cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Utilization by chicks of half-cystine from native and denatured proteinase inhibitor protein from potatoes.

SummaryIn a proteinase inhibitor protein fraction obtained from the soluble proteins of Russet Burbank potatoes, over 78% of the total half-cystine rich proteins are inhibitors of the pancreatic proteases, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and carboxypeptidase A. This protein fraction was utilized to supplement a half-cystine limited chick diet to determine the availability of half-cystine residues in native and autoclaved (denatured) inhibitor proteins. Chicks fed diets supplemented with native inhibitor protein showed a severe growth depression. Weight gain of chicks fed autoclaved inhibitor protein were equivalent to chicks whose diets were supplemented with half-cystine. The experiments indicated that high protein potato selections based on high inhibitor contents should provide nutritionally available half-cystine, provided the potatoes are cooked before consumption.
Abstract 4362: Plk1 is overexpressed in retinoblastoma and its inhibition by siRNA or small-molecule inhibitor results in growth arrest and apoptosis

Retinoblastoma (RB) is a pediatric cancer of the retina where current chemotherapeutic regimens are broad spectrum with significant side effects. Molecular target-based approaches for RB therapy are absent and may be rational for this disease. We performed a siRNA library screen for growth inhibition of human Y79 RB cells. Knockdown of Plk1 or AURKA (but not other mitotic regulatory factors) lead to greater than 90% cell growth inhibition and prompted further investigation. We determined Plk1 expression in retinoblastoma and normal retina tissue by immunohistochemistry. We also determined the effects of siRNA-mediated Plk1 knockdown and small molecule-mediated Plk1 inhibition on Y79 and Weri-Rb1 cell growth using a tetrazolium dye-based assay. Effects on proliferation and cell cycle distribution were determined by flow cytometric analysis of EdU incorporation and DNA content. Activation of DNA damage response and apoptosis was determined by western blot analysis of phospho-H2AX, cleaved caspase-3, and PARP. We observed moderate and high Plk1 protein expression in several human retinoblastoma tumor samples as compared to minimal or low expression found in normal retinal tissue. Increased Plk1 expression was observed in RB cell lines as compared to normal retina cells. 10 nM Plk1 siRNA and 30 nM BI-2536 potently inhibited Y79 and Weri-Rb1 cell growth and significantly decreased cell viability. A decrease in S phase EdU incorporation and proliferation and an increase in G1 phase population was observed in flow cytometric analysis of Plk1 inhibited RB cells. A significant increase in phospho-H2AX, cleaved caspase-3, and cleaved PARP protein levels was observed in Y79 and Weri-Rb1 cells treated with Plk1 siRNA or BI-2536. These results suggest that Plk1 may be a rational target for RB therapy and encourages preclinical studies in animal models of RB. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4362.
A Real-time Data Distribution Method for Supervisory and Control System in Large or Middle Hydropower Station

The typical system structure and real-time data classification of supervisory and control system is introduced.A real-time data distribution method for supervisory and control system in large or middle hydropower station is proposed,including its general target,design idea and general structure.The method is described in details from cross-platform implementation,event transmission,real-time data transmission and load-balancing,etc..Finally,the application of this method is also introduced.
Sonographic Evaluation and Conservative Management of Newborns with Myelomeningocele and Hydronephrosis

AbstractHydronephrosis has been reported in 7 to 60 per cent of all newborns with myelomeningocele. However, most of these reports have been based upon x-ray findings obtained after closure of the myelomeningocele. To determine whether the radiographic abnormalities might be secondary to the neurosurgical procedure in a manner analogous to spinal shock, a prospective study of 34 newborns with myelomeningoceles was done during a 5-year period. Renal and bladder sonography was done on day 1 of life before surgical intervention and for varying periods thereafter. A total of 31 infants (91 per cent) had normal renal sonograms preoperatively but 6 of these had bilateral hydronephrosis and distended bladders postoperatively. Three patients had urinary retention before postoperative sonography could be obtained. For these 9 patients intermittent catheterization was required for 4 to 14 days until bladder tone recovered. Urinary retention in the infant with myelomeningocele may be a transient consequence of the m...
Abstract 1906: Inhibition of miR-186 and repression of aggressive prostate cancer phenotype using a metastatic cell model

Proceedings: AACR 107th Annual Meeting 2016; April 16-20, 2016; New Orleans, LA MicroRNA (miR) dysregulation alters the expression of cancer related genes and contributes to disease states in many cancers. For example, ectopic miR-186 expression leads to enhanced cell proliferation and migration in pancreatic cancer. However, the role of miR-186 in prostate cancer (PCa) remains unclear. Previously, we observed significant upregulation of miR-186-5p in PCa patient serum (stage III/IV) compared to controls. Furthermore, miR-186 was significantly up-regulated in metastatic PCa (PC-3) compared to normal prostate epithelial cells (RWPE1). We hypothesized miR-186 inhibition will reduce aggressive PCa in vitro. Consequently, miR-186 was transiently and stably inhibited in PC-3 cells. Cell proliferation and colony formation were evaluated for 7 and 21 days via Trypan Blue exclusion and soft agar assays. Aberrant gene expression was evaluated in transfected cells to identify miR-186 targets. Candidate miR-186 targets were selected using published reports on ‘miR-186 and cancer’, availability of robust antibodies, and statistical filtering (false discovery ≥0.05 and ±1.2 fold change). Mir-186 inhibition in PC-3 cells significantly repressed proliferation and colony formation by 34-64%. Following miR-186 inhibition in PC-3 cells, 2,343 identified mRNA targets were differentially expressed compared to scramble controls (p < 0.05). The target list was reduced to 11 up-regulated candidates. Predicted miR-186 targets are undergoing validation via qRT-PCR, western blots, and luciferase reporter assays. In addition, other studies are in progress to evaluate the impact of miR-186 on cellular proliferation, migration and invasion. Such efforts may lead to the identification of novel biomarkers to improve detection and clinical management strategies for aggressive PCa. Citation Format: Dominique Z. Jones, M. Lee Schmidt, Katharine R. Hobbing, Geoffrey Clark, LaCreis R. Kidd. Inhibition of miR-186 and repression of aggressive prostate cancer phenotype using a metastatic cell model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1906.
Nanomaterials for Liquid Chromatography and Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Nanomaterials for liquid chromatography and laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry , Nanomaterials for liquid chromatography and laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry , کتابخانه مرکزی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی تهران
Dosing Considerations in Older Adults

Drug and dose selection in older adults is a complex process. Ensuring an optimal regimen may involve considerations beyond those that are immediately obvious. Factors affecting dosing in older adults vary across a wide spectrum and include changes to pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, cognitive abilities, financial constraints, functional deficits, varying treatment-specific endpoints, and availability of evidence-based medicine. This chapter reviews these concepts and outlines the thought processes that clinicians should consider while making their dosing decisions. Recommendations to address these issues often include a combination of interventions and may require some creativity on behalf of the family, caregiver, and health care professionals. These factors should be considered during product development and could result in improved care of older adults.
The Buddhist Shamanistic Code

This chapter shows how certain religious aspects of Buddhism and Shamanism, as two most influential folk religions for Koreans, have been migrated or integrated into the Korean American Christianity, especially into preaching practice. Depending on how the people perceive and exercise those two folk religions, there are also several different code styles appearing in the actual practice of the Buddhist Shamanistic code in their Christian faith and preaching activity as well. The chapter discusses in detail two major styles among others: the Eco-Rhythmic Community style and the Buddhist Shamanistic Supernatural style.
More Than “Try This at Home”—Including Parents in Early Intervention

Current state and federal recommendations encourage the delivery of early intervention services in a child's natural environment with typical communication partners (Individuals With Disabilities E...
The association of imperative and declarative intentional communication with language in young children with autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analysis

Abstract Background Theoretically, specific pragmatic functions of intentional communication are differentially associated with language use in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The primary purpose of this meta-analysis was to compare the relation of declarative and imperative intentional communication acts (ICAs), respectively, with language skills. We also examined five possible moderators of the separate associations and the difference in associations: metric used to quantify ICAs, expressive versus receptive language, longitudinal or concurrent correlations, within-study interobserver reliability of rating pragmatic function of ICAs, and risk for correlated measurement error. Method Included studies provided at least 1 zero-order correlation (concurrent or longitudinal) of language measures with declarative or imperative ICAs. Participants were children with ASD (n = 727), aged 8 years and younger. Results Twenty-three studies were included. Declarative ICAs were significantly associated with language (weighted mean r = 0.42; 95% CI [0.34, 0.50]). Imperative ICAs were not significantly associated with language. Moderator effects were not detected. Conclusions The association of declarative ICAs and language has implications for early treatment of ASD-related language deficits. Failure to find a significant association of imperative ICAs and language could have been due to low statistical power and/or publication bias; more research on imperative ICAs is needed.
Incivility in the Online Classroom: A Guide for Policy Development

The growth of online education has created a learning environment that permits nontraditional students the opportunity for degree completion without the burden of relocation. Given the shortage of nurses at all educational levels, many institutions of higher learning have created online programs to meet the needs of both the student and the profession as a whole. Although convenient for the student and beneficial for the nursing profession, the online learning environment can present numerous challenges. Among these challenges are acts of student incivility-creating a difficult work environment for faculty and, at times, negatively affecting other students. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to review problems associated with student incivility and share the experience in creating as well as implementing a professionalism policy that addresses student incivility. Recommendations for policy creation are summarized.
Reasoning about multiple faults

Diagnostic tasks require determining the differences between a model of an artifact and the artifact itself. The differences between the manifested behavior of the artifact and the predicted behavior of the model guide the search for the differences between the artifact and its model. The diagnostic procedure presented in this paper is model-based, inferring the behavior of the composite device from knowledge of the structure and function of the individual components comprising the device. The system (GDE — General Diagnostic Engine) has been implemented and tested on examples in the domain of troubleshooting digital circuits. This research makes several novel contributions: First, the system diagnoses failures due to multiple faults. Second, failure candidates are represented and manipulated in terms of minimal sets of violated assumptions, resulting in an efficient diagnostic procedure. Third, the diagnostic procedure is incremental, reflecting the iterative nature of diagnosis. Finally, a clear separation is drawn between diagnosis and behavior prediction, resulting in a domain (and inference procedure) independent diagnostic procedure.
Considering Immigrant Women and Equitable Communication

This chapter summarizes the arguments of the book and discusses the politics and policies undergirding transnational family communication with questions this study brings up for further investigation. The constraints women immigrants experience in communicating with their transnational families are summarized with relation to the model to focus on global equity issues. ICTs have to be viewed first in the migratory context. Yet the ICTs proved to be problematic mechanisms for transnational family communication especially for women. Next, the communication infrastructures proved to be highly inequitable. Finally, the participants’ education levels, which are normally not accounted for in studies, appeared to be important proxies of their ICT access and use. The chapter ends with a discussion about the problematic aspects of ICT-based transnational family communication.
Large central lumbar disc herniation causing acute cauda equina syndrome with loss of evoked potentials during prone positioning for surgery.

Background Few studies in the literature discuss operative positioning for lumbar surgery precipitating acute cauda equina syndromes (CES). Case Description A 56-year-old male with a large L2-3-disc herniation was placed prone on a Jackson table. He immediately lost all motor and sensory evoked potentials. Signals returned to the baseline when surgery was aborted, and he was returned to the supine position. However, potentials were again lost when he was repositioned prone, following which the surgeons proceeded with surgical decompression with a good outcome. Conclusion This case highlights the risk for patients with large acute lumbar disc herniation/stenosis and CES undergoing prone positioning for lumbar decompression. Here, despite the secondary loss of both sensory and motor evoked potentials, the patient successfully underwent lumbar decompressive surgery/discectomy performed on a Jackson table, resulting in full postoperative neurological recovery.
Private Memoirs of IoT Devices: Safeguarding User Privacy in the IoT Era

The rise of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) holds great promise to transform people's lives by making society more efficient in many areas, including energy, transportation, healthcare, commerce, manufacturing, etc. At their core, IoT devices use sensors to collect data on real-world physical processes and then transmit it over the Internet to cloud servers, which store, process, and learn from the data to better optimize these processes, either directly (by issuing remote commands that actuate IoT devices) or indirectly (by issuing notifications that direct users to take some action). Unfortunately, IoT devices also expose users to multiple new types of privacy attacks. In particular, the sensor data collected from IoT devices can indirectly reveal a variety of sensitive private information. In addition, users generally connect IoT devices to local networks, which they implicitly trust, with little understanding of what the IoT device is doing on the network. In this visionpaper, we discuss recent work on sensor data privacy in the context of smart energy systems to provide examples of i) the surprising types of private information we can glean from seemingly innocuous IoT data and ii) the different types of defenses we have developed to preserve IoT data privacy for smart energy systems. These defenses lie at different discrete points in the tradeoff between user privacy and IoT functionality, which motivates ongoing work on developing defenses that provide a more tunable tradeoff. We also discuss the privacy implications of connecting tens-to-hundreds of untrusted IoT devices to implicitly trusted local networks, and avenues for research to mitigate these concerns.
Automatic group sparse coding

Sparse Coding (SC), which models the data vectors as sparse linear combinations over basis vectors (i.e., dictionary), has been widely applied in machine learning, signal processing and neuroscience. Recently, one specific SC technique, Group Sparse Coding (GSC), has been proposed to learn a common dictionary over multiple different groups of data, where the data groups are assumed to be pre-defined. In practice, this may not always be the case. In this paper, we propose Automatic Group Sparse Coding (AutoGSC), which can (1) discover the hidden data groups; (2) learn a common dictionary over different data groups; and (3) learn an individual dictionary for each data group. Finally, we conduct experiments on both synthetic and real world data sets to demonstrate the effectiveness of AutoGSC, and compare it with traditional sparse coding and Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) methods.
Magnetic Alloy Films: New Developments in Structure-Property Relations

In this paper we report three new developments in structure-property relations of magnetic alloys. These findings were made possible by growth and characterization of epitaxial films prepared by MBE (molecular beam epitaxy). Firstly, we show that chemical ordering in Co1-xPtx films of compositions x≃ 0.75, 0.50 leads to large changes in the magneto-optical spectra which are likely a result of changes in the spin-polarized band structure. Secondly, we report a new chemically-ordered phase at the composition x≃0.25. The structure is hcp (hexagonal-close-packed) with the composition of close-packed planes alternating from Co to CoPt. The cubic L12 phase, at the composition x = 0.25, predicted by Sanchez et al in 1989, has not been found. Finally, we show that in epitaxial Co-Pt multilayers, there is spontaneous chemical ordering to the L12- CoPt3 phase, within an interfacial alloy region a few monolayers in thickness. The implications of these new findings in the field of magneto-optical and magnetic storage are discussed and we conclude that the combination of MBE and magneto-optical spectroscopy is exceptionally powerful in exploring structure-property relations in magnetic alloys.
A space–time parallel framework for fine-scale visualization of pollen levels across the Eastern United States

Allergic rhinitis (hay fever) resulting from seasonal pollen affects 15–30% of the population in the United States, and can exacerbate several related conditions, including asthma, atopic eczema, a...
A Distributed Experiment Demonstrates Widespread Sodium Limitation in Grassland Food Webs

Sodium (Na) has a unique role in food webs as a nutrient primarily limiting for plant consumers, but not other trophic levels. Environmental Na levels vary with proximity to coasts, local geomorphology, climate, and with anthropogenic inputs (e.g., road salt). We tested two key predictions across 54 grasslands in North America: Na shortfall commonly limits herbivore abundance, and the magnitude of this limitation varies inversely with environmental Na supplies. We tested them with a distributed pulse experiment and evaluated the relative importance of Na limitation to other classic drivers of climate, macronutrient levels, and plant productivity. Herbivore abundance increased by 45% with Na addition. Moreover, the magnitude of increase on Na addition plots decreased with increasing levels of plant Na, indicating Na satiation at sites with high Na concentrations in plant tissue. Our results demonstrate that invertebrate primary consumers are often Na limited and track local Na availability, with implications for the geography of invertebrate abundance and herbivory.
Relative prediction intervals reveal larger uncertainty in 3D approaches to predictive digital soil mapping of soil properties with legacy data

Abstract Fine scale maps of soil properties enable efficient land management and inform earth system models. Recent efforts to create soil property maps from field observations tend to use similar tree-based machine learning interpolation approaches, but often deal with depth of predictions, validation, and uncertainty differently. One of the main differences in approaches is whether to model individual depths of interest separately as ‘2D’ models, or to create models that incorporate depth as a predictor variable creating a ‘3D’ model that can make predictions for all depths. It is unclear how choice of 2D or 3D approach influences model accuracy and uncertainty due to lack of direct comparison and inconsistent presentation of results in past studies. This study compares 2D and 3D methods for mapping soil electrical conductivity (salinity), pH, sum of fine and very fine sands, and organic carbon at 30 m resolution for the upper 432,000 km2 of the Colorado River Watershed of the United States of America. A new, simple, model-agnostic relative prediction interval (RPI) approach to report uncertainty is presented that scales prediction interval width to the 95% interquantile width of the original training sample distribution. The RPI approach enables direct comparison of uncertainty between properties and depths and is easily interpretable by end users. Results indicate that 3D mapping of soil properties with strong variation with depth can result in substantial areas with much higher uncertainty that coincide with unrealistic predictions relative to 2D models, even though 3D models had slightly better global cross-validation scores. Maps and global model summaries of RPI proved helpful in identifying these issues with 3D models. These results suggest that the use of RPI or similar approaches to evaluate models can identify accuracy problems not evident in global validation diagnostics.
Autism Identity and the “Lost Generation”: Structural Validation of the Autism Spectrum Identity Scale and Comparison of Diagnosed and Self-Diagnosed Adults on the Autism Spectrum

Background: A population segment of autistic adults are underidentified due, in part, to historic changes in criteria for diagnosing autism and diagnostic biases related to gender, socioeconomic st...
Sustained mitochondrial biogenesis is essential to maintain caloric restriction-induced beige adipocytes.

Abstract Background Caloric restriction (CR) delays the onset of metabolic and age-related disorders. Recent studies have demonstrated that formation of beige adipocytes induced by CR is strongly associated with extracellular remodeling in adipose tissue, decrease in adipose tissue inflammation, and improved systemic metabolic homeostasis. However, beige adipocytes rapidly transition to white upon CR withdrawal through unclear mechanisms. Materials and methods Six-week old C57BL6 mice were fed with 40% CR chow diet for 6 weeks. Subsequently, one group of mice was switched back to ad libitum chow diet, which was continued for additional 2 weeks. Adipose tissues were assessed histologically and biochemically for beige adipocytes. Results Beige adipocytes induced by CR rapidly transition to white adipocytes when CR is withdrawn independent of parkin-mediated mitophagy. We demonstrate that the involution of mitochondria during CR withdrawal is strongly linked with a decrease in mitochondrial biogenesis. We further demonstrate that beige-to-white fat transition upon β3-AR agonist-withdrawal could be attenuated by CR, partly via maintenance of mitochondrial biogenesis. Conclusion In the model of CR, our study highlights the dominant role of mitochondrial biogenesis in the maintenance of beige adipocytes. We propose that loss of beige adipocytes upon β3-AR agonist withdrawal could be attenuated by CR.
Complementary Approaches to Healing PTSD: Art, Body, and Mind Awareness

Complementary approaches to PTSD therapy emphasize personal growth, insight, and the potential healing of trauma. These approaches include acupuncture, mindfulness, meditation, yoga, deep-breathing exercises, guided imagery, hypnotherapy, progressive relaxation, tai chi, and many others. Art therapy, among the first constructive therapeutic approaches used to treat PTSD, can also be used to make psychological assessments and diagnosis. When individuals trained as artists experience significant trauma, individuals with significant ongoing PTSD symptoms may find success in the socioeconomic/financial arena. Body awareness, an approach developed from psychodrama, can be used to induce physical and mental relief, but can also be used to release unconscious memories of trauma that may not have occurred. Both yoga and meditation focus on breath and require the individual to invest significant time, energy, and focus. Empiric clinical research supports their value when included in PTSD therapy. Complementary therapies work best in treating PTSD when utilized as part of an overall treatment strategy that also includes psychological and medical approaches with high levels of proven effectiveness.
Free as a BRD4: Bromodomain Inhibition Ameliorates Disease Phenotypes in a Model of MECP2 Deficiency and Is a Potential Therapy for Rett Syndrome

Dysregulation of BRD4 Function Underlies the Functional Abnormalities of MeCP2 Mutant Neurons Xiang Y, Tanaka Y, Patterson B, et al. Mole Cell. 2020;79(1):84-98. e9. doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2020.05.01...
The importance of forensic evidence for decisions on criminal guilt.

Abstract Recent studies have found that the general public perceives forensic evidence to be relatively inaccurate and to involve high levels of human judgement. This study examines how important the general public finds forensic evidence by comparing decisions on guilt and punishment in criminal cases that involve forensic versus eyewitness testimony evidence and examining whether a CSI effect exists. Specifically, this experimental survey study utilized a 2 (crime type: murder or rape) × 4 (evidence type: DNA, fingerprint, victim eyewitness testimony, or bystander eyewitness testimony) − 1 (no victim testimony for murder scenario) design, yielding seven vignettes scenarios to which participants were randomly assigned. Results indicate that forensic evidence was associated with more guilty verdicts and higher confidence in a guilty verdict. Forensic evidence did not change the expected sentence length and did not generally affect the ideal sentence length. However, for rape, respondents believed that the defendant should receive a longer sentence when forensic evidence was presented but forensic evidence did not alter likely sentence that respondents expected the defendant to receive. The results of this study did not support a CSI effect. Overall, this study suggests that forensic evidence – particularly DNA – has a stronger influence during the verdict stage than the sentencing stage.
Effects of Video Self-Modeling and System of Least Prompts on Completion of Transitional Routines for a Student With Extensive Support Needs in Inclusive Settings

Students with extensive support needs often require intensive individualized instruction across domains. Research suggests that students with extensive support needs can achieve greater independenc...
TH-B-213-01: Spine SBRT: Linac

Spine SBRT is a common option for spine radiation therapy. This session will describe the clinical implementation of a spine SBRT program using linear accelerators, Cyberknife, and gimbaled devices. Treatment planning, QA, treatment delivery, patient immobilization and setup, and commissioning will be discussed. The goals of spine SBRT clinical workflow are common to all treatment devices but clinical practices depend upon the treatment device and differences will be detailed. Tolerances of patient setup, immobilization and imaging are defined by the close proximity of the spinal cord to the target and tolerances will be discussed along with error minimization practices. Published studies regarding the clinical rationale and implementation of spine SBRT will be reviewed. Learning Objectives: 1. 1.Understand the clinical rationale for spine SBRT. 2. 2.Understand the similarities and differences of difference treatment devices utilized for spine SBRT. 3. 3.Understand the clinical physics methods for commissioning a spine SBRT program. 4. 4.Understand the clinical workflow of a spine SBRT program including treatment planning techniques and quality assurance measurements. Travel Expenses and Research Funding from Elekta
Homeless Women and Children: The Question of Poverty.

Many changes have occurred in this country that influence personalities, values, and institutions which bring about a marked change in the functioning of society as a whole. These changes have been most dramatic within the institution of the family where they have had a most telling effect on personal lives. Poverty as an independent factor is arguably the single most important determinant of health status in the United States. Low birth weight, malnutrition and housing are a few examples of how poverty can affect the lives of family members. This chapter will address poverty in the context of homeless women and children and how they are influenced based on our national agenda. Government programs will be explored to highlight how the culture of poverty is used as a defense mechanism to explain poverty and homelessness.
Thoughts on Large Distributed File Systems

This paper discusses distributed file access on large networks. It uses the Andrew file system, developed jointly by Carnegie Mellon University and IBM as an illustrative example of a large, unified file system. The paper concludes with thoughts on the requirements and design of geographically distributed file systems for very large networks comprising 106 nodes or more.
Icosanoid production can be decreased without alterations in cellular arachidonate content or enzyme activities required for arachidonate release and icosanoid synthesis

We have demonstrated that icosanoid production can be inhibited by altering the distribution of arachidonate within the cell, so that it is not released from phospholipids for icosanoid synthesis. This effect was observed in a prostaglandin E2-producing cell line (HSDM1C1) by deprivation of exogenous arachidonate for 24-48 h. Icosanoid production by the cells upon bradykinin stimulation was impaired despite no change in the concentration of arachidonate within the cell and no change in the activity of cyclooxygenase, phospholipases, acyltransferases, or fatty acyl-CoA hydrolase. Associated with the decline in prostaglandin E2 production was an increase in arachidonate incorporation into ethanolamine plasmalogens and a decrease in the activity of the enzyme arachidonoyl-CoA synthetase, which may play a role in compartmentation of arachidonate within the cell. Thus, we have found that a decrease in icosanoid production can be achieved without pharmacologic intervention by a short-term restriction of exogenous arachidonate which leads to redistribution of arachidonate within phospholipids and/or subcellular membranes in the cell.
Factors affecting aspartase activity.

Depue, Robert H. (Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia), and Albert G. Moat. Factors affecting aspartase activity. J. Bacteriol. 82: 383–386. 1961.—Cells of Escherichia coli grown in a glucose-mineral salts medium contain about one-fifth the amount of aspartase activity observed in cells grown in a yeast extract-peptone medium. The aspartase activity of the cells grown in glucose-salts medium would appear to be too low to provide a mechanism for synthesis of amino groups. Aspartase was purified approximately eightfold by ammonium sulfate precipitation and column chromatography of cell-free extracts. The purified preparation was specific for l-aspartic acid and contained no fumarase activity. A divalent metal ion requirement was demonstrated, this requirement being satisfied by cobaltous or manganous ions. The enzyme activity was found to be dependent upon free sulfhydryl groups. Biotin did not appear to be directly involved in the aspartase reaction since high concentrations of avidin did not alter the reaction rate. The Michaelis constant for aspartase with aspartic acid as substrate was determined to be 0.033 m.
Mechanizing People and Pedagogy: Establishing Social Presence in the Online Classroom

This research addresses the affordances of using Voki avatars to create a sense of social presence in an asynchronous online writing classroom setting. Digital media afford online educators the opportunity to harness different technologies and new ways of being in a digital classroom that can enhance student engagement in ways similar to yet unlike face-to-face instruction, but this current research questions the effectiveness of these technologies. Original data was obtained from forty students in an online writing course who responded to open-ended questions about their perception of social presence. This study reiterates the importance of establishing social presence in an online course, but suggests students may find specific Web 2.0 technology less effective than other pedagogical methods.
Traction Force Microscopy of Migrating Normal and H-ras Transformed 3T3 Fibroblasts

Mechanical interactions between cell and substrate are involved in vital cellular functions from migration to signal transduction. A newly developed technique, traction force microscopy, makes it possible to visualize the dynamic characteristics of mechanical forces exerted by fibroblasts, including the magnitude, direction, and shear. In the present study such analysis is applied to migrating normal and transformed 3T3 cells. For normal cells, the lamellipodium provides almost all the forces for forward locomotion. A zone of high shear separates the lamellipodium from the cell body, suggesting that they are mechanically distinct entities. Timing and distribution of tractions at the leading edge bear no apparent relationship to local protrusive activities. However, changes in the pattern of traction forces often precede changes in the direction of migration. These observations suggest a frontal towing mechanism for cell migration, where dynamic traction forces at the leading edge actively pull the cell body forward. For H-ras transformed cells, pockets of weak, transient traction scatter among small pseudopods and appear to act against one another. The shear pattern suggests multiple disorganized mechanical domains. The weak, poorly coordinated traction forces, coupled with weak cell-substrate adhesions, are likely responsible for the abnormal motile behavior of H-ras transformed cells.
Extracellular phosphate requirement for insulin action on isolated rat hepatocytes

Abstract Isolated rat hepatocytes were prepared in KHB buffer, pH 7.4; were centrifuged and washed twice in KHB buffer containing various amounts of phosphate and calcium; and were incubated at 30° in the presence of tracer [2,3- 14 C]succinate and a 0.5 m m concentration of each of the 20 natural amino acids. Hepatocytes washed and incubated in KHB buffer containing less than 0.2 m m phosphate failed to show any insulin stimulation of [2,3- 14 C]succinate oxidation or protein incorporation of tracer carbons. The absence or presence of extracellular phosphate did not alter the specific activity of 32 P-adenine nucleotides; they remained the same in the presence or absence of insulin. The maximal insulin stimulatory effect on succinate oxidation and tracer incorporation into protein was observed in the presence of 1.18 m m phosphate and 1.9 m m calcium ion. The lack of external phosphate did not prevent the stimulation of succinate oxidation by either glucagon on epinephrine, whereas removal of calcium from the medium abolished their hormonal effects. The lack of medium calcium also prevented the insulin stimulation of succinate oxidation and protein synthesis. Our data indicate that a diminished insulin responsiveness in hypophosphatemic patients may be due to the insensitivity of mitochondria to insulin in the hypophosphatemic state.
The Behavior in Successive Nuclear Divisions of a Chromosome Broken at Meiosis

After reporting her observations of ring chromosomes, McClintock followed broken chromatids through successive cycles of cell division, in which she could observe the behavior of the "monstrous" chromosome 9 through meiosis and crossing-over. McClintock reported in a long series of articles that the chromatid breakage-fusion-bridge (BFB) cycle occurred only in the germ cells and endosperm, while the chromosome BFB continued in the sporophyte, which meant that she could selectively produce persistent variegation in plant tissues.
Role of brain 5-hydroxytryptamine in audiogenic seizure in the rat

Arastirmanin amaci gebe okulu’na basvuran gebelerin yasadigi gebelige bagli fiziksel saglik sorunlarini incelemektir. Calismanin v erileri gebe okulunun kayit sisteminden elde edilmistir. Verilerin analizi tanimlayici istatistikler ve ki-kare testi ile yapilmistir. Bu arastirma gebelerin onemli bir bolumunun bulanti-kusma, sik idrara cikma, vajinal kanama, memelerde hassasiyet, konstipasyon, gaz, hemoroid, sirt agrisi, bacak kramplari gibi sorunlari yasadiklari sonucunu aciga cikarmistir. Saglik profesyonellerinin gebe okulu ya da diger egitim ve danismanlik hizmetleri sirasinda bu saglik sorunlarini da dikkate almalari ile gebelik surecinin saglikli gecirilmesine katki saglanabilir.
Convergence and divergence of the photoregulation of pigmentation and cellular morphology in Fremyella diplosiphon

Photosynthetic pigment accumulation and cellular and filament morphology are regulated reversibly by green light (GL) and red light (RL) in the cyanobacterium Fremyella diplosiphon during complementary chromatic adaptation (CCA). The photoreceptor RcaE (regulator of chromatic adaptation), which appears to function as a light-responsive sensor kinase, controls both of these responses. Recent findings indicate that downstream of RcaE, the signaling pathways leading to light-dependent changes in morphology or pigment synthesis and/or accumulation branch, and utilize distinct molecular components. We recently reported that the regulation of the accumulation of the GL-absorbing photosynthetic accessory protein phycoerythrin (PE) and photoregulation of cellular morphology are largely independent, as many mutants with severe PE accumulation defects do not have major disruptions in the regulation of cellular morphology. Furthermore, morphology can be disrupted under GL without impacting GL-dependent PE accumulation. Most recently, however, we determined that the disruption of the cpeR gene, which encodes a protein that is known to function as an activator of PE synthesis under GL, results in disruption of cellular morphology under GL and RL. Thus, apart from RcaE, CpeR is only the second known regulator to impact morphology under both light conditions in F. diplosiphon.
Optimal oxygenation of YSr2Cu2.75Mo0.25Oz thin films

Abstract Results are presented on the optimization of oxygen content and order in YSr 2 Cu 2.75 Mo 0.25 O z (YSCMO) thin films. It is shown that due to the high vapor pressure of the chain oxygen of this doped cuprate, optimal oxygenation cannot be achieved through annealing in O 2 at 1 atm. Optimization of oxygen content can be accomplished globally by ozone anneals at 1 atm, and locally, in thin film microbridges, by electromigration of chain oxygen vacancies out of the microbridges. Both techniques lead to a maximal T c of 75 K, substantially higher than has been previously achieved in this material. The strong correlation between the enhancement in superconducting and normal state properties, and improvements in oxygen content has been verified by micro-Raman spectroscopy. These results suggest that YSr 2 Cu 3− x M x O z materials in general may be substantially under-oxidized if annealed in O 2 at less than extremely high pressure, or without some other means that can overcome a comparatively high chain-oxygen vapor pressure at typical annealing temperatures. This could affect the interpretation of previous experiments with doped cuprate superconductors.
Gender and the “Lost” Spaces of Catholicism

The Reformation in England was largely a contest over space and its social meanings and uses. Gender intersected with religious affiliation in struggles over the control of several particularly fruitful sites: court chapels, prisons, households, and beds. Although Catholics lost many devotional, social, and political spaces in the wake of the Reformation, they also developed a tactical and adaptive relationship to space that fostered Catholic survival.
Effects of ketoconazole on glucuronidation by UDP-glucuronosyltransferase enzymes.

Purpose: Ketoconazole has been shown to inhibit the glucuronidation of the UGT2B7 substrates zidovudine and lorazepam. Its effect on UGT1A substrates is unclear. A recent study found that coadministration of irinotecan and ketoconazole led to a significant increase in the formation of SN-38 (7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecine), an UGT1A substrate. This study investigates whether ketoconazole contributes to the increase in SN-38 formation by inhibiting SN-38 glucuronidation. Experimental Design: SN-38 glucuronidation activities were determined by measuring the rate of SN-38 glucuronide (SN-38G) formation using pooled human liver microsomes and cDNA-expressed UGT1A isoforms (1A1, 1A7 and 1A9) in the presence of ketoconazole. Indinavir, a known UGT1A1 inhibitor, was used as a positive control. SN-38G formation was measured by high-performance liquid chromatograph. Results: Ketoconazole competitively inhibited SN-38 glucuronidation. Among the UGT1A isoforms screened, ketoconazole showed the highest inhibitory effect on UGT1A1 and UGT1A9. The Ki values were 3.3 ± 0.8 μmol/L for UGT1A1 and 31.9 ± 3.3 μmol/L for UGT1A9. Conclusions: These results show that ketoconazole is a potent UGT1A1 inhibitor, which seems the basis for increased exposure to SN-38 when coadministered with irinotecan.
Modeling railroad track structures using the finite segment method

In the finite segment method, the dynamics of a deformable body is described using a set of rigid bodies that are connected by elastic force elements. This approach can be used, as demonstrated in this investigation, in the simulation of some rail movements. In order to ensure that the rail geometry is not distorted as the result of the finite segment displacements, a new track model that consistently integrates the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) geometry and the finite segment method is developed. ANCF finite elements define the track geometry in the reference configuration as well as the change in the geometry due to the movement of the finite segments of the track. Using ANCF geometry and the finite segment kinematics, the location of the wheel/rail contact point is predicted online and used to update the creepage expressions due to the finite segment displacements and rotations. The location of the wheel/rail contact point and the updated creepage expressions are used to evaluate the creep forces. A three-dimensional elastic contact formulation (ECF-A) which allows for wheel/rail separation is used in this investigation. The rail displacement due to the applied loads is modeled by a set of rigid finite segments that are connected by a set of spring-damper elements. Each rail finite segment is assumed to have six rigid body degrees of freedom. The equations of motion of the finite segments are integrated with the railroad vehicle system equations of motion in a sparse matrix formulation. The resulting dynamic equations are solved using a predictor–corrector numerical integration method that has a variable order and variable step size. The finite segments may be used to model specific phenomena that occur in railroad vehicle applications, including rail rotations and gauge widening. The procedure used in this investigation to implement the finite segment method in a general purpose multibody system (MBS) computer program is described. Two simple models are presented in order to demonstrate the implementation of the finite segment method in MBS algorithms. The limitations of using the finite segments approach for modeling the track structure and rail flexibility are also discussed.
Thermodynamics of the reactions of carbamoyl phosphate

Two measurements of equilibrium constants by Marshall and Cohen make it possible to calculate standard Gibbs energies of formation of the species of carbamate and carbamoyl phosphate. Carbamate formation from carbon dioxide and ammonia does not require an enzyme, and the equilibrium concentrations of carbamate in ammonium bicarbonate are calculated. Knowing the values of standard Gibbs energies of formation of species of carbamate and carbamoyl phosphate make it possible to calculate the dependencies of the standard transformed Gibbs energies of formation of these reactants on pH and ionic strength and to calculate apparent equilibrium constants for several enzyme-catalyzed reactions and several chemical reactions. These calculations are sufficiently complicated that computer programs in Mathematica are used to make tables and plots. The dependences of apparent equilibrium constants on pH are consequences of the production or consumption of hydrogen ions, which are shown in plots. As usual the increase in the number of enzyme-catalyzed reactions for which apparent equilibrium constants can be calculated is larger than the number of reactions required to obtain the thermodynamic properties of the species involved.
Effect of isoproterenol on contractile force of isolated rabbit renal pelvic smooth muscle.

MORITA, T., MIYAGAWA, I., WHEELER, M. and WEISS, R.M. Effect of Isoproterenol on Contractile Force of Isolated Rabbit Renal Pelvic Smooth Muscle. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 1985, 147 (2), 153-155-Isoproterenol produced a concentration-dependent increase in contractile force of rabbit upper renal pelvic smooth muscle. Conversely, isoproterenol produced a concentration-dependent decrease in contractile force of rabbit lower renal pelvic smooth muscle. These data show that in response to isoproterenol upper renal pelvic smooth muscle, which is thought to act as a pacemaker region for pelviureteral peristalsis, resembles cardic muscles, whereas lower pelvic smooth muscle is similar to ureter and other smooth muscles.