cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What's in a Name? Enhancing Communication in the Operating Room with the Use of Names and Roles on Surgical Caps.

Objective A pilot study was conducted in a tertiary referral center to assess whether wearing caps labeled with providers’ names and roles has an impact on communication in the operating room (OR). Methods Two obstetricians observed surgeries for name uses and missed communications. Following each case, all providers were given a short survey that queried their attitude about the use of labeled surgical caps, their ability to know the names and roles of other providers during a case, and the impact of scrub attire on identifying others. They were also asked to rate the ease of communication and their ability to recall name and roles of the personnel specific to the case. Patients were asked how they perceived the use of labeled caps by providers. Results Twenty scheduled cesarean deliveries were randomized to either labeled (10) or nonlabeled (10) surgical caps. A total of 129 providers participated in the study, with 117 providing responses to the survey. Providers reported knowing the names and roles of colleagues more often with labeled caps vs. nonlabeled caps (names: 77.8% vs. 55.0%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 64.4%–88.0% vs. 41.6%–67.9%, p = 0.011; roles: 92.5% vs. 78.3%, 95% CI = 81.8%–98.0% vs. 65.8%–88.0%, p = 0.036). Name uses increased (43 vs. 34, p = 0.208), and missed communications decreased (16 vs. 20, p = 0.614) when labeled caps were worn. Providers and patients had an overwhelmingly positive response to labeled caps. Conclusion This pilot study demonstrated that wearing labeled caps in the OR led to more frequent name uses and less frequent missed communications. Providers and patients embraced the concept of labeled caps and perceived wearing labeled caps as improving communication in the OR.
Irrigated cardiac endocardial lesion assessment using single fiber-multispectral spectroscopy and neural networks

Patients with cardiac arrythmia most commonly require radiofrequency ablation to destroy arrhythmogenic electrical pathways and restore normal heart rhythm. However, arrhythmia resurgence exists from limited means to directly confirm the extent of lesion progression during RFA procedure. Optical spectroscopy is sensitive to tissue optical properties and changes in biomolecular composition. We propose a simplified optical spectroscopy through a single fiber integrated catheter to predict irrigated endocardial lesion progression using deep neural network model on ex-vivo model.
Conversion between the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MSE) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).

Background The Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MSE) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) are two commonly used instruments for assessing cognitive function. Although conversion between 3MSE and MMSE is useful in applications such as integrative data analysis, there are limited published reports on the topic. Our objective is to provide a dual tool: (1) an item-level conversion tool to score responses for deriving both 3MSE and MMSE measures, and (2) cross-walk tables to facilitate quick conversion between 3MSE and MMSE. Methods An SAS program tool allows scoring of 3MSE item-level responses into MMSE score. Using integrated data sets (n = 8346), actual 3MSE and MMSE scores obtained from the same individuals were linked to form cross-walk tables. Results An SAS conversion program was made available. Cross-walk tables were derived. Validation sample shows bias is -0.11 (standard deviation = 1.02) in 3MSE→MMSE; the converse had substantially large bias. Discussion The 3MSE→MMSE conversion table can be used in clinical practice and legacy system data.
Spiraling-up through drought responses: Building community capacity in Colorado’s farming-dependent counties

Over the past two decades, Colorado’s agricultural communities have endured a series of droughts so relentless that experts have started to call them the new normal (Colorado River Research Group, ...
Hierarchical Probabilistic Embeddings for Multi-View Image Classification

We address the task of image classification, when the available spectral bands can vary from image to image. We propose a model that learns to represent uncertainty over latent features in a way that is conditioned on the available bands. We expect that images with fewer bands will generally be more difficult to classify and hence have higher uncertainty. We compare two strategies for training such a model, one which uses explicit hierarchical constraints and one which relies on implicit constraints. We evaluate both using RGB and multispectral imagery from the EuroSat dataset and find that the hierarchical approach improves the compatibility of the resulting distributions without sacrificing accuracy.
Mental Impairment in the Aged: Towards Establishing a Differential Diagnosis

I approach this topic as both a clinical researcher and a clinician who regularly treats patients. As my goal is to present information which can be used in daily practice, a few relevant references will be offered to encourage the reader to seek more details but most conclusions offered here represent a synthesis of existing paper and clinical experience.
Complete primary structure of a scallop striated muscle myosin heavy chain. Sequence comparison with other heavy chains reveals regions that might be critical for regulation.

We have determined the primary structure of the myosin heavy chain (MHC) of the striated adductor muscle of the scallop Aequipecten irradians by cloning and sequencing its cDNA. It is the first heavy chain sequence obtained in a directly Ca(2+)-regulated myosin. The 1938-amino acid sequence has an overall structure similar to other MHCs. The subfragment-1 region of the scallop MHC has a 59-62% sequence identity with sarcomeric and a 52-53% identity with nonsarcomeric (smooth and metazoan nonmuscle) MHCs. The heavy chain component of the regulatory domain (Kwon, H., Goodwin, E. B., Nyitray, L., Berliner, E., O'Neall-Hennessey, E., Melandri, F. D., and Szent-Gyorgyi, A. G. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87, 4771-4775) starts at either Leu-755 or Val-760. Ca(2+)-sensitive Trp residues (Wells, C., Warriner, K. E., and Bagshaw, C. R. (1985) Biochem. J. 231, 31-38) are located near the C-terminal end of this segment (residues 818-827). More detailed sequence comparison with other MHCs reveals that the 50-kDa domain and the N-terminal two-thirds of the 20-kDa domain differ substantially between sarcomeric and nonsarcomeric myosins. In contrast, in the light chain binding region of the regulatory domain (residues 784-844) the scallop sequence shows greater homology with regulated myosins (smooth muscle, nonmuscle, and invertebrate striated muscles) than with unregulated ones (vertebrate skeletal and heart muscles). The N-terminal 25-kDa domain also contains several residues which are preserved only in regulated myosins. These results indicate that certain heavy chain sites might be critical for regulation. The rod has features typical of sarcomeric myosins. It is 52-60% and 30-33% homologous with sarcomeric and nonsarcomeric MHCs, respectively. A Ser-rich tailpiece (residues 1918-1938) is apparently nonhelical.
LIVING WITH THE LONG CYCLE TODAY

There is a need for a new rationale to guide American security policy, including arms control and disarmament. In light of fundamental changes in the external and internal environment, American security policy would appear to have to rest on the following four assumptions: (1) the multiplication of threats, allies, and adversaries; (2) the disparity between greater absolute military power at the disposal of the United States and greater relative impotence in wielding it to influence events abroad; (3) the globalization yet divisibility of American and international security, economic, and political regime interests; and (4) the persistence of divided domestic consensus as the shaky basis from which to project American military power to shape the international environment in ways congenial to often conflicting American preferences.
Cholinergic manipulations in the medial septal area: age-related effects on working memory and hippocampal electrophysiology

Aged rats have impairments in several types of cognitive functions, including spatial working memory (WM), that are dependent upon the septohippocampal cholinergic system. The present series of experiments was designed to assess the effectiveness of pharmacological manipulations of the medial septal area (MSA) in order to influence the physiology of the septohippocampal pathway and, therefore, the brain functions in which this pathway participates. Aged (22MO) and young (4MO) Fischer-344 rats received microinfusions into the MSA with either saline, the muscarinic agonist, oxotremorine (OXO), or the muscarinic antagonist, scopolamine (SCOP). Working memory was tested in a T-maze spatial alternation task, prior to infusion, immediately after infusion, and 90 min after infusion. Hippocampal theta activity and the population excitatory postsynaptic potential (pEPSP) of the dentate gyrus to perforant path stimulation were recorded immediately following behavioral testing at each of the three time periods. In 22MO rats, intraseptal OXO (0.5 micrograms, 2 micrograms, 5 micrograms) produced a dose-dependent improvement in choice accuracy, a shift of the hippocampal theta peak to a lower frequency and a higher peak power, and an increase in the initial slope of pEPSP. OXO, 0.1 microgram, did not have an effect on behavior or hippocampal physiology and OXO, 10 micrograms, produced an impairment in performance. In 4MO rats, OXO did not affect choice accuracy, nor the pEPSP slope, but altered hippocampal theta peak frequency and power similarly as in 22MO. The lowest behaviorally effective dose, 0.5 microgram OXO, did not influence WM performance when infused into the lateral ventricles (intracerebroventricularly) of either 22MO or 4MO rats. SCOP (2 micrograms, 5 micrograms, 15 micrograms) decreased choice accuracy in a dose-dependent fashion in both 22MO and 4MO rats. However, in 22MO rats, the behavioral dose-response curve for scopolamine was shifted towards greater sensitivity. SCOP produced a shift of the hippocampal theta to a higher frequency and a lower peak power, and a decrease in the initial slope of pEPSP. In 4MO rats, SCOP altered hippocampal theta similarly to 22MO, but did not affect the pEPSP slope. These results indicate that (1) cholinergic receptors in the MSA are a useful target for drugs to improve WM in aging rats, (2) age-related changes in the activity of the septohippocampal pathway may increase its sensitivity to drugs which alter its activity, and (3) alterations in hippocampal physiology may contribute differently to changes in WM in young and in old rats.
Foreward Symposium: Theory and Praxis in Reducing Women's Poverty

This piece provides an overview of the symposium papers and the premise for the topic. In recognition of this problem and the complexity of issues that contribute to the gender and race of poverty and the urgent need for innovative solutions to ending poverty among women, the American Association of Law Schools Sections on Clinical Education and Poverty Law sponsored a joint session at the 2012 Annual Meeting: "Theory and Praxis in Reducing Women's Poverty." During that session, presenters and participants assessed the barriers poverty creates for poor women and their families, proposed explanations for women's poverty and explored remedies to help ameliorate, or at least mediate, women's low socioeconomic status. The session served as a foundation for further thoughtful and penetrating discourse on the intersection of poverty and gender, as well as the role of lawyers and law schools in developing insights and methods regarding law reform and advocacy for impoverished communities. Women, and the families and communities to which they are connected, interact with legal systems on a daily basis, often to their own detriment. As this symposium demonstrates, women's poverty intersects with multiple diverse areas of law, including employment, immigration, criminal, government benefits, family, education, and judicial systems. The focus on reducing women's poverty allows for a dissection and examination of these systems and the conditions that perpetuate the low socioeconomic status of women, particularly minority women.This symposium confronts the role of the family, the community, and the nation from domestic and international perspectives.
Hemolytic streptococcal vaginitis in children.

The value of culturing all vaginal discharges can not be overemphasized. Hemolytic streptococcal vaginitis has been misdiagnosed as gonococcal vaginitis when only a direct smear of the discharge has been utilized for diagnostic purposes. Hemolytic str. are frequently found in the nasopharynx of those children with hemolytic streptococcal vaginitis. In those instances where grouping and typing of the streptococci from both the vagina and the nasopharynx were done, the same group and the same type were found in both places.
LACTIC DEHYDROGENASES OF PSEUDOMONAS NATRIEGENS

Walker, Hazel (University of Georgia, Athens), and R. G. Eagon. Lactic dehydrogenases of Pseudomonas natriegens . J. Bacteriol. 88: 25–30. 1964.—Lactic dehydrogenases specific for d- and l-lactate were demonstrated in Pseudomonas natriegens . The l-lactic dehydrogenase showed considerable heat stability, and 40% of the activity remained in extracts after heating at 60 C for 10 min. An essential thiol group for enzyme activity was noted. The results of these experiments were consistent with the view that lactate was dehydrogenated initially by a flavin cofactor and that electrons were transported through a complete terminal oxidase system to oxygen. The intracellular site of these lactic dehydrogenases was shown to be the cell membrane. It was suggested that the main physiological role of these lactic dehydrogenases is that of lactate utilization. Images
FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS: A SURVEY

This paper presents a survey of the literature on the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and environmental policy. First, I focus on empirical studies that analyse the impact of environmental costs on foreign investment locations. Next, I review the main studies that attempt to explain the lack of evidence for the pollution haven hypothesis. Then, I discuss the literature on the impact of FDI on local environmental regulations by concentrating on two recent political economy models. Finally, I conclude by summarizing the main findings of the literature and suggesting some future research directions.
Constraints on lower mantle composition from molecular dynamics simulations of MgSiO3 perovskite

Abstract We have carried out molecular dynamics simulations of MgSiO 3 perovskite (pv) in order to determine its equation of state and elastic parameters under pressure and temperature conditions of the Earth’s lower mantle. Combining this information with density and elastic constants for (Mg,Fe)O magnesiowustite (mw) and including the effects of iron on the density of perovskite, we investigated possible compositional models for the lower mantle by calculating seismic velocities and densities as functions of depth and comparing them to the globally averaged seismological models ak135-f and PREM. The calculations were done along several possible geothermal gradients, both adiabatic and non-adiabatic, and for a range of Mg–Fe partitioning coeffcients, K Fe–Mg pv–mw =0.10–0.35. Our results indicate that the most probable compositional models for the lower mantle are pyrolitic, with X Mg ≈0.87 and X pv ≈0.54. For increasing temperatures at the top of the lower mantle, the best fitting models increase slightly in both iron and silica content.
TRACKING VENDOR DISCOUNTS ON A MICRO

It is standard practice for our library to deal directly with publishers as well as with book jobbers. As a result, a number of vendor accounts are maintained in our receiving department. And since book vendors are not always as generous with their discounts to libraries as they sometimes propose or are thought to be, we are now tracking jobber and publisher performance in giving discounts. It's a good way to manage an acquisitions budget and—with future budgets expected to be held to minimum increases—it is all the more important to “shop around” among possible vendors to get the most mileage out of the dollars available.
Late Wisconsinan eolian activity near Albany, New York

The Albany dunes of eastern New York display parabolic and ovoid characteristics which were caused by westerly and northwesterly winds channeled through the Mohawk Valley during late Wisconsinan time. The sediment composing the dunes is moderately to poorly sorted fine sand that normally lacks rounded and frosted surfaces typical of eolian transportation. The geographic distributions of sediment mean size (Mz) and the proportions of sand in samples indicate no downwind improvement in sorting. The dune materials were infrequently reworked, and thus the dunes did not migrate far downwind. The dunes probably formed in an edaphic desert under a topographically controlled wind regime like today9s. Sediment characteristics of samples, especially the maximum deviation from a normal distribution (MDN) and spread (Sp), were used as criteria to separate windblown from nonwindblown sediments of the plains surrounding the dunes. One-half of the plain samples were not windblown; this indicates that the surface sands over a large portion of the study area were not involved in the eolian activity.
High-Performance Concrete in the Richlands Bridge in Virginia

The Virginia Department of Transportation built a high-performance concrete (HPC) bridge in Richlands, Virginia. The beams had a minimum compressive strength of 69 MPa (10,000 psi) at 28 days; the large strands, 15 mm (0.6 in.) in diameter, were placed 51 mm (2 in.) apart. The deck concrete was designed to have a minimum compressive strength of 35 MPa (5,000 psi) and low permeability. A test program was initiated before construction to develop the HPC mixes. The development of the mixes and the construction and condition assessment of the bridge after two winters is described. The test program, field application, and inservice performance indicated that HPC concrete with high strength and low permeability can be produced using locally available material.
Estimating intrinsic dimensionality using the multi-criteria decision weighted model and the average standard estimator

Information retrieval today is much more challenging than traditional small document retrieval. The main difference is the importance of correlations between related concepts in complex data structures. As collections of data grow and contain more entries, they require more complex relationships, links, and groupings between individual entries. This paper introduces two novel methods for estimating data intrinsic dimensionality based on the singular value decomposition (SVD). The average standard estimator (ASE) and the multi-criteria decision weighted model are used to estimate matrix intrinsic dimensionality for large document collections. The multi-criteria weighted model calculates the sum of weighted values of matrix dimensions which demonstrated best performance using all possible dimensions [1]. ASE estimates the level of significance for singular values that resulted from the singular value decomposition. ASE assumes that those variables with deep relations have sufficient correlation and that only those relationships with high singular values are significant and should be maintained [1]. Experimental results indicate that ASE improves precision and relative relevance for MEDLINE document collection by 10.2% and 12.9% respectively compared to the percentage of variance dimensionality estimation. Results based on testing three document collections over all possible dimensions using selected performance measures indicate that ASE improved matrix intrinsic dimensionality estimation by including the effect of both singular values magnitude of decrease and random noise distracters. The multi-criteria weighted model with dimensionality reduction provides a more efficient implementation for information retrieval than using a full rank model.
[Therapeutic challenges to a rat brain tumor model (author's transl)].

A rat brain tumor model was prepared by stereotactically implanting 4×104 cultured 9L tumor cells in the cerebral hemisphere. The tumor bearing rats exhibited weight loss after two weeks, developed neurological symptoms several days later and died 19-20 days post-implant. Tumor take was 100% and the lethal tumor weighed 279 mg. The tumors had a doubling time of 39.5 hours. Cell kinetic parameters determined by PLM curve analysis 14-16 days post-implant were: TC-19.3 hrs.; TG1-8.6 hrs.; TS-7.6 hrs.; TG2-2.9 hrs.; and TM-0.2 hrs. The growth fraction was 0.55 and the cell loss factor was 0.24. The effectiveness of combined modality therapy on this model was analyzed in terms of survival, tumor size and colony forming efficiency. BCNU administered on day 16 post-implant produced an ILS of 122% while treatment on day 10 produced an ILS of only 60%, which corresponded to a 3-3.5 log cell kill and 2-2.5 log cell kill, respectively. Microsurgical removal of tumors on days 13 and 16 post-implant produced an ILS of 28% (1 log cell kill) and 56% (2 log cell kill). Surgery performed more than 3 days before or after BCNU therapy was less effective than BCNU alone on day 16. An ILS of over 200% (< 7 log kill) was achieved when BCNU was given 1 hr. before or 1 hr. and 12 hrs. after surgery performed on day 16. BCNU was not effective when administered during the surgical procedure. Cell kinetic parameters of both perturbed and unperturbed tumor cell populations can be used to design even more effective combined modality therapy.
Perception of postpalatoplasty speech differences in school-age children by parents, teachers, and professional speech pathologists.

The aims of this stttdy were twofold: (1) to test the ability of parents and teachers to discriminate the speech of children with repaired cleft palate from that of their unaffected peers and (2) to compare these lay assessments of speech acceptability with the critical perceptual assessments of expert clinicians. The subjects for this study were 20 children of school age (age range, 8 to 12 years) who were drawn from a large population (n = 1282) of patients. All subjects had been referred for palatoplasty to the same tertiary cleft center between 1978 and 1991. There were 16 matched controls. The listening team included parents of subjects ( n = 32) and teachers of age-matched school children (n = 12). Randomized master audiotape recordings of the study group were presented in blinded fashion to both groups of the adult caters, who were inexperienced in the evaluation of patients with speech dysfunction. An experienced panel of three extramural speech pathologists evaluated the same recordings. In all parameters rated, both parents and teachers showed a consistent tendency to give the subject children more negative ratings than the control children. Expert caters were sensitive to differences in resonance and intelligibility in the control and cleft palate groups. Results of this study differ from similar previous research, indicating that naive peer caters (similar-age children) were insensitive to speech differences in the cleft palate and control groups.
Kinetic behavior of soybean lipoxygenase : A comparative study of the free enzyme and the enzyme immobilized in an alginate silica sol-gel matrix

Lipoxygenase (LOX) is an enzyme that regioselectively introduces a hydroperoxide into polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). We recently reported a procedure that immobilizes soybean LOX within an alginate sol-gel matrix. In this study, the kinetic profile of free LOX was compared with that of the sol-gel immobilized LOX. The temperature dependent activity profile of free LOX was optimal at 25C whereas immobilized LOX had optimal activity over the temperature range of 25-35C. Enzyme activity, measured in aqueous buffer, for both the free and immobilized LOX preparations had K m values of 2.5 and 1.40 mmoles/L, respectively, and V max values of 0.056 and 0.02 μmol/min, respectively. The relative rates of oxidation of linoleic acid and acylglycerols containing linoleoyl residues catalyzed by free and immobilized LOX also were determined. The results showed that both free and immobilized LOX favor linoleic acid as a substrate. Relative substrate preference for free LOX was linoleic acid >1-monolinolein >1,3-dilinolein >trilinolein, and for immobilized LOX was linoleic acid >l,3-dilinolein >1-monolinolein >trilinolein. In general, LOX immobilized in alginate silica sol-gel matrix retained the physical and chemical characteristics of free LOX.
Zinc(II) complexes of salicylidene amino acids

Several zinc(II) complexes of tridentate dibasic salicylidene amino acids have been prepared and characterized. All of them possess dimeric pseudo-octahedral structures, which were established on the basis of thermogravimetric analysis and superimposable infrared spectra of these complexes with those of manganese(II), cobalt(II), nickel(II), and magnesium(II) complexes.
Culture competence and the primary care provider

Nurse practitioners and other primary care health providers in the United States increasingly interact with clients of diverse cultures, races, and ethnic backgrounds. If this interaction is not culturally competent, underutilization of health care services, perceived noncompliance, frustration, anger, and, ultimately, inequities in the health status of clients can result. Providing culturally competent care that fosters positive health outcomes is a challenge. This article reviews concepts of culture and cultural competence and describes six elements essential to mastering cultural competence in clinical encounters with multicultural clients. Cultural competence is seen as a continuous process, rather than an end in itself. Culturally competent care requires a change of world view for both the provider and client, with the interaction creating a new cultural reality for both within the context of health care.
Identification of a Gene in the Process of Being Lost from the Genus Agrostis

Lineage-specific gene loss is considered one of the processes contributing to speciation and genome diversity. Such gene loss has been inferred from interspecies comparisons of orthologous DNA segments. Examples of intraspecific gene loss are rare. Here we report identification of a gene, designated Crs-1 (creeping specific-1), that appears to be in the process of being lost from heterozygous populations of the species creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera). The Crs-1 gene encodes a protein with an N-terminal dirigent protein domain and a C-terminal lectin domain and is similar to the maize (Zea mays) β-glucosidase aggregating factor. Most individual creeping bentgrass plants examined are lacking Crs-1. Some individuals are hemizygous for the Crs-1 locus, indicating major haplotype noncolinearity at that locus. Crs-1 was not detected in several other Agrostis species, indicating it is being lost from the genus. The Crs-1 locus in creeping bentgrass provides a rare example of the evolutionary process of gene loss occurring within a plant species.
Modularity in cognition: Framing the debate

Modularity has been the subject of intense debate in the cognitive sciences for more than 2 decades. In some cases, misunderstandings have impeded conceptual progress. Here the authors identify arguments about modularity that either have been abandoned or were never held by proponents of modular views of the mind. The authors review arguments that purport to undermine modularity, with particular attention on cognitive architecture, development, genetics, and evolution. The authors propose that modularity, cleanly defined, provides a useful framework for directing research and resolving debates about individual cognitive systems and the nature of human evolved cognition. Modularity is a fundamental property of living things at every level of organization; it might prove indispensable for understanding the structure of the mind as well.
Steroid hormone-responsive, isolated endometrial cells.

Addition of estradiol-17β in vitro to suspensions of isolated endometrial cells resulted in significant effects on glucose, water and electrolyte metabolism. Cells were prepared from uterine tissues of ovariectomized rats. In part, the procedures involved incubation with collagenase in Ca2x2020;−, Mg2†−free, phosphate-buffered mammalian Ringer's solution, followed by restoration of divalent cations before gentle scraping of the endometrium from the underlying smooth muscle. Cells were then disaggregated, washed, separated from coarse and fine debris, and incubated in an enriched medium for 2 h before the start of all experiments. Cellular integrity was established by measurement of electrolyte contents and by dye exclusion methods. Substantial production of 14CO2 from glucose-U-14C by the cell suspensions provided further evidence of cell viability. Estradiol-17β, 10−9M, elicited significant increments in sodium and water contents within 2 h. Addition of estradiol-17β, but not the α-epimer, also resulted ...
Advanced Photon Source: science retrospect and prospect

Abstract This overview will provide a brief introduction to the development of the synchrotron radiation field and discuss the science drivers that defined the advanced photon source. Successful efforts over the years towards higher spatial, temporal, momentum, and energy resolution, as well as use of X-ray polarization and partial coherence in the transverse direction are continuing to produce forefront science at the advanced photon source. These advances have resulted from continued enhancement in the average brightness of X-ray beams, control of polarization, X-ray pulse delivery pattern, constant intensity operation, and matching X-ray optical schemes. The success will be illustrated through selected examples. The ascending scientific success of the advanced photon source will continue through the development of superior real-time and real-space techniques to study spin and charge dynamics and through further enhancement of average brightness, which will increase the feasibility of many energy- and momentum-resolution experiments that are currently marginal. Before the turn of the decade, we expect the merger of the techniques in the synchrotron radiation field and laser field to result in X-ray free-electron lasers, which will provide fully coherent beams of X-rays with unprecedented peak brightness and femtosecond resolution. It is the intent of this overview to set the stage for more detailed discussions consistent with the objective of the workshop.
New era in treatment for phenylketonuria: Pharmacologic therapy with sapropterin dihydrochloride

Oral administration of sapropterin hydrochloride, recently approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Commission, is a novel approach for the treatment of phenylketonuria (PKU), one of the most common inborn errors of metabolism. PKU is caused by an inherited deficiency of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH), and the pathophysiology of the disorder is related to chronic accumulation of the free amino acid phenylalanine in tissues. Contemporary therapy is based upon restriction of dietary protein intake, which leads to reduction of blood phenylalanine levels. This therapy is difficult to maintain throughout life, and dietary noncompliance is commonplace. Sapropterin dihydrochloride is a synthetic version of tetrahydrobiopterin, the naturally occurring pterin cofactor that is required for PAH-mediated phenylalanine hydroxylation. In a subset of individuals with PAH deficiency, sapropterin administration leads to reduction in blood phenylalanine levels independent of dietary protein. For these individuals, sapropterin is an effective novel therapy for PKU.
Aqueous Environmental Geochemistry

With at least a half dozen hydrogeochemistry textbooks on the market, why do we need another one? Aqueous Environmental Geochemistry provides an answer to that question. Most current texts fall into one of two categories. Some are heavy on basic concepts and physical chemistry fundamentals, but contain relatively few relevant examples from the natural environment. Other texts fall at the opposite end of the spectrum, with plenty of good geochemical examples but only qualitative or semiquantitative approaches to understanding them. In contrast, Donald Langmuir's new book provides a thorough development of fundamentals important in low temperature aqueous geochemistry, along with a wealth of examples to illustrate how these fundamentals are applied in solving real problems.
Regional distribution of 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid in brain.

FOR a number of years it was thought that the N and O-transmethylation of biogenic amines required S-adenosyl-methionine (SAM) as the methyl donor, and that these transmethylation reactions did not involve folate derivatives1,2. It was therefore with interest that we read the report of N-methylation of dopamine by brain tissue in experiments in which 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid (5-MTHF) was used as the methyl donor3,4. Shortly thereafter our group and two others reported the N-methylation of a number of aryl-alkylamines, including tryptamine and serotonin, by brain enzymes that make use of this same folic acid derivative as a methyl donor. Enzymatic methylation reactions involving 5-MTHF, when compared with those involving SAM, have a relatively much higher total activity in spite of a lower affinity for biogenic amine substrates5–7.
Structural basis of mouse cytomegalovirus m152/gp40 interaction with RAE1γ reveals a paradigm for MHC/MHC interaction in immune evasion

Natural killer (NK) cells are activated by engagement of the NKG2D receptor with ligands on target cells stressed by infection or tumorigenesis. Several human and rodent cytomegalovirus (CMV) immunoevasins down-regulate surface expression of NKG2D ligands. The mouse CMV MHC class I (MHC-I)–like m152/gp40 glycoprotein down-regulates retinoic acid early inducible-1 (RAE1) NKG2D ligands as well as host MHC-I. Here we describe the crystal structure of an m152/RAE1γ complex and confirm the intermolecular contacts by mutagenesis. m152 interacts in a pincer-like manner with two sites on the α1 and α2 helices of RAE1 reminiscent of the NKG2D interaction with RAE1. This structure of an MHC-I–like immunoevasin/MHC-I–like ligand complex explains the binding specificity of m152 for RAE1 and allows modeling of the interaction of m152 with classical MHC-I and of related viral immunoevasins.
Exploring simultaneous single and coincident gamma-ray measurements for U/Pu assay in safeguards

Using a broad range of gamma-ray uranium standards and two plutonium samples of known isotopic content, list mode gamma ray information from two Compton suppressed and one planar HPGe detectors were analyzed according to the time information of the signals. Interferences from Cs-137 were introduced. In this study, we extended singles measurements by exploring the potential of simultaneously using both singles and coincidence data for U/Pu assay. The main goals of this exploratory study are: 1) whether one will be able to use coincidence information in addition to the complicated 100-keV unfolding to obtain extra information of uranium and plutonium isotopic ratios, and 2) with higher energy interference gamma-rays from isotopes such as Cs-137, can the coincidence information help to provide the isotopic information.
Selfish genes vs. selfish people: Sociobiology as origin myth

The sociobiological version of human evolution is criticized as excessively reductionistic and focused on reproductive competition. An alternative version of evolutionary psychology is proposed based on the premise that the most important feature of human evolutionary history is selection for small group living. The structural requirements of group survival can account for fundamentally social motives characteristic of the human species such as cooperation, conformity, and group loyalty.
A Hypothesis Regarding the Origins of Ethnic Discrimination

This article develops an explanation for ethnic discrimination based on what can be called “social decoding.” It is hypothesized that humans have developed unique cognitive skills for discerning situations in which others will behave in a self-interested opportunistic fashion. However, these cognitive skills, like the human ability to acquire language, are effectuated by environmental programming. Consequently, people will be able to decode accurately only when dealing with others of similar type. From this it follows that when selecting the “best” candidate from several populations each of which contain a large number of people, an individual will almost certainly end up choosing someone from the population that she or he can more accurately decode. Therefore, assuming that a common ethnic background is associated with more accurate decoding, people will appear to discriminate in favor of others who are ethnically similar. Ironically, this “discrimination” arises because people cannot discriminate as acc...
Optimal Challenges for Selection

This paper generalizes the problems of optimal selection considered by Roth, Kadane and DeGroot by allowing a set of J items to be chosen by two decision makers, the first of whom has A challenges and the second has B challenges. The two decision makers each have an opportunity to challenge each item before it is accepted, in some arbitrary fixed order. We assume that the decision makers know the utility function of the other side as well as their own over sets of J items, and that they know the subjective distribution, assigned by the other side, of characteristics of potential items that will be observed, as well as their own. Under these conditions the other side's response to each potential item can be predicted with certainty, and backward induction defines an optimal strategy. We study an important special case we call regular, and show that it is never disadvantageous to go first in the regular case. The use of peremptory challenges in jury trials motivates our model. The basic model in which jurors are challenged one at a time is extended to a more general class of problems that includes the group system and the struck jury system.
Gender effects in hearing loss in Dalmatians

Abstract Brainstem auditory-evoked-response data were collected from 3101 Dalmatian dogs from 1984 to 1998 at the Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis. Also collected were data on eye color and the presence or absence of a color-patch at birth. Our objective was to evaluate the role of gender in hearing loss, including the possibility that the probability of suffering unilateral or bilateral deafness was greater if the dam was hearing impaired than if the sire was hearing impaired. Results of a multiple-trait threshold-model analysis support the commonly held observation that females were more likely to be deaf than males. In addition, females were also more likely to have two blue eyes (a condition associated with an increased prevalence of deafness). However, gender differences in hearing loss were limited to these direct observations. There was no detectable difference in the prevalence of hearing loss between offspring of deaf mothers and the offspring of deaf fathers. Finally, there was no detectable decrease in the prevalence of hearing loss over the years covered in the data set — suggesting that Dalmatian breeders are not yet selecting against hearing problems.
Substitution reactions of metallic complexes of β,β′,β″-triaminotriethylamine. VII. Kinetics of bromide anation of diaquo(β,β′,β″-triaminotriethylamine)cobalt(III) ion

Abstract The bromide anation reaction of diaquo(triaminotriethylamine)cobalt(III) ion has been studied spectrophotometrically. The kinetics fit a rate law -d[complex] dt =kAN[Br−][complex] kAN typically 10−4 sec−1 M−1. The activation parameters: ΔH* = 25.2±0.4 kcal/mol−1, ΔG* = 24.3±0.3 kcal/mol−1, and ΔS* = 0.19±1.1 cal deg−1 mol−1 at ionic strength 2.0 M.
Cancer hybrid automata

This paper introduces Cancer Hybrid Automata (CHAs), a formalism to model the progression of cancers through discrete phenotypes. The classification of cancer progression using discrete states like stages and hallmarks has become common in the biology literature, but primarily as an organizing principle, and not as an executable formalism. The precise computational model developed here aims to exploit this untapped potential, namely, through automatic verification of progression models (e.g., consistency, causal connections, etc.), classification of unreachable or unstable states and computer-generated (individualized or universal) therapy plans. The paper builds on a phenomenological approach, and as such does not need to assume a model for the biochemistry of the underlying natural progression. Rather, it abstractly models transition timings between states as well as the effects of drugs and clinical tests, and thus allows formalization of temporal statements about the progression as well as notions of timed therapies. The model proposed here is ultimately based on hybrid automata, and we show how existing controller synthesis algorithms can be generalized to CHA models, so that therapies can be generated automatically. Throughout this paper we use cancer hallmarks to represent the discrete states through which cancer progresses, but other notions of discretely or continuously varying state formalisms could also be used to derive similar therapies.
Parallel comparison of Illumina RNA-Seq and Affymetrix microarray platforms on transcriptomic profiles generated from 5-aza-deoxy-cytidine treated HT-29 colon cancer cells and simulated datasets

High throughput parallel sequencing, RNA-Seq, has recently emerged as an appealing alternative to microarray in identifying differentially expressed genes (DEG) between biological groups. However, there still exists considerable discrepancy on gene expression measurements and DEG results between the two platforms. The objective of this study was to compare parallel paired-end RNA-Seq and microarray data generated on 5-azadeoxy-cytidine (5-Aza) treated HT-29 colon cancer cells with an additional simulation study. We first performed general correlation analysis comparing gene expression profiles on both platforms. An Errors-In-Variables (EIV) regression model was subsequently applied to assess proportional and fixed biases between the two technologies. Then several existing algorithms, designed for DEG identification in RNA-Seq and microarray data, were applied to compare the cross-platform overlaps with respect to DEG lists, which were further validated using qRT-PCR assays on selected genes. Functional analyses were subsequently conducted using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients between the RNA-Seq and microarray data each exceeded 0.80, with 66%~68% overlap of genes on both platforms. The EIV regression model indicated the existence of both fixed and proportional biases between the two platforms. The DESeq and baySeq algorithms (RNA-Seq) and the SAM and eBayes algorithms (microarray) achieved the highest cross-platform overlap rate in DEG results from both experimental and simulated datasets. DESeq method exhibited a better control on the false discovery rate than baySeq on the simulated dataset although it performed slightly inferior to baySeq in the sensitivity test. RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR, but not microarray data, confirmed the expected reversal of SPARC gene suppression after treating HT-29 cells with 5-Aza. Thirty-three IPA canonical pathways were identified by both microarray and RNA-Seq data, 152 pathways by RNA-Seq data only, and none by microarray data only. These results suggest that RNA-Seq has advantages over microarray in identification of DEGs with the most consistent results generated from DESeq and SAM methods. The EIV regression model reveals both fixed and proportional biases between RNA-Seq and microarray. This may explain in part the lower cross-platform overlap in DEG lists compared to those in detectable genes.
In vivo and in vitro regulation of syndecan 1 in prostate cells by n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Syndecan 1 is the major proteoglycan produced by epithelial cells. It is strategically localized at the plasma membrane to participate in growth factor signaling and cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Its expression may modulate the properties of epithelial lineage tumor cells in which it is generally down-regulated compared with nontumor progenitors. The present study examined the regulation of syndecan 1 in prostate epithelial cells by n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. In prostate tissue of mice, syndecan 1 immunostaining was demonstrated in epithelial cells throughout each gland. In animals fed an n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid-enriched diet, syndecan 1 mRNA was increased in all prostate glands. In the human prostate cancer cell line, PC-3, delivery of exogenous n-3 (but not n-6) fatty acids resulted in up-regulation of syndecan 1 expression. This effect was mimicked by a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ agonist, troglitazone, and inhibited in the presence of a PPARγ antagonist and in cells transfected with dominant negative PPARγ cDNA. Using a luciferase gene driven either by a PPAR response element or by a DR-1 site present in the syndecan 1 promoter, reporter activation was increased by n-3 low density lipoprotein, docosahexaenoic acid, and troglitazone, whereas activity of a luciferase gene placed downstream of a mutant DR-1 site was unresponsive. These findings indicate that syndecan 1 is up-regulated by n-3 fatty acids by a transcriptional pathway involving PPARγ. This mechanism may contribute to the chemopreventive properties of n-3 fatty acids in prostate cancer.
Anomalous Dynamic Light Scattering from Solutions of Light Absorbing Polymers

Dynamic light scattering data from highly absorbing solutions exhibit intensity−intensity correlation functions characterized by a sum of exponential decays superposed with an oscillatory term. A new analytical treatment is proposed, which explains this behavior as arising from the heterodyning of scattered light from two distinct species in convective motion. Similar data were obtained both for solutions of polyaniline (PANI) as well as for a complex of cytochrome c and cytochrome c peroxidase in phosphate buffer. This suggests the generality of the phenomenon for polymers that both absorb light and aggregate, such as proteins and conducting polymers. Effects of laser power on convection, thermal lensing, and coning of the beam and concentration of absorbing species have been considered. The presence or absence of the oscillations is shown to be a sensitive indication of aggregation.