during exocytosis. The exocyst has been shown to be involved in diverse cellular processes requiring polarized exocytosis such as yeast budding, epithelial polarity establishment, and neurite outgrowth. Recently, the exocyst has also been implicated in cell migration through mechanisms independent of its role in exocytosis. In this review, we will first summarize our knowledge on the exocyst complex at a molecular and structural level. Then, we will discuss the specific functions of the exocyst in exocytosis in various cell types. Finally, we will review the emerging roles of the exocyst during cell migration and tumor cell invasion.
Novel retrotransposed imprinted locus identified at human 6p25

Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) are stable epigenetic features within or in proximity to imprinted genes. We used this feature to identify candidate human imprinted loci by quantitative DNA methylation analysis. We discovered a unique DMR at the 5'-end of FAM50B at 6p25.2. We determined that sense transcripts originating from the FAM50B locus are expressed from the paternal allele in all human tissues investigated except for ovary, in which expression is biallelic. Furthermore, an antisense transcript, FAM50B-AS, was identified to be monoallelically expressed from the paternal allele in a variety of tissues. Comparative phylogenetic analysis showed that FAM50B orthologs are absent in chicken and platypus, but are present and biallelically expressed in opossum and mouse. These findings indicate that FAM50B originated in Therians after divergence from Prototherians via retrotransposition of a gene on the X chromosome. Moreover, our data are consistent with acquisition of imprinting during Eutherian evolution after divergence of Glires from the Euarchonta mammals. FAM50B expression is deregulated in testicular germ cell tumors, and loss of imprinting occurs frequently in testicular seminomas, suggesting an important role for FAM50B in spermatogenesis and tumorigenesis. These results also underscore the importance of accounting for parental origin in understanding the mechanism of 6p25-related diseases.
An immunochemical analysis of the dissociation of the β2 component of Escherichia coli tryptophan synthetase

Abstract Conversion of E. coli tryptophan synthetase β 2 subunit to an enzymatically inert apo-derivative is accompanied by a change in immunochemical reactivity. Restoration of the cofactor, pyridoxal-5′-phosphate, simultaneously restores the enzymatic and serological characteristics to normal. This change in antigenic structure is detectable by micro-complement fixation but not by macro-complement fixation or precipitin analysis. Evidence was obtained that: (1) with respect to the antisera used in the experiments, pyridoxal-5′-phosphate is neither an antigenic determinant nor part of a determinant; (2) the reversible shift in antigenic structure can best be explained by the enhanced dissociation of the apoenzyme to a strongly cross-reacting monomer; and (3) the tertiary structure of the monomer remains essentially unchanged upon dissociation.