cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The potential role of biotin insufficiency on essential fatty acid metabolism and cardiovascular disease risk

Among the many contributors to the development of cardiovascular disease are inadequate levels of essential fatty acids. Although the prevalence of essential fatty acid deficiencies (EFAD) have rarely been regarded as problematic in developed nations, studies have shown that insufficient levels of essential fatty acids (EFA) can impact the etiology of cardiovascular disease. Numerous animal studies have shown that clinical symptoms resulting from biotin deficiency are similar to that of EFAD. Many of these studies have also shown low biotin bioavailability in cereal grains. Because the USDA Food Guide Pyramid encourages high carbohydrate intakes and lower consumptions of fat, oil, and protein, not only may EFA level be compromised, but adequate absorption of biotin could be overestimated as well. While static biotin measurements have lead many to believe that nutritional status is adequate, functional biotin status may be accommodated. Due to the coenzymatic activity of biotin in the holocarboxylase complexes, insufficient amounts of exogenous biotin could affect elongation and desaturation of EFA, contributing to endothelial cell dysfunction. The authors suggest that there may be a substantial link between cereal grain intakes and cardiovascular disease stemming from both biotin and EFA insufficiencies.
Organic photovoltaic cells with high open circuit voltages based on pentacene derivatives

Abstract Heterojunction organic photovoltaic devices were fabricated using C60 as the electron acceptor and several pentacene derivatives with triisopropylsilylethynyl functional groups as the electron donor. The open circuit voltage (Voc) of functionalized pentacene-based cells is significantly higher (0.57–0.90 V) than for cells based on unsubstituted pentacene (0.24 V), due to the higher oxidation potentials of these pentacene derivatives. The performance of pentacene derivative cells is limited by lower current densities than the reference pentacene/C60 cell. The absorption spectra of films and solutions of pentacene derivatives closely resemble one another, leading us to conclude that these films are amorphous in nature. Weak intermolecular coupling in the derivative films results in lower charge mobility and shorter exciton diffusion lengths relative to pentacene.
Quantification of Surface Oxides on Carbonaceous Materials

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in conjunction with chemical derivatization has been developed to quantify the concentrations of hydroxyl, carboxylic acid, and carbonyl groups on carbonaceous surfaces, specifically black carbons (BCs). Control studies on polymers and graphite were performed to establish the selectivity and stoichiometry of each derivatization reaction toward the targeted oxide. Hydroxyl groups were successfully derivatized with trifluoroacetic anhydride. Derivatization strategies using trifluoroethanol, however, had to be modified from protocols used in polymer studies in order to effectively derivatize carboxylic acid groups on BCs. Derivatizing agents previously used to target carbonyl groups on polymers were found unsuitable for BC materials because of nonspecific adsorption interactions between the phenyl ring of the derivatizing agent and the extended graphene sheets of the BCs. These complications were overcome by employing trifluoroethyl hydrazine as a new derivatizing agent...
Selenocystine-resistant mutants of Histoplasma capsulatum.

Cysteine metabolism has been thought to be important to the phenomenon of dimorphism inHistoplasma capsulatum. We sought mutants with genetic blocks in the metabolism of cysteine by selection of colonies resistant to the toxic analogue, selenocystine. The 22 resistant strains thus obtained were all deficient in uptake of cystine from the surrounding medium but were normally able to convert from mycelium to yeast and back again. Furthermore, they had normal quantities of NADH-dependent cystine reductase when this enzyme was measured. We conclude that mutants defective in cystine uptake can be readily obtained by selection of colonies resistant to selenocystine, and that a lesion in cystine-uptake does not appear to affect the phenomenon of dimorphism in this organism.
A Microprocessor-Based Control System

An industrial process control system based on a general-purpose microprocessor is described. The system employs the M6800 microprocessor, RAM, ROM, PROM, and peripheral interfaces in the hardware portion. Software includes an algorithm incorporating proportional, integral, and derivative control functions, plus multiplication, conversion, and timing sub-routines, and performance evaluation routines. An electronic analog to an industrial plant is controlled by the system. The performance of the controller with several plant models, control criteria, and sampling intervals is investigated.
Activity coefficients of strong electrolytes in multicomponent aqueous solutions

The quantity T12 here called the reduced activity coefficient is related to Γ12 the mean activity coefficient of a strong electrolyte 12 as follows: where z1 and z2 are the charge number on the ions. The value of Γ12 for electrolyte 12 in an aqueous solution containing the three ions 1, 2, and 3, such as Na+ Cl− and Ba++, is to be calculated as follows: Here Γ°32 and Γ°12 are for the indicated electrolytes, namely NaCl and BaCl2 in this example, at the total ionic strength of the mixture. The term X3 represents the fraction m3z32/(m1z12 + m3z32) in which m represents the molality of the indicated ion. Fair success is usually attained with this equation in predicting γ, even at high electrolyte concentrations. Similar equations are proposed for aqueous solutions containing four or more ions.
Local structure and electrical response of Rb and (Rb, Ag) germanate glasses: electrical conductivity relaxation

Abstract Correlation between local structure (interatomic distances and structural disorder around the cations) and electrical conductivity relaxation was examined for two glass series: xRb2O · (1 − x)GeO2 with x = 0.01 − 0.20 and 0.2(yAg ·(1 − y)Rb)2O · 0.8GeO2 with y = 0.0−1.0. The Kohlrausch parameter, β, which represents electrical relaxation in the vicinity of dc (Maxwell) relaxation time, decreases with increasing mobile ion concentration but does not correlate well with the activation energy of dc conductivity, nominal mobile ion-ion distance, local structural disorder or the ‘unoccupied volume’. The non-ideal electrical relaxation does not arise from the distribution of relaxation time alone. Instead, it appears to follow the trend of Coulomb interaction between mobile ions and their charge compensation centers. For the (Rb, Ag) germanate glass series β is greater for the mixed than for the single mobile ion glasses. It correlates rather well with the high frequency dielectric constant, again indicating its primary origin in the Coulomb interaction between mobile ions and their charge compensation centers.
The intrinsic structure and stability of out-of-alternation base pairs in Z-DNA

Alternating pyrimidine-purine sequences typically form Z-DNA, with the pyrimidines in the anti and purines in the syn conformations. The observation that dC and dT nucleotides can also adopt the syn conformation (i.e. the nucleotides are out-of-alternation) extends the range of sequences that can convert to this left-handed form of DNA. Here, we study the effects of placing two adjacent d(G*C) base pairs as opposed to a single d(G*C) base pair or two d(A*T) base pairs out-of-alternation by comparing the structure of d(m5CGGCm5CG)2with the previously published structures of d(m5CGGGm5CG)*d(m5CGCCm5CG) and d(m5CGATm5CG)2. A high buckle and loss of stacking interactions are observed as intrinsic properties of the out-of-alternation base pairs regardless of sequence and the context of the dinucleotide. From solution titrations, we find that the destabilizing effect of out-of-alternation d(G*C) base pairs are identical whether these base pairs are adjacent or isolated. We can therefore conclude that it is these intrinsic distortions in the structure of the base pairs and not neighboring effects that account for the inability of out-of-alternation base pairs to adopt the left-handed Z conformation.
INTRAPERITONEAL AND INTRACEREBRAL ROUTES IN SERUM PROTECTION TESTS WITH THE VIRUS OF EQUINE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS : III. COMPARISON OF ANTIVIRAL SERUM CONSTITUENTS FROM GUINEA PIGS IMMUNIZED WITH ACTIVE OR FORMOLIZED INACTIVE VIRUS.

Earlier experiments had shown that the sera of animals immunized with active virus have much greater protective potency when serum-virus mixtures are injected intraperitoneally into 12 to 15 day old mice than when given intracerebrally. The present work was concerned with similar tests on sera derived from guinea pigs immunized by vaccines in which the virus had been inactivated by formalin. In comparing the content of antiviral body by means of intracerebral and by intraperitoneal inoculation, it was found that both sera show about the same low degree of neutralizing capacity by the former method. By intraperitoneal inoculation, on the other hand, serum collected from guinea pigs immunized by means of active virus reveals high protective power, while that from animals receiving formolized, inactive virus exhibits lower neutralization titers which approach those obtained by the intracerebral method. The significance of this unexpected finding is discussed.
Optimizing compact Marx generator networks for driving capacitive loads

Summary form only given. Small linear Marx generators are low-energy systems that are frequently constructed in close-fitting metal housings. In these compact systems the parasitic capacitance between network components and the enclosure can be relatively large and play an important role in the Marx network performance. The parasitic capacitance and inter-stage inductance form the components of a lumped-constant transmission line, which facilitates proper sequential firing of the spark switches.When the total parallel parasitic capacitance exceeds the Marx capacitance, two thirds or less of the stored energy may be transferred to an external load capacitor if driven directly by the Marx generator. In addition to this reduction in transfer efficiency, the remaining energy induces high frequency oscillations in the Marx circuit that will lead to component heating and early failure. These problems can be overcome by suitable choices of Marx-network component values, switch timing, and external network components. In fact, even with relatively large parasitic capacitance values, ideal theoretical solutions are found for which energy transfer efficiencies of unity are achieved with lossless network components. Essential to finding ideal solutions are theorems governing waveform symmetries, reciprocity, and restrictions on component values derived from principles of conservation of energy and charge. This intrinsically time-domain problem is then recast in the frequency domain where the network resonant frequencies must be arranged with prescribed harmonic relationships. These methods are extended to more complete network models than those reported earlier. Examples of ideal solutions are presented with PSpice simulations.
Artificial Skill and Validation in Meteorological Forecasting

The results of a simulation study of multiple regression prediction models for meteorological forecasting are reported. The effects of sample size, amount, and severity of nonrepresentative data in the population, inclusion of noninformative predictors, and least ( sum of ) absolute deviations ( LAD ) and least ( sum of ) squared deviations ( LSD ) regression models are examined on five populations constructed from meteorological data. Artificial skill is shown to be a product of small sample size, LSD regression, and nonrepresentative data. Validation of sample results is examined, and LAD regression is found to be superior to LSD regression when sample size is small and nonrepresentative data are present.
The Extent of Diagnosis and Treatment of Osteoporosis in a Veterans Affairs Population Undergoing Vertebral Augmentation

Objective To investigate whether patients with vertebral fracture who underwent an augmentation procedure had pre- or postaugmentation osteoporosis evaluation and treatment. Design Retrospective chart review. Setting An academic, tertiary Veterans Affairs Medical Center with an active osteoporosis program, easy access to bone density testing by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), few barriers to treatment, and an excellent electronic medical record. Patients After patients who underwent vertebroplasty for a traumatic or pathologic fracture were excluded, 40 patients were identified who had the procedure during a 1.5-year period. Most patients were older white men. Methods Assessment of which patients had evaluation of underlying bone disease (with DEXA and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels) and whether it was treated (with pharmacologic therapy). Results About 75% had a DEXA, but only half had the DEXA before the augmentation procedure. Fifty-five percent had the diagnosis of osteoporosis or osteopenia in the electronic record, and 60% had a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level usually before the procedure. Those patients who were referred to a metabolic bone clinic were more likely to have diagnostic tests and therapy. Conclusions As with hip fracture, low-trauma vertebral fracture treated by an augmentation procedure should lead to osteoporosis evaluation and therapy.
Robust recognition of planar mirrored walls using a single view

We report a method for the detection and recognition of a large planar mirror based on the images captured by a monocular camera. We start with deriving a mirror transformation matrix in a homogeneous coordinate and geometric constraints for corresponding real and virtual feature points in the image. We find that existing feature detection methods are not reflection invariant. We introduce a secondary artificial reflection to virtual features to generate secondary features which are proven to share a rigid body motion relationship with the original feature set. We propose an iterative strategy to adjust the secondary mirror configuration so that existing feature matching methods can be used. The combined method yields a robust mirror detection algorithm which has been verified in physical experiments.
Gene duplication and divergence affecting drug content in Cannabis sativa.

Summary � Cannabis sativa is an economically important source of durable fibers, nutritious seeds, and psychoactive drugs but few economic plants are so poorly understood genetically. � Marijuana and hemp were crossed to evaluate competing models of cannabinoid inheritance and to explain the predominance of tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) in marijuana compared with cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) in hemp. Individuals in the resulting F2 population were assessed for differential expression of cannabinoid synthase genes and were used in linkage mapping. Genetic markers associated with divergent cannabinoid phenotypes were identified. � Although phenotypic segregation and a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) for the THCA/ CBDA ratio were consistent with a simple model of codominant alleles at a single locus, the diversity of THCA and CBDA synthase sequences observed in the mapping population, the position of enzyme coding loci on the map, and patterns of expression suggest multiple linked loci. Phylogenetic analysis further suggests a history of duplication and divergence affecting drug content. � Marijuana is distinguished from hemp by a nonfunctional CBDA synthase that appears to have been positively selected to enhance psychoactivity. An unlinked QTL for cannabinoid quantity may also have played a role in the recent escalation of drug potency.
Di‐μ‐chlorodichlorobis(η2‐ethene) diplatinum

[12073-36-8] C4H8Cl4Pt2 (MW 588.10) InChI = 1S/2C2H4.4ClH.2Pt/c2*1-2;;;;;;/h2*1-2H2;4*1H;;/q;;;;;;2*+2/p-4 InChIKey = XBLBDYCZFZESPN-UHFFFAOYSA-J (reagent for cyclopropane isomerization and cleavage, synthesis of platinacyclobutanes, hydration of alkynes) Alternate Name: Zeise's dimer. Form Supplied in: commercially available as orange crystals. Preparative Methods: although commercially available, the title compound is also readily prepared by stirring an acidic aqueous solution of [PtCl4]2− under an atmosphere of ethylene (100 psi) at rt for 48 h to give Zeise's salt K[Pt(η2-C2H4)Cl3]·H2O. This salt is then dissolved in EtOH and treated with concentrated HCl. After shaking for 2 min the mixture is then filtered to remove KCl, and evaporated while slowly warming to 60 °C. This gives an essentially quantitative yield of Zeise's dimer based on [PtCl4]2−.1
Multiple-access channels with correlated sources - coding subject to a fidelity criterion

Characterization of the achievable distortion region, when correlated information sources are transmitted via a multiple-access channel, is studied. An inner bound for the set of achievable distortions is obtained and it is shown that certain known results in multi-terminal source and channel coding can be considered as special cases of this result.
Observations on acute glomerulonephritis associated with impetigo

Summary Statistical data on 94 children with acute glomerulonephritis have been reviewed. The striking physical finding in this series has been the unusually high number, 68 per cent, who had impetigo. A comparison of the clinical course of the patients with different types of infection revealed no differences. In general, the patients with impetigo were somewhat younger than the usual age group described in other series, and the peak period of occurrence of the nephritis coincided with the peak occurrence of impetigo. Two patients with clinical and radiologicfindings typical of acute glomerulonephritis except for repeatedly normal urine had their diagnosis confirmed by renal biopsy. There were no deaths in the series. None of the children after 6 to 24 months of observation had any evidence to suggest the development of chronic glomerulonephritis.
Persistent Truncus Arteriosus in a Dog

A 5-week-old male mixed terrier with persistent truncus arteriosus had a grade IV cardiac murmur. Cardiovascular anomalies noted at necropsy included ventricular septal defect in addition to complete persistent truncus arteriosus. The latter originated from the right ventricle and served as an aorta, also providing aortic branches that included a modified bronchial artery. This malformation closely resembled type IV persistent truncus arteriosus in humans, however, anatomically it should be classified as type I because of a patent small hypoplastic pulmonary artery.
United Nations Reforms Some Reflections

In 1985, forty years after the adoption of the U.N. charter, a reform process was begun that addressed the changes in international relations over the past 40 years and sought to improve budgetary problems that interfered with the U.N. service of “creating a ‘better’ world.” Choudhury, elected president of the General Assembly in 1986, reviews the changes within the UN and reasserts its enduring role as a global instrument of peace.
High‐Performance, Monolithic Polyaniline Electrochemical Actuators

New polyaniline (PANI) asymmetric membranes were fabricated using a phase-inversion technique with hexane as the coagulation bath. These membranes exhibit a dense structure with macrovoids distributed asymmetrically throughout the cross-section. A stress–strain study demonstrated that the Young's modulus (1.421 GPa) and strain at break (7.6 %) of the new PANI asymmetric membranes prepared from hexane are approximately 12 and 4 times higher, respectively, than the values reported previously for the PANI integrally skinned asymmetric membranes (ISAMs) (123 MPa Young's modulus and 1.8 % strain at break). Furthermore, monolithic electrochemical actuators based on a single PANI asymmetric membrane were constructed, and a bending movement of up to 20 Hz was experimentally recorded in a hydrochloric acid aqueous solution. A lifetime of over 329 500 cycles was determined for these actuators at a ± 2° angular displacement (5 Hz). The lifetime is limited by a bending fatigue that creates a transversal crack on the PANI membrane at the air–water interface. Control over the actuator movement is also manifested by the linear dependences of the bending angle on the charge and of the angular velocity on the current. These relationships are independent of both the kind of applied electric signal and the frequency used.
Models and techniques

In the situations typically encountered in the social sciences the methodology of traditional statistics is neither a good description of data analysis practice nor a good prescription to arrive at satisfac- tory summaries of the data. On the other hand the traditional statistical techniques are excellent data analysis tools, and statistical models are useful devices that can be used to develop and evaluate data analysis techniques. These general considerations are applied in this paper to evaluate the usefulness of techniques such as multidimensional scaling and correspondence analysis.
Generalized onset seizures with focal evolution (GOFE) - A unique seizure type in the setting of generalized epilepsy.

Abstract Purpose We report clinical and electrographic features of generalized onset seizures with focal evolution (GOFE) and present arguments for the inclusion of this seizure type in the seizure classification. Methods The adult and pediatric Epilepsy Monitoring Unit databases at Vanderbilt Medical Center and Children's Hospital were screened to identify generalized onset seizures with focal evolution. We reviewed medical records for epilepsy characteristics, epilepsy risk factors, MRI abnormalities, neurologic examination, antiepileptic medications before and after diagnosis, and response to medications. We also reviewed ictal and interictal EEG tracings, as well as video-recorded semiology. Results Ten patients were identified, 7 males and 3 females. All of the patients developed generalized epilepsy in childhood or adolescence (ages 3–15 years). Generalized onset seizures with focal evolution developed years after onset in 9 patients, with a semiology concerning for focal seizures or nonepileptic events. Ictal discharges had a generalized onset on EEG, described as either generalized spike-and-wave and/or polyspike-and-wave discharges, or generalized fast activity. This electrographic activity then evolved to focal rhythmic activity most commonly localized to one temporal or frontal region; five patients had multiple seizures evolving to focal activity in different regions of both hemispheres. The predominant interictal epileptiform activity included generalized spike-and-wave and/or polyspike-and-wave discharges in all patients. Taking into consideration all clinical and EEG data, six patients were classified with genetic (idiopathic) generalized epilepsy, and four were classified with structural/metabolic (symptomatic) generalized epilepsy. All of the patients had modifications to their medications following discharge, with three becoming seizure-free and five responding with > 50% reduction in seizure frequency. Conclusion Generalized onset seizures may occasionally have focal evolution with semiology suggestive of focal seizures, leading to a misdiagnosis of focal onset. This unique seizure type may occur with genetic as well as structural/metabolic forms of epilepsy. The identification of this seizure type may help clinicians choose appropriate medications, avoiding narrow spectrum agents known to aggravate generalized onset seizures.
Optimization integrator for large time steps

Practical time steps in today's state-of-the-art simulators typically rely on Newton's method to solve large systems of nonlinear equations. In practice, this works well for small time steps but is unreliable at large time steps at or near the frame rate, particularly for difficult or stiff simulations. We show that recasting backward Euler as a minimization problem allows Newton's method to be stabilized by standard optimization techniques with some novel improvements of our own. The resulting solver is capable of solving even the toughest simulations at the 24Hz frame rate and beyond. We show how simple collisions can be incorporated directly into the solver through constrained minimization without sacrificing efficiency. We also present novel penalty collision formulations for self collisions and collisions against scripted bodies designed for the unique demands of this solver.
Sociological Elements in Economic Thought: I. Historical

I. "Orthodox" economic theory, 415. — II. Classification of "unorthodoxies," 420. — III. Positivistic empiricism (1) Supplementary type, 424. — IV. Positivistic empiricism (2) Radical rejection, 435. — V. "Romantic" empiricism (1) Supplementary type, (2) Radical rejection, 442. — Conclusion, 451.
Examining Classic Color Harmony Versus Translucency Color Guidelines for Layered Surface Visualization

This paper considers certain aspects of the role of color in isosurface-based volume visualization. A primary concern is examining guidelines for colors in layered translucent surface visualization introduced by House et al. [1] and Ebert et al. [2, 3]. These guidelines are considered against an existing classic rule (guideline) about color choices in visual presentations to determine their applicability for isosurface volume renderings. The classic guideline is based on the rules of color harmony introduced by Itten [4]. The examinations are based on evaluation by human observers.
Abstract 877: Identification of novel genes critical to survival of MPNST cells via medium throughput screening using lentiviral shRNA

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) is a soft tissue sarcoma that is highly invasive and eventually lethal. About 50% of MPNSTs have mutation and/or loss of the NF1 gene, while the rest are spontaneous. Many MPNST also show mutations in p53 and/or homozygous deletion of CDKN2. In an effort to identify novel genes that play key roles n MPNST tumorigenesis, we performed a genome wide micro-array analysis using human neurofibroma and MPNST (Miller et al., 2009). This analysis identified 130 genes that are up-regulated >3 fold in MPNSTs as compared to normal human Schwann cells. Over expression of these genes in tumors as compared to normal cells suggested that some might be critical for survival of MPNST cells. This hypothesis was directly tested by studying effects on survival of MPNST cells in vitro post down regulation of the 130 genes using lentiviral short hairpin (sh) RNA. For each shRNA experiment a sh non-targeting lentivirus was used as a negative control and shSOX9, a construct previously shown to kill MPNST cells in vitro, was used as a positive control for an effect on cell survival. Screening was performed sequentially allowing for selection of genes with significant effects on survival. In screen I, T265 MPNST cells were exposed to each shRNA virus. In screen II, shRNAs were tested for effects on adenocarcinoma cells (A549) vs T265 cells. These two round of screens identified 10/130 genes specific for survival of T265 cells. Screen III was performed on four different MPNST cell lines, including T265 (NF1-/-), 8814 (NF1-/-), S462TY (NF1-/-) and SSTS26T (sporadic MPNST wild-type for NF1), to identify shRNA9s with similar or different effects on cell survival in the presence or absence of wild-type NF1 gene. No significant difference in survival was observed for NF null MPNST cells vs sporadic MPNST cell line for any gene. This approach facilitates a streamlined pathway from genome wide gene expression analysis to identification of novel genes critical to survival of cancer cells in vitro. Future studies will be directed toward testing the identified genes for roles in tumor formation and growth, and as potential MPNST therapeutic targets. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 877. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-877
Effects of hunger and thirst levels during sugar and sugar-saccharin consumption on later preferences

Sixteen mature male rats first received six daily 30 min tests to determine which of two solutions (10% sucrose or 10% sucrose + 0.1% saccharin) was preferred. Each S was then allowed to drink its nonpreferred solution before maintenance feedings on one day and its preferred solution after feedings on another day for 10 days of alternating 30 min trials. Posttests given on the five days following training failed to show any reliable changes in preferences. Such results suggest that a nonaversive training procedure is ineffective in changing the preference value of highly palatable foods.
Conformal mappings onto multiply connected regions with specified boundary shapes

Abstract : The author describes a method of calculating conformal mappings of any given finitely connected region onto a region with arbitrarily specified boundary shapes. If the specified shapes are rectangles, than this method can be used to generate conformal grids which should be useful for numerical solution of many partial differential equations, for example in calculating the airflow past an airflow with flaps or the flow of cooling water past fuel pins in a nuclear reactor. He has proved that there exists a conformal mapping of any given finitely connected region onto a region with arbitrarily specified boundary shapes. The construction in the proof has been adapted for computer implementation. Some examples have been worked to determine the region bounded by circles which is the image of a given region in the extended complex plane under a conformal mapping taking infinity to infinity. A region whose outer boundary is a rectangle is mapped conformally to a region with all rectangular boundaries, and the vertices of the outer boundaries correspond. Mappings onto regions bounded by rectangles should be of considerable use in grid generation for numerical solution of partial differential equations. Grids have been calculated for one simple example. (Author)
cGMP-mediated Ca2+ release from IP3-insensitive Ca2+ stores in smooth muscle

Recent studies on the role of nitric oxide (NO) in gastrointestinal smooth muscle have raised the possibility that NO-stimulated cGMP could, in the absence of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) activity, act as a Ca2+-mobilizing messenger [K. S. Murthy, K.-M. Zhang, J.-G. Jin, J. T. Grider, and G. M. Makhlouf. Am. J. Physiol. 265 (Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 28): G660–G671, 1993]. This notion was examined in dispersed gastric smooth muscle cells with 8-bromo-cGMP (8-BrcGMP) and with NO and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), which stimulate endogenous cGMP. In muscle cells treated with cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and PKG inhibitors (H-89 and KT-5823), 8-BrcGMP (10 μM), NO (1 μM), and VIP (1 μM) stimulated45Ca2+release (21 ± 3 to 30 ± 1% decrease in45Ca2+cell content); Ca2+ release stimulated by 8-BrcGMP was concentration dependent with an EC50 of 0.4 ± 0.1 μM and a threshold of 10 nM. 8-BrcGMP and NO increased cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and induced contraction; both responses w...
Effect of Different Does of Simvastatin in Reducing Serum Lipid

Objective:Comparing the effect of different doses of simvastatin in lowering the serum lipid. Methods:79 patients were randomized into group A and group B, and were given simvastatin 10 mg·d -1 (group A) and 20 mg·d -1 (group B), respectively for a total of 8 weeks. Results:Comparing with baseline, in group A, TC, TG, LDL-C were decreased by 23.4%, 20.0% and 30.7%, respectively (P0.01); HDL-C was increased by 17.5%. The content of serum TC, TG and LDL-C was decreased to the normal range in 12.8%, 28.2% and 15.4% of the patients in group A. For the group B, TC, TG, LDL-C were decreased by 32.7%, 22.8% and 42.8%, respectively (P0.01); HDL-C was increased by 13.7%. The content of serum TC, TG and LDL-C was decreased to the normal range in 65.0%, 57.5% and 65.0% of the group B patients. Conclusion:Oral intake of 20 mg of simvastatin once a day can effectively reduce the serum lipid. The patients can well tolerate and no obvious side effect was observed in our study.
Decreased Lamina Cribrosa Beam Thickness and Pore Diameter Relative to Distance From the Central Retinal Vessel Trunk.

PURPOSE To investigate how the lamina cribrosa (LC) microstructure changes with distance from the central retinal vessel trunk (CRVT), and to determine how this change differs in glaucoma. METHODS One hundred nineteen eyes (40 healthy, 29 glaucoma suspect, and 50 glaucoma) of 105 subjects were imaged using swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT). The CRVT was manually delineated at the level of the anterior LC surface. A line was fit to the distribution of LC microstructural parameters and distance from CRVT to measure the gradient (change in LC microstructure per distance from the CRVT) and intercept (LC microstructure near the CRVT). A linear mixed-effects model was used to determine the effect of diagnosis on the gradient and intercept of the LC microstructure with distance from the CRVT. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was applied to determine the difference in distribution between the diagnostic categories. RESULTS The percent of visible LC in all scans was 26 ± 7%. Beam thickness and pore diameter decreased with distance from the CRVT. Glaucoma eyes had a larger decrease in beam thickness (-1.132 ± 0.503 μm, P = 0.028) and pore diameter (-0.913 ± 0.259 μm, P = 0.001) compared with healthy controls per 100 μm from the CRVT. Glaucoma eyes showed increased variability in both beam thickness and pore diameter relative to the distance from the CRVT compared with healthy eyes (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS These findings results demonstrate the importance of considering the anatomical location of CRVT in the assessment of the LC, as there is a relationship between the distance from the CRVT and the LC microstructure, which differs between healthy and glaucoma eyes.
Hypothalamus and Brown Fat: White and Brown Adipose Tissue Lipolysis in Weanling Rats with Dorsomedial Hypothalamic Lesions

AbstractWeanling male Sprague-Dawley rats received bilateral electrolytic lesions in the dorsomedial hypothalamic nuclei (DMN); sham-operated animals served as controls. The animals were fed lab chow and given tap water ad libitum. Fourteen days after the hypothalamic operation they were weighed and measured to assess ponderal and linear growth gains and Lee Index and were sacrificed on the following day. Body weight, body weight gain over two weeks, nose-tail length and gain in nose-tail length, and food intake were all highly significantly reduced in DMNL rats in comparison with controls. Lee Index and efficiency of food utilization were normal, however. Epididymal fat pads weighed less in both absolute and relative (percentage body weight) terms than in controls. Basal lipolysis was increased and epinephrine-stimulated lipolysis was decreased in DMNL rats, as was the protein content of the epididymal fat pads. Lipid content was normal, however. Interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT) was significantly...
Virulence profile: Rodney Donlan.

Following graduation from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in biology, it was my great fortune to be chosen to participate in a multinational, NSF-funded research project in Antarctica as an environmental...
Characterization of Wood Mulch and Leachate/Runoff from Three Wood Recycling Facilities

Large-scale open storage of wood mulch is common practice at wood recycling facilities. During rain and snow melt, leachate with soluble compounds and suspended particles is released from mulch stockpiles. The objective of this study was to determine the quality of leachate/runoff from wood recycling facilities to evaluate its potential to contaminate receiving waterbodies. Wood mulch (n = 30) and leachate/runoff (n = 26) samples were collected over 1.5 years from three wood recycling facilities in New Jersey, USA. Differences by site were found (p < 0.05) for most of the 21 constituents tested in the solid wood mulch samples. Biochemical oxygen demand (range <20-3000 mg/L), chemical oxygen demand (134-6000 mg/L) and total suspended solids (69-401 mg/L) median concentrations of the leachate/runoff samples were comparable to those of untreated domestic wastewater. Total Kjeldahl N, total P and fecal coliform median values were slightly lower than typical wastewater values. Dose-response studies with leachate/runoff samples using zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos showed that mortality and developmental defects typically did not occur even at the highest concentration tested, indicating low toxicity, although delayed development did occur. Based on this study, leachate/runoff from wood recycling facilities should not be released to surface waters as it is a potential source of organic contamination and low levels of nutrients. A study in which runoff from a controlled drainage area containing wood mulch of known properties is monitored would allow for better assessment of the potential impact of stormwater runoff from wood recycling facilities.
Phosphosilicate Glass Passivation Against Sodium Impurity in Thermal Oxide on Silicon

Phosphosilicate glass is known to stabilize silicon surface in planar structures against undesirable drift. It has been shown that the glass acts as a getter for sodium. The purpose of the experiments reported here is to clarity further the mechanism by which this glass improves silicon planar circuit reliability. Combined electrical (MOS) and radiochemical analysis of impurity and radiochemical measurement of phosphorus is done. Na24 Br82 impurity is diffused into samples before and after glassing all at 900°C. The most significant result is that, with glass overlay in place on 5000A thermal oxide, no appreciable silicon surface potential shift occurs, even if Na concentration throughout SiO2 is around 1018 cm-3. In addition, the Na does not appreciably drift in tge SiO2 during 50 min. at 200°C with fields of 106 v/cm. It is concluded that, in addition to gettering of Na by the glass, improved stability results because the glassing process renders Na in the oxide neutral. Detailed profiles show Na and Br trapping occurs at the glass/oxide interface as well as within the glass.
A four gene signature predictive of recurrent prostate cancer.

// Justin Komisarof 1 , Matthew McCall 2 , Laurel Newman 1 , Wiam Bshara 3 , James L. Mohler 4 , Carl Morrison 3 , Hartmut Land 1, 5 1 Departments of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester NY, 14642, USA 2 Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester NY, 14642, USA 3 Department of Pathology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, 14623, USA 4 Department of Urology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, 14623, USA 5 Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester NY, 14642, USA Correspondence to: Hartmut Land, email: Land@urmc.rochester.edu Keywords: prostate cancer, biochemical recurrence, cooperation response genes, radical prostatectomy, algorithmic prediction Received: January 19, 2016 Accepted: November 21, 2016 Published: December 09, 2016 ABSTRACT Prostate cancer is the most common form of non-dermatological cancer among US men, with an increasing incidence due to the aging population. Patients diagnosed with clinically localized disease identified as intermediate or high-risk are often treated by radical prostatectomy. Approximately 33% of these patients will suffer recurrence after surgery. Identifying patients likely to experience recurrence after radical prostatectomy would lead to improved clinical outcomes, as these patients could receive adjuvant radiotherapy. Here, we report a new tool for prediction of prostate cancer recurrence based on the expression pattern of a small set of cooperation response genes (CRGs). CRGs are a group of genes downstream of cooperating oncogenic mutations previously identified in a colon cancer model that are critical to the cancer phenotype. We show that systemic dysregulation of CRGs is also found in prostate cancer, including a 4-gene signature (HBEGF, HOXC13, IGFBP2, and SATB1) capable of differentiating recurrent from non-recurrent prostate cancer. To develop a suitable diagnostic tool to predict disease outcomes in individual patients, multiple algorithms and data handling strategies were evaluated on a training set using leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV). The best-performing algorithm, when used in combination with a predictive nomogram based on clinical staging, predicted recurrent and non-recurrent disease outcomes in a blinded validation set with 83% accuracy, outperforming previous methods. Disease-free survival times between the cohort of prostate cancers predicted to recur and predicted not to recur differed significantly (p = 1.38x10 -6 ). Therefore, this test allows us to accurately identify prostate cancer patients likely to experience future recurrent disease immediately following removal of the primary tumor.
Molecular Aggregate Photophysics beyond the Kasha Model: Novel Design Principles for Organic Materials

ConspectusThe transport and photophysical properties of organic molecular aggregates, films, and crystals continue to receive widespread attention, driven mainly by expanding commercial applications involving display and wearable technologies as well as the promise of efficient, large-area solar cells. The main blueprint for understanding how molecular packing impacts photophysical properties was drafted over five decades ago by Michael Kasha. Kasha showed that the Coulombic coupling between two molecules, as determined by the alignment of their transition dipoles, induces energetic shifts in the main absorption spectral peak and changes in the radiative decay rate when compared to uncoupled molecules. In H-aggregates, the transition dipole moments align “side-by-side” leading to a spectral blue-shift and suppressed radiative decay rate, while in J-aggregates, the transition dipole moments align “head-to-tail” leading to a spectral red-shift and an enhanced radiative decay rate. Although many examples of ...
Maximizing the cost-savings for time-of-use and net-metering customers using behind-the-meter energy storage systems

The transformation of today's grid toward smart grid has given the energy storage systems (ESSs) the opportunity to provide more services to the electric grid as well as the end customers. On the grid's side, ESSs can generate revenue streams participating in electricity markets by providing services such as energy arbitrage, frequency regulation or spinning reserves. On the customers' side, ESSs can provide a wide range of applications from on-site back-up power, storage for off-grid renewable systems to solutions for load shifting and peak shaving for commercial/industrial businesses. In this work, we provide an economic analysis of behind-the-meter (BTM) ESSs. A nonlinear optimization problem is formulated to find the optimal operating scheme for ESSs to minimize the energy and demand charges of time-of-use (TOU) customers, or to minimize the energy charge of net-metering (NEM) customers. The problem is then transformed to Linear Programming (LP) problems and formulated using Pyomo optimization modeling language. Case studies are conducted for PG&E's residential and commercial customers in San Francisco.
An intracrine view of sex steroids, immunity, and metabolic regulation

Abstract Background Over the past two decades, parallel recognition has grown of the importance of both sex steroids and immune activity in metabolic regulation. More recently, these discrete areas have been integrated in studies examining the metabolic effects of sex steroid immunomodulation. Implicit in these studies has been a traditional, endocrine model of sex steroid delivery from the gonads to target cells, including immune cells. Thus, research to date has focused on the metabolic effects of sex steroid receptor signaling in immune cells. This endocrine model, however, overlooks the extensive capacity of immune cells to generate and metabolize sex steroids, enabling the production of sex steroids for intracrine signaling – that is, sex steroid production for signaling within the cell of origin. Intracrine function allows highly cell-autonomous regulation of sex steroid exposure, and sex steroid secretion by immune cells could confer paracrine signaling effects in neighboring cells within metabolic tissues. In this review, immune cell intracrinology will denote sex steroid production within immune cells for either intracrine or paracrine signaling. This intracrine capacity of immune cells has been well established, and prior work has supported its importance in autoimmune disorders, trauma, and cancer. The potential relevance of immune cell intracrine function to the regulation of energy balance, body weight, body composition, and insulin sensitivity has yet to be explored. Scope of review The following review will detail findings to date regarding the steroidogenic and steroid metabolizing capacity of immune cells, the regulation of immune cell intracrine function, and the biological effects of immune-derived sex steroids, including the clinical relevance of immune cell intracrinology in fields other than metabolism. These findings will serve as the basis for a proposed model of immune cell intracrinology constituting a new frontier in metabolism research. Major conclusions The development of highly sensitive mass spectrometric methods for sex steroid measurement and quantitation of metabolic flux now allows unprecedented ability to interrogate sex steroid production, metabolism and secretion by immune cells. Immune cell intracrinology could reveal key mechanisms underlying immune cell-mediated metabolic regulation.
DEFICIENT NK AND ADCC MEDIATED BY PURIFIED E-ROSETTE POSITIVE AND E-ROSETTE NEGATIVE CELLS FROM PATIENTS WITH B-CELL CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA. AUGMENTATION BY IN VITRO TREATMENT WITH HUMAN LEUKOCYTE INTERFERON

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the natural killer (NK) and antibody-dependent cell-mediate cytotoxicity (ADCC) mediated by purified E-rosette positive and E-rosette negative cells from untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). E-rosette positive and In a study described in the chapter, E-rosette negative peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with CLL and normal donors were prepared. E-rosette positive cells contained more than 95% E-rosetting cells, without nonspecific esterase-positive cells and less than 2% Ig-positive cells. E-rosette negative cells contained more than 92% leukemic cells, were devoid of nonspecific esterasepositive cells, and contained less than 2% E-rosetting cells. E-rosette negative, Ripley rosette-forming cells were prepared from E-negative populations by rosetting with Ripley serum-coated Rh+ human erythrocytes. NK cytotoxicity was determined against the K562 targets. ADCC was determined against anti-chicken antibody-coated chicken erythrocytes and anti-SB antibody-coated cells of the SB line. Tμ and Tγ cells were determined by rosetting techniques. It was found that only two of twelve patients exhibited normal levels of NK mediated by purified E-rosette positive cells. Four of twelve patients exhibited normal levels of ADCC mediated by E-rosette positive cells.