cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alternative applications of cyclosporin A to improve kidney allograft survival

This study applies cyclosporin A as a donor pretreatment prior to organ harvesting or as a graft pretreatment during preservation of canine kidney allografts by hypothermic pulsatile perfusion or hypothermic storage. All recipients except those in Group IX received minimal immunosuppression with azathioprine after transplantation (5 to 2.5 mg. per kg. per day). No significant differences in survival (X +/- SD) were observed between the 3 control groups which were either 1) flushed with untreated Ringer's lactate solution and immediately transplanted (Group I, no. = 8, 14 +/- 3.33 days), 2) preserved by hypothermic pulsatile perfusion for 24 hours (Group II, no. = 7, 12.0 +/- 8.92 days), or 3) hypothermically stored for 24 hours (Group III, no. = 7 13.1 +/- 11.6 days). A trend towards improved survival was seen in the 2 groups of animals that received kidneys that had been graft pretreated with cyclosporin A (12.5 mg.) during 24 hours preservation by either hypothermic pulsatile perfusion (Group IV, no. = 10, 17.4 +/- 13.32 days, p less than .25) or hypothermic storage (Group V, no. = 6, 8 +/- 12.75 days, p less than .25). Survival of recipients in Groups VI (no. = 6) and VII (no. = 9) who received kidneys whose donors had been pretreated with 25 and 50 mg. per kg. respectively was dependent on the dosage of cyclosporin A used. Donor pretreatment at 50 mg. per kg. was deleterious to kidney function (Group VI, 2.16 +/- 1.47 days, p less than 0.0005). Donor pretreatment with 25 mg. per kg. did not significantly improve survival over control groups (15.66 +/- 12.9 days). Recipients in Groups VIII (no. = 10) and IX (no. = 6) were transplanted with kidneys from cyclosporin A pretreated donors (15 mg. per kg.). These kidneys also received cyclosporin A graft pretreatment (10 mg.) during 24 hours of hypothermic storage. The only difference between Groups VIII and IX was that the animals in Group IX received minimal amounts of cyclosporin A (5 mg. per kg. per day) after transplantation. Combined donor and graft pretreatment yielded improved kidney allograft survival (Group VIII, 21.7 +/- 13.36 days, p greater than .10, Group IX, 20.83 +/- 14.2 days, p greater than .10). However, there was no significant difference observed as a result of the different immunosuppressive protocols used in Groups VIII and IX. These results indicate a trend towards improved renal allograft survival under certain conditions, after donor and graft pretreatment with cyclosporin A.
Learning metathesis: Evidence for syllable structure constraints.

One of the major questions in the cognitive science of language is whether the perceptual and phonological motivations for the rules and patterns that govern the sounds of language are a part of the psychological reality of grammatical representations. This question is particularly important in the study of phonological patterns - systematic constraints on the representation of sounds, because phonological patterns tend to be grounded in phonetic constraints. This paper focuses on phonological metathesis, which occurs when two adjacent sounds switch positions (e.g., cast pronounced as cats ). While many cases of phonological metathesis appear to be motivated by constraints on syllable structure, it is possible that these metathesis patterns are merely artifacts of historical change, and do not represent the linguistic knowledge of the speaker (Blevins & Garrett, 1998). Participants who were exposed to a metathesis pattern that can be explained in terms of structural or perceptual improvement were less likely to generalize to metathesis patterns that did not show the same improvements. These results support a substantively biased theory in which phonological patterns are encoded in terms of structurally motivated constraints.
Utility of third trimester sonographic measurements for predicting SGA in cases of fetal gastroschisis.

Utility of third trimester sonographic measurements for predicting SGA in cases of fetal gastroschisis
Anesthesia for Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair (EVAR)

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) is a disease associated with hypercholesterolemia, peripheral artery disease, smoking, hypertension, and an unhealthy lifestyle. It has preponderance for male gender and its prevalence increases 2–4% per decade of life after age 55–60 and is often an incidental finding. The risk of rupture increases progressively when vessel diameter reaches 5 cm. Despite current development in surgical techniques and transition to endovascular abdominal aneurysm repairs (EVAR) in more than 70% of patients with this diagnosis, this procedure can lead to major complications and mortality. Moreover, patients who are initially selected to undergo EVAR are generally sicker with higher ASA status, and emergency surgery for ruptured AAA may be managed with endovascular repair. While short-term results favor EVAR, in the long term these patients require more frequent monitoring, and the need for secondary interventions for graft complication with increasing costs without improved long-term mortality is observed. Practicing anesthesiologists should be familiar with the different approaches to EVAR and with the considerations to guide intraoperative management and anesthetic choice. The abundant use of fluoroscopy and intravenous dye can pose significant risk and physiological burden on the patient. Anesthesiologists should be familiar with the different types of endoleaks and their consequences, as these patients will present with some frequency for operative management after initial endovascular repair.
The "why" of markets: fair use and circularity

Jim Gibson is right that courts should be wary of letting the mere presence of licensing improperly foreclose the defense of fair use. As he says, a court in a copyright infringement case should not treat the existence of a market for licenses of the work as a factor weighing against the defendant’s claim of fair use until the court has examined “why [that] licensing market exists.” However, Gibson fails to distinguish the varying reasons licensing might be relevant to a fair use determination. As a result, the solution he proffers— attributing relevance to licensing only in markets free of excessive risk aversion—is both over- and under-inclusive. Ironically, his approach also overstates the importance of the existence of markets to the proper determination of fair use questions. In the following, I hope to clarify the role that market existence should play in fair use.
Polymer Conjugation to Enhance Cellulase Activity and Preserve Thermal and Functional Stability

A thermophilic cellulase, FnCel5a, from Fervidobacterium nodosum was conjugated with various functional polymers including cationic, anionic, and strongly and weakly hydrogen bonding polymers. The activity of FnCel5a toward a high-molecular-weight carboxymethyl cellulose substrate was enhanced by polymer conjugation. Activity enhancements of 50% or greater observed for acrylamide and mixed N,N-dimethyl acrylamide–2-(N,N-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate polymers, suggesting that the greatest enhancements were caused by polymers capable of noncovalent interactions with the substrate. The conjugates were found to have nearly identical thermodynamic stability to the native enzyme, as assessed by free energy (ΔG), enthalpy (ΔH), and entropy (TΔS) parameters extracted from differential scanning fluorimetry. Polymers tended to confer comparable tolerance to high concentrations of dimethylformamide, with longer polymers typically enabling higher activity relative to shorter polymers. The new FnCel5a conjugates re...
A structural model of early indicators of school readiness among children of poverty

ABSTRACTFactors that affect children’s school readiness potential are evident even from birth. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses that certain factors related to gender, approaches to learning, age at school entry, family income, and the health status of the child at birth have an effect on low-socioeconomic status (SES) children’s readiness for school. Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) was used to test the hypotheses. Included in the sample were 1700 children of diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds. All the children were in the lowest SES quintile of the children making up the ECLS-B cohort. The hypothesized model suggested that there were both direct and indirect influences on children’s school readiness performance. Potential risk factors and implications for ameliorating negative influences were identified.
Risk of suicide in persons with gastrointestinal cancer: A population-based study.

197Background: Patients with cancer have nearly twice the incidence of suicide compared to the general population(1). To date, identifying patients at risk for suicide remains challenging. The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors of suicide among patients with GI cancer. Methods: A retrospective analysis was completed using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data from 1973 to 2014. Comparisons with the general US population were based on US mortality data collected by the National Center for Health Statistics. Suicide incidence, rates and standardized mortality ratio (SMR) were obtained by SEER*Stat 8.3.4. Results: Among 711859 patients with GI cancer observed for 3373014 person-years, 1116 suicides were identified, for an adjusted suicide rate of 33.1/100,000 person-years (SMR 1.74 [95% CI 1.64-1.85]). The highest suicide risks (SR) were in esophageal (SMR 5.42 [95% CI 4.30-6.75]), pancreatic (SMR 4.91 [95% CI 3.83-6.19]) and liver or intrahepatic biliary cancer (SMR 3.36 [95% CI 2...
Nonreciprocal optical manipulation using dynamic modulation

Nonreciprocal optical components are crucial for important applications such as optical signal processing and laser feedback protection. While magneto-optic materials have traditionally been used to break reciprocity, they are incompatible with optoelectronic materials and are thus difficult to be integrated into on-chip photonics platforms. On the other hand, non-reciprocity can be introduced by dynamic modulation of materials' refractive indices. Since such modulation is compatible with the optoelectronic platform, this approach has shown great promise for constructing nonreciprocal optical devices. Here, we summarize how such dynamic modulation can be used to enable optical circulation on a photonic crystal slab, as well as to achieve direction-dependent absorption in a micro-ring resonator.
SURFACTANT | Surfactant Proteins B and C (SP-B and SP-C)

Surfactant proteins B and C (SP-B and SP-C) are small hydrophobic proteins of pulmonary surfactant that are essential for lung function. Each is produced in alveolar type II (ATII) cells from larger precursor proteins (proproteins) that undergo multistep posttranslational processing to generate the mature secreted forms. SP-B and SP-C participate in the reduction of surface tension of the alveoli and prevent alveolar collapse at low lung volume by forming a surface-active film at the air–fluid interface. They also have critical roles in the regulation of intracellular processes necessary for the production of surfactant and for the maintenance of ATII cell function. Deficiency or abnormal protein expression due to SP-B and SP-C gene mutations has been linked to various acute and chronic lung diseases.
Abstract 19216: IL-9 Promotes Mast Cell Activation and Endothelial Toxicity in Chronic Kidney Disease-Dependent Vein Graft Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD, with GFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2) independently predicts vascular events, including CABG vein graft failure. To elucidate mechanisms underlying this problem, we modeled CKD...
Perceived person-organization fit: moving beyond correspondence-based explanations

Over the next 20 years the labor shortage in the U.S. is expected to grow to 25 million with skilled labor being in especially high demand (Employment Policy Foundation, Future Labor Skill Shortages Jeopardize American Prosperity, October, 2001). As such, the firm’s ability to recruit human capital will increase in importance. Research suggests that person-organization fit is an important predicator of early stage recruiting outcomes such as organizational attraction (e.g., Kristof-Brown, A.L., Zimmerman, R.D., & Johnson, E.C. 2005. Consequences of individuals’ fit at work: A meta-analysis of person-job, person-organization, person-group, and person-supervisor fit. Personnel Psychology, 58, 281-342). As such, this dissertation seeks to increase our understanding of the causes of overall PO fit perceptions in the context of realistic early recruiting outcomes. Organizational brand image, individual affectivity, and measures of PO fit on specific work attributes are hypothesized to be related to job seekers perceptions of overall fit perceptions. Abstract Approved: ____________________________________ Thesis Supervisor ____________________________________ Title and Department ____________________________________ DateApproved: ____________________________________ Thesis Supervisor ____________________________________ Title and Department ____________________________________ Date PERCEIVED PERSON-ORGANIZATION FIT: MOVING BEYOND CORRESPONDENCE-BASED EXPLANATIONS by Todd Christian Darnold A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Business Administration in the Graduate College of The University of Iowa
The Effect of Endotoxin on Migration Inhibitory Factor and Interferon

Lymphokines are soluble mediators released by lymphocytes. Two lymphokines frequently associated in vivo in the development of cell-mediated immunity are migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and γ-interferon (γ -IFN) (21). The effect of endotoxin on these two lymphokines is being discussed herein.
How to be Nonlinear

In the previous sections we have repeatedly indicated how linear concepts collapse under the weight of uninterpretable data and are replaced by nonlinear ones. Examples include the existence of non-integer exponents in the functional representation of data, long tails in the distribution functions, saturation phenomena and rhythmic behavior in open (biological) systems. Each has obliged us to seek a nonlinear representation of the underlying process. In each case we observed how a comfortable linear notion was inadequate to describe a particular phenomenon due to the existence of one or more nonlinear mechanisms and therefore had to be discarded. An example we considered is the amplification mechanism responsible for the log-normal distribution being replaced by a Pareto tail at the high end of the income distribution [cf. (§3.2)]. The log-normal distribution relies on a linear interpretation in terms of the logarithm of an individual’s income. The amplification mechanism at high incomes is nonlinear, however, and forces the replacement of the linear-based log-normal distribution with the nonlinear-based Pareto power law. The practical question remains: “How does one learn the techniques that are of value in one’s field without becoming burdened with perhaps interesting but nonetheless irrelevant mathematical baggage?”
Neuronal Death and Neuroprotection after Stroke and Brain Trauma

Acute neuronal injury from stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI) starts a sequela of both extra- and intracellular events that ultimately leads to the demise of the affected brain tissue comprising neurons, glia, and endothelial cells lining the vasculature – the neurovascular unit. This article discusses the initial insults that separate stroke from TBI, and the common factors that lead to brain cell death and neurological dysfunction. Finally, various strategies currently being tested to provide neuroprotection are discussed in relation to acute neuronal injury.
Smoking-Related Diffuse Cystic Lung Disease.

Exposure to cigarette smoke can lead to a variety of parenchymal lung diseases, including diffuse cystic lung diseases (DCLDs). Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is the prototypical DCLD and has a characteristic appearance on high-resolution CT (HRCT). We present a series of four patients with DCLD on HRCT who were referred to our institution with a presumed diagnosis of LAM and who were found instead to have smoking-related injury of the small airways on histopathological analysis. We submit that cigarette smoke–induced small airway injury can present as DCLD on HRCT in a pattern that can mimic LAM. A detailed history of cigarette smoke exposure should be obtained in patients presenting with DCLD, and imaging features should not be used in isolation to establish a firm diagnosis of LAM.
Abstract WMP103: Role of the Soluble TLR4 Decoy Receptor on ICH Outcomes

Background: Of all subdivisions of stroke, intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke (ICH) only accounts for around 10-15% but is characterized by the highest mortality and morbidity. Lately, understanding ...
Proceedings of the 14th ACM SIGGRAPH / Eurographics Symposium on Computer Animation

Over the years, the ACM SIGGRAPH / Eurographics Symposium on Computer Animation (SCA) has become established as the leading conference for Computer Animation. In order to further increase the impact of this 14th edition of SCA, and to promote meaningful discussions that may shape future research directions for our field, we have expanded the program considerably. Most notably, we have created the Words of Wisdom session, which will gather renowned researchers in the field to dispense hard-learned advice, as well as the VFX panel, which will bring academia and industry together in identifying relevant research challenges. We have also invited 3 keynote speakers, two of which are from outside the graphics community. Finally, when building the Technical Papers and Posters sessions, we have prioritized originality and creativity.
When Slower is Faster: Time Spent Decoding Novel Words Predicts Better Decoding and Faster Growth

We compare poor-performing and normal-performing decoders’ processing times on real words, pseudo-homophones, and nonwords (Study 1), and evaluate how a processing time difference is associated wit...
Spontaneous Vertebral Arteriovenous Fistula Mimicking Brachial Radiculoplexopathy.

Background Vertebral arteriovenous fistulas (VAVFs) are uncommon high-flow communications between a vertebral artery and surrounding venous plexus that occur spontaneously or secondary to trauma. Case Description A woman aged 57 years presented with a multiday history of rapidly progressive numbness and weakness in the left C5-C6 dermomyotomes. Her physical examination findings and subsequent electrophysiological testing were suggestive of a brachial radiculoplexopathy. Noninvasive imaging demonstrated venous congestion with multilevel compromise of the left-sided cervical foramina, and subsequent vertebral angiography confirmed a VAVF, which was treated with trapping of the involved vertebral artery segment. Her numbness and weakness progressively improved with concurrent involution of the dilated veins. Conclusions This is a rare case of VAVF manifesting as a brachial radiculoplexopathy. Although rare, VAVF may be considered as a potential cause in patients presenting with similar symptoms.
Therapeutic Plasma Exchange Using Membrane Plasma Separation

Therapeutic plasma exchange is a blood purification technique designed for the removal of large molecular weight toxins such as pathogenic antibodies and lipoproteins. Plasma exchange can be performed either by membrane separation or centrifugation. Centrifugal plasma exchange is more common in the United States, while membrane separation is more popular in Germany and Japan. The membrane separation technique is similar to the ultrafiltration procedures performed with a standard dialysis machine but in which the membrane's pores are large enough to allow removal of all circulating molecules while retaining the cellular components. The current availability of plasma separation membranes compatible with CRRT systems has dramatically increased the potential for almost all nephrologists to perform these treatments. This review describes the membrane separation techniques available in the United States, the practical aspects of ordering and operating a membrane separation plasma exchange procedure, and its possible complications.
Acute aerobic exercise increases respiratory sinus arrythmia reactivity and recovery to a sad film among individuals at risk for depression

Cardiac vagal control (CVC), as indexed by abnormalities in resting, reactivity, and recovery levels of respiratory sinus arrythmia (RSA), has been proposed as an index of impaired self-regulatory capacity in depression. Aerobic exercise has been shown to improve positive and negative affective responses and influence autonomic function; however, it is unknown whether exercise impacts RSA reactivity and subsequent recovery to emotional challenges among individuals at risk for depression. The present study aimed to determine the effects of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on RSA reactivity and recovery to a sad film. Using a within-subjects design, 47 individuals with variable symptoms of depression completed a 30-min session of exercise and a sedentary control condition on separate days prior to viewing a sad film. On the control day, individuals with elevated depressive symptom severity displayed less vagal withdrawal to the sad film and exhibited impaired post-film RSA recovery. Following exercise, individuals with elevated depressive symptom severity demonstrated a higher degree of vagal withdrawal to the sad film and subsequent post-film recovery that matched individuals with lower depressive symptom severity. These findings suggest that a single session aerobic exercise may be an effective approach to increase emotional and self-regulatory capacity among individual at risk for, or currently experiencing, depression.
Giant Gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas) Exploit Abundant Nonnative Prey While Maintaining Their Appetite for Native Anurans

The introductions of nonnative species can cause great change in the trophic dynamics of native species. Giant Gartersnakes, endemic predators in the Central Valley of California, are listed as threatened because of the conversion of their once vast wetland habitat to agriculture. Further contributing to this snake's changing ecology is the introduction of many nonnative prey species, resulting in a diet that is almost completely composed of nonnative species. In order to determine whether these snakes actively select their prey or simply consume what is abundant, we examined prey selection by adult Giant Gartersnakes in the context of what prey was available to each individual. Giant Gartersnakes selected a native anuran over nonnative anuran and fish species despite these nonnatives dominating the available species composition. These results contribute to understanding the mechanisms underlying Giant Gartersnake diets in the contemporary landscape and can lead to improved management of prey communities for Giant Gartersnakes and other native predators.
Tackling the Underreprentation of Women in Computing and Finding Novel Help in Athletics

Researchers address the underrepresentation of women in computer science by conducting a four-year longitudinal study to explore the relationships among athletics, personality measures, gender, and performance in Computer Science I (CS1). The study explores personality traits (openness, persistence, and endurance) that enhance women's performance and persistence in both athletics and computer science, according to a literature review. Experimental results show female athletes out-perform (measured by CS1 grades) all other groups: male athletes, male non-athletes, and female non-athletes. The authors report results from statistical analyses to support hypotheses regarding reasons for female athletes' superior performance in CS1. The paper closes with a Future Work section that indicates how the lessons learned from female athletes in computer science might be applied to addressing the underrepresentation of all women in computing.
RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE AND INTERPRETATION

The interpretation of ancient texts focuses on issues which can be common to several religious traditions.' Within the Jewish and Christian expressions of theology over the centuries, the task of relating the contents of earlier documents to different cultures and philosophies of life has been tackled from many angles. In recent years the work of Claude Levi-Strauss and Paul Ricoeur has suggested new approaches to fundamental hermeneutical questions.
Optimizing the order of actions in contact tracing.

Contact tracing is a key tool for managing epidemic diseases like HIV, tuberculosis, and COVID-19. Manual investigations by human contact tracers remain a dominant way in which this is carried out. This process is limited by the number of contact tracers available, who are often overburdened during an outbreak or epidemic. As a result, a crucial decision in any contact tracing strategy is, given a set of contacts, which person should a tracer trace next? In this work, we develop a formal model that articulates these questions and provides a framework for comparing contact tracing strategies. Through analyzing our model, we give provably optimal prioritization policies via a clean connection to a tool from operations research called a "branching bandit". Examining these policies gives qualitative insight into trade-offs in contact tracing applications.
Politically Excluded, Undocu-Engaged: The Perceived Effect of Hostile Immigration Policies on Undocumented Student Political Engagement

Prior research suggests that hostile immigration policies can motivate undocumented immigrants’ political engagement, but may also create unique risks that limit their willingness to participate. W...
The Relationship Between Mindfulness and Forgiveness of Infidelity

Forgiveness has been associated with multiple benefits for individuals as well as for relationships. Mindfulness may facilitate an individual’s forgiveness of interpersonal betrayal by enhancing emotional recovery and perspective taking and reducing overidentification with anger. The current study evaluated whether higher levels of self-reported mindfulness were associated with forgiveness or nonforgiveness of past partner infidelity. Ninety-four participants (49 % male, 51 % Caucasian, 30 % Hispanic, and 16 % African American) with a history of a partner affair anonymously completed an online survey of their own levels of current mindfulness and forgiveness or nonforgiveness regarding an affair. Correlations between facets of mindfulness and forgiveness/nonforgiveness were evaluated. To examine significant associations, separate regressions were run, first controlling for affair variables (e.g., perceived severity of the infidelity, remorse of the partner) and secondly controlling for general empathy, perspective taking, and anger. In controlled analyses, lower levels of the mindfulness facets of acting with awareness and being nonjudgmental of inner experience were related to higher levels of current nonforgiveness of the partner. Additionally, the mindfulness skill of being nonreactive was positively related to higher levels of current forgiveness. However, other aspects of mindfulness either were not associated with forgiveness or nonforgiveness as hypothesized or were accounted for by the control variables. Future researchers could consider whether integrating mindfulness into intervention could be of benefit to individuals who have experienced partner infidelity.
A dosing algorithm for erythropoietin alpha in older adults with heart failure and a preserved ejection fraction.

SUMMARY Aims: Erythropoietin stimulating agents (ESAs) is an active area of clinical investigation in heart failure (HF) but can cause hypertension and higher hemoglobin concentrations (Hb) that have been associated with adverse outcomes. We evaluated a dosing algorithm and potential confounders’ effect on Hb and blood pressure (BP) in a clinical trial. Methods: In an ongoing randomized, placebo controlled, single blind clinical trial of ESA (epoetin alfa) in anemic patients with HF and a preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF), Hb was measured weekly as was BP, weight and concomitant medical therapy. A repeated measure mixed model evaluated determinants of weekly changes in Hb and BP. Results: Among 45 subjects (78 ± 11 years, 67% women, EF = 57 ± 9%) with a total of 780 repeated weekly Hb measures, Hb significantly increased over time in those assigned to ESA (β= 0.933, P < 0.0001), compared to placebo. Dose (β=−0.108, P < 0.0001), patient weight (β=−0.016, P= 0.0037), diuretic use (β=−0.124, P= 0.0389), and time (β= 0.003, P= 0.0331), were all significantly associated with Hb change. Increased diuretic dose and weight change were significantly inversely associated with changes in Hb. ESA administration and dose were not significant determinants of absolute BP or changes in BP from baseline. Discussion: In addition to ESA dose and duration of therapy, factors indicative of volume status including weight and diuretic use are determinants of hemoglobin levels in HF subjects. Conclusion: The currently employed dosing algorithm, which adjusts the administration of ESA based on the absolute hemoglobin and weekly change in hemoglobin increases Hb with relatively a low weekly dose of ESA without significant effects on BP.
Directed Evolution: Novel and Improved Enzymes

By mimicking Darwinian evolution in the test tube, directed evolution has become a powerful tool for engineering novel enzymes for basic and applied biology research and medicine. Unlike structure-based rational design, directed evolution is capable of altering single or multiple functional properties such as activity, specificity, selectivity, stability, and solubility of naturally occurring enzymes in the absence of detailed knowledge of enzyme structure, function, or mechanism. More recently, directed evolution has also been used to engineer metabolic pathways, viruses, and whole microorganisms, and to address fundamental problems in biology. The success of directed evolution has been largely fueled by the development of numerous molecular biology techniques that enable the creation of genetic diversity through random mutagenesis or homologous or nonhomologous recombination in the target genes and the development of powerful high throughput screening or selection methods as well as by novel applications. This review will highlight the key developments in directed evolution and focus on the design and engineering of novel enzymes through directed evolution and their implications in chemical biology.
Identification of Analogues of Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide among the Metabolites of 2,6-Diaminopurine in Mammalian Cells

Experimental evidence indicates that an analogue of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide in which the adenine moiety is replaced by 2,6-diaminopurine is formed when cultured mammalian cells are grown in the presence of 2,6-diaminopurine. It is also likely that the corresponding analogue containing nicotinic acid is formed when both 2,6-diaminopurine and nicotinic acid are added to the culture medium.
Radiative decay of ϒ(nS) into S-wave sbottomonium

Abstract A calculation is presented of the radiative decay of the ϒ ( nS ) into a bound state of bottom squarks. Predictions are provided of the branching fraction as a function of the masses of the bottom squark and the gluino. Branching fractions as large as several times 10 −4 are obtained for supersymmetric particle masses in the range suggested by the analysis of bottom-quark production cross sections. Data are shown that limit the range of allowed masses. Forthcoming high-statistics data from the CLEO Collaboration offer possibilities of discovery or significant new bounds on the existence and masses of supersymmetric particles.
Influence of water and sediment supply on the stratigraphic record of alluvial fans and deltas: Process controls on stratigraphic completeness

[1] Stratigraphy contains the most complete record of information necessary to quantitatively reconstruct paleolandscape dynamics, but this record contains significant gaps over a range of time and space scales. These gaps result from stasis on geomorphic surfaces and erosional events that remove previously deposited sediment. Building on earlier statistical studies, we examine stratigraphic completeness in three laboratory experiments where the topography of aggrading deltas was monitored at high temporal and spatial scales. The three experiments cover unique combinations in the absolute magnitudes of sediment and water discharge in addition to generation of accommodation space through base-level rise. This analysis centers on three time scales: (1) the time at which a record is discretized (t), (2) the time necessary to build a deposit with mean thickness equivalent to the maximum roughness on a surface (Tc), and (3) the time necessary for channelized flow to migrate over all locations in a basin (Tch). These time scales incorporate information pertaining to the time-variant topography of actively changing surfaces, kinematics by which the surfaces are changing, and net deposition rate. We find that stratigraphic completeness increases as a function of t/Tc but decreases as a function of Tc/Tch over the parameter space covered in the experiments. Our results suggest that environmental signals disconnected from a sediment routing system are best preserved in systems with low Tc values. Nondimensionalizing t by Tc, however, shows that preservation of information characterizing system morphodynamics is best preserved in stratigraphy constructed by systems with low water to sediment flux ratios.
Graduate interdisciplinary transition training at Kent State University

The purpose of this article is to provide a program description of an interdisciplinary graduate training program at Kent State University. The program, the Transition Coordinator Training Program, trains graduate students from Special Education, Vocational Education, and Rehabilitation Counseling in an integrated curriculum format through field-based experiences. Through partnership arrangements, graduate students have opportunity to work with youths with disabilities and their families, policy makers, and professionals from the three discipline areas. The results are qualified leaders and practitioners who are versed at interdisciplinary communication and strategies; state-of-the-art models and practices for inclusion of persons with disabilities in schools, communities, and jobs; the development of collaborative relationships among service providers; and advocacy at the federal, state, and local levels. Collaborative processes and organizational components are emphasized in order to highlight the integrated and interdisciplinary aspects of the program. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.
Conflict of Laws, Globalization, and Cosmopolitan Pluralism

This essay is a contribution to a symposium at the January 2005 annual meeting of the Association of American Law Schools Section on Conflict of Laws. More than ten years ago, German theorist Gunther Teubner called for the creation of an "intersystemic conflicts law," derived not just from collisions between the distinct nation-states of private international law, but from what he described as "conflicts between autonomous social subsystems." Since then, the web of intersystemic lawmaking Teubner described has only grown more complex. The collision of these multiple legal and quasi-legal normative systems requires, as Teubner suggested, a broader approach to conflict of laws, one that includes scholars from other disciplines as well as legal scholars focusing on areas beyond conflicts. Moreover, we need to think of conflict of laws not just as a series of legal puzzles, such as whether jurisdiction is appropriate under x circumstances, or how a particular choice-of-law problem should be resolved, or under what conditions a court should recognize the normative judgment of another community. Conflicts is potentially a broader topic than that, engaging interdisciplinary scholars concerned with citizenship, community affiliation, and the social construction of place, and interacting with legal scholars studying so-called "public" international law, trade law, and non-state law-making and norm-creation.For the past several years, I have been exploring what it might mean to adopt this sort of broad conflicts perspective. In this brief essay, I seek to summarize my thoughts so far and point the way towards future scholarship.
Age at diagnosis and the utility of prognostic testing in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

PURPOSE To analyze the survival of CLL patients relative to age-matched individuals in the general population and determined the age-stratified utility of prognostic testing.
Plan quality and treatment planning technique for single isocenter cranial radiosurgery with volumetric modulated arc therapy

Abstract Purpose To demonstrate plan quality and provide a practical, systematic approach to the treatment planning technique for single isocenter cranial radiosurgery with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT; RapidArc, Varian Medical systems, Palo Alto, CA). Methods and materials Fifteen patients with 1 or more brain metastases underwent single isocenter VMAT radiosurgery. All plans were normalized to deliver 100% of the prescription dose to 99%-100% of the target volume. All targets per plan were treated to the same dose. Plans were created with dose control tuning structures surrounding targets to maximize conformity and dose gradient. Plan quality was evaluated by calculation of conformity index (CI = 100% isodose volume/target volume) and homogeneity index (HI = maximum dose/prescription dose) scores for each target and a Paddick gradient index (GI = 50% isodose volume/100% isodose volume) score for each plan. Results The median number of targets per patient was 2 (range, 1-5). The median number of non-coplanar arcs utilized per plan was 2 (range, 1- 4). Single target plans were created with 1 or 2 non-coplanar arcs while multitarget plans utilized 2 to 4 non-coplanar arcs. Prescription doses ranged from 5-16 Gy in 1-5 fractions. The mean conformity index was 1.12 (± SD, 0.13) and the mean HI was 1.44 (± SD, 0.11) for all targets. The mean GI per plan was 3.34 (± SD, 0.42). Conclusions We have outlined a practical approach to cranial radiosurgery treatment planning using the single isocenter VMAT platform. One or 2 arc single isocenter plans are often adequate for treatment of single targets, while 2-4 arcs may be more advantageous for multiple targets. Given the high plan quality and extreme clinical efficiency, this single isocenter VMAT approach will continue to become more prevalent for linac-based radiosurgical treatment of 1 or more intracranial targets and will likely replace multiple isocenter techniques.
Influence of phthalates on glucose homeostasis and atherosclerosis in hyperlipidemic mice

Phthalates are widely used as plasticizer and are considered as a typical endocrine-disrupting chemical. Epidemiological studies have associated serum or urinary phthalate metabolites with the prevalence of type 2 diabetes or related phenotypes. However, direct evidence supporting a causal role for exposure to phthalates in type 2 diabetes is lacking. To determine the potential influence of phthalates on glucose homeostasis and atherosclerosis, female apolipoprotein E-deficient (Apoe−/−) mice were started at 6 weeks of age on a Western diet together with or without Bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. Phthalate was administered in drinking water at a daily dosage of 100 mg/kg. We examined glucose and insulin tolerance, plasma glucose and triglyceride levels, body weight, and atherosclerotic lesions in the aortic root. Two weeks after treatment, phthalate-exposed mice had significantly higher fasting blood glucose level (97.9 ± 2.1 vs. 84.3 ± 5.3 mg/dl, P = 0.034) and exhibited a trend of increased glucose intolerance compared to control mice. Insulin tolerance test on non-fasted mice 3 weeks after treatment revealed that phthalate had little influence on insulin sensitivity though phthalate-treated mice had a higher glucose concentration (159.2 ± 6.0 vs. 145.2 ± 3.6 mg/dl; P = 0.086). On the Western diet, Apoe−/− mice showed a time-dependent rise in fasting plasma glucose and triglyceride levels. However, no significant differences were observed between phthalate-treated and control mice in either phenotype after 4, 8, and 12 weeks of phthalate exposure. Neither body weight nor atherosclerotic lesions of Apoe−/− mice was affected. This study indicates that exposure to phthalates gives rise to a brief interference of glucose homeostasis but has little impact on the development of type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis in Apoe−/− mice.
Gated piezoresistive GaN microcantilever as an acoustic transducer

In this article, we present for the first time, transduction of ultrasonic acoustic pressure using a gated piezoresistive AlGaN/GaN Heterojunction Field Effect Transistor (HFET) integrated on GaN microcantilever. With a periodic pressure generated in air, the microcantilever was found to oscillate, and the HFET was able to transduce the pressure variation of 150.4 μPa in ambient conditions with a tunable linear sensitivity of 33.2 mV/Pa, response time <; 40 ms, and power consumption of 45 μW. The device demonstrates 3 orders higher pressure sensitivity than simple piezoresistor, and also higher than the sensitivity of commercially available Knowles microphone; thereby offering a promising alternative for cantilever enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS).
Intramolecular Charge Transfer and Solvent-Polarity Dependence of Radiative Decay Rate in Photoexcited Dinaphthylamines

It is shown that the radiative decay rate of the fluorescent state of 1,1{prime}-dinaphthylamine decreases, while that of 2,2{prime}-dinaphthylamine remains unchanged, as the polarity of the solvent is increased. These results, which are in accord with the predictions of INDO 1/S-CIS calculations, provide strong support to the conclusion that the lowest excited singlet state of the dinaphthylamines is an intramolecular charge-transfer state in solvents of high dielectric constants. The INDO 1/S method appears to be a reliable tool for investigating intramolecular charge transfer in these and related diaryl compounds. 10 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs.
Global HIV and AIDS: Calling all Social Work Educators

As the HIV/AIDS global pandemic continues to grow through a third decade, the need for social work educators to prepare social workers in distinct fields of practice with skills to assist those infected with and affected by HIV is of paramount importance. HIV/AIDS holds multi-level and multi-system effects for vulnerable populations. This article features global HIV and AIDS teaching resources beginning with common global practice challenges. Next, five teaching units focus on practice needs and challenges of divergent vulnerable populations including men who have sex with men, women, injecting drug users (IDU), commercial sex workers, and children orphaned by AIDS. Discussion questions, selected readings and electronic resources accompany each unit. The authors close the article with suggested recommendations for content integration into social work courses, and next steps for the profession.
Diagnosis of chronic hepatitis C after liver transplantation by the detection of viral sequences with polymerase chain reaction.

Chronic hepatitis frequently occurs after liver transplantation. The role of hepatitis C virus infection in patients after liver transplantation is unknown, although antibodies to HCV are detected in some of these cases. The use of polymerase chain reaction techniques for the detection of hepatitis C virus RNA should improve sensitivity and specificity, particularly in these immunosuppressed patients. Our goal was to further clarify the role of hepatitis C virus infection in chronic hepatitis occurring after liver transplantation. Patients with chronic hepatitis of uncertain origin after transplantation were identified. Serum samples taken at the time of the most recent liver biopsy that showed chronic hepatitis were tested for anti-hepatitis C virus using enzyme-linked immunoassay and supplemented by recombinant immunoblot assay (recombinant immunoblot assay I and recombinant immunoblot assay II). The samples were also tested for the presence of hepatitis C virus RNA using polymerase chain reaction. Of the 25 patients with chronic hepatitis, 15 (60%) had hepatitis C virus RNA present. Only seven (47%) of these 15 patients had anti-hepatitis C virus detected. Hepatitis C virus is a major cause of chronic hepatitis occurring after liver transplantation. The magnitude of hepatitis C virus infection will be underestimated if only currently available assays for anti-hepatitis C virus are used. (HEPATOLOGY 1992; 15:42–45).
Time of day pricing and the levelized cost of intermittent power generation

Abstract An important characteristic of most renewable energy sources is intermittency in their ability to generate electricity. Yet, intermittency is usually ignored in life-cycle cost calculations intended to assess the competitiveness of electric power from renewable as opposed to dispatchable energy sources, such as fossil fuels. This paper demonstrates that for intermittent renewable power sources a traditional life-cycle cost calculation should be appended by a correction factor which we term the Co-Variation coefficient. It captures any synergies, or complementarities, between the time-varying patterns of electricity generation and pricing. We estimate the Co-Variation coefficient for specific settings in the western United States. Our estimates imply that the benchmark of cost competitiveness for solar photovoltaic (PV) power is 10 to 15% lower than previous average life-cycle cost analyses have suggested. In contrast, the generation pattern of wind power exhibits complementarities with electricity pricing schedules, yielding a cost assessment that is higher than that suggested by traditional calculations. For the specific settings we study, the corresponding magnitude of the markup is 10 to 15%.
A characterization of abrin a from the seeds of the Abrus precatorius plant

Abstract Abrin A was purified from the seeds of the Abrus precatorius plant and its physical and biological properties were studied. The biological properties of abrin A were found to be similar to the better studied Abrus protein, abrin C, in that it is toxic to cell-free protein synthesis and binds d -galactose. Abrin A contains carbohydrate moieties including both neutral and amine sugars but no metals, similar to the other two Abrus proteins (abrin C and the Abrus agglutinin). Amino acid compositions of the subunits of abrin A indicated that it consists of two different subunits of comparable size. Furthermore, one of the subunits showed microheterogeneity suggesting that abrin A is a mixture of isolectins. A comparative study of abrin A and abrin C based on compositions and tryptic maps reveals them to be closely related. The evidence suggests that the two abrins may have the same mechanisms of toxic action. Far-ultraviolet circular dichroic studies of abrin A show it to contain 47% β-pleated sheet and 10% α-helix, again similar to the other two Abrus proteins.