cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Disruption of Apicoplast Biogenesis by Chemical Stabilization of an Imported Protein Evades the Delayed-Death Phenotype in Malaria Parasites.

ABSTRACT Malaria parasites (Plasmodium spp.) contain a nonphotosynthetic plastid organelle called the apicoplast, which houses essential metabolic pathways and is required throughout the parasite life cycle. The biogenesis pathways responsible for apicoplast growth, division, and inheritance are of key interest as potential drug targets. Unfortunately, several known apicoplast biogenesis inhibitors are of limited clinical utility because they cause a peculiar “delayed-death” phenotype in which parasites do not stop replicating until the second lytic cycle posttreatment. Identifying apicoplast biogenesis pathways that avoid the delayed-death phenomenon is a priority. Here, we generated parasites targeting a murine dihydrofolate reductase (mDHFR) domain, which can be conditionally stabilized with the compound WR99210, to the apicoplast. Surprisingly, chemical stabilization of this exogenous fusion protein disrupted parasite growth in an apicoplast-specific manner after a single lytic cycle. WR99210-treated parasites exhibited an apicoplast biogenesis defect beginning within the same lytic cycle as drug treatment, indicating that stabilized mDHFR perturbs a non-delayed-death biogenesis pathway. While the precise mechanism-of-action of the stabilized fusion is still unclear, we hypothesize that it inhibits apicoplast protein import by stalling within and blocking translocons in the apicoplast membranes. IMPORTANCE Malaria is a major cause of global childhood mortality. To sustain progress in disease control made in the last decade, new antimalarial therapies are needed to combat emerging drug resistance. Malaria parasites contain a relict chloroplast called the apicoplast, which harbors new targets for drug discovery. Unfortunately, some drugs targeting apicoplast pathways exhibit a delayed-death phenotype, which results in a slow onset-of-action that precludes their use as fast-acting, frontline therapies. Identification of druggable apicoplast biogenesis factors that will avoid the delayed-death phenotype is an important priority. Here, we find that chemical stabilization of an apicoplast-targeted mDHFR domain disrupts apicoplast biogenesis and inhibits parasite growth after a single lytic cycle, suggesting a non-delayed-death target. Our finding indicates that further interrogation of the mechanism-of-action of this exogenous fusion protein may reveal novel therapeutic avenues.
Effects of Interim Buprenorphine Treatment for opioid use disorder among emerging adults.

Abstract Objective Although opioid maintenance is a first-line approach for treating opioid use disorder (OUD), suboptimal treatment outcomes have been reported among emerging adults (EAs; 18-25 years of age). In this secondary analysis, we compared treatment outcomes between EAs and older adults (OAs; ≥ 26 years of age) receiving low-barrier, technology-assisted Interim Buprenorphine Treatment (IBT) during waitlist delays to comprehensive opioid maintenance treatment. Method Participants were 35 individuals with OUD who received IBT consisting of 12-weeks of buprenorphine maintenance with bi-monthly clinic visits and technology-assisted monitoring. At monthly follow-up assessments, participants completed staff-observed urinalysis, the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), and Addiction Severity Index (ASI). Results At study intake, EAs (n = 10) reported greater past-year intravenous drug use and greater employment, legal, and psychiatric severity (p’s Conclusions Despite presenting with greater past-year intravenous drug use and psychosocial severity relative to OAs, EAs responded favorably to the IBT intervention.
Digital Signal Processing: From Complex Numbers to the Hilbert Transform

We present a bottom up review of complex numbers through analytical functions commonly used in digital signal processing. Standard practice uses complex exponential functions for engineering and physics problems including differential equations, electrical engineering, analog and digital signal processing, control systems, mechanical vibrations, and wave propagation. We often use these methods by rote. In this paper, we review complex math and aim to fill common knowledge gaps in digital signal processing.
Prevalence and risk factors of abnormal glucose metabolism in adults with hypertension in Zhengzhou

Objective This study aims to analyze the prevalence, distribution, and risk factors of abnormal glucose metabolism in urban and rural adult hypertension patients in Zhengzhou. Methods The study was conducted on permanent residents aged 18 years and over (with at least 6 months of residence) in urban and rural areas of Zhengzhou. The survey subjects were chosen by the multi-stage sampling method. Basic information regarding the height, weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure of 6 798 people who met the standards of admission and discharge were obtained through an on-site questionnaire survey and physical examination. Blood samples were collected and blood glucose and lipid levels were detected. Results There were 1 985 patients with hypertension, with a prevalence rate of 29.20% and the standardized prevalence rate was 26.53%. Blood samples were collected from 1 936 hypertensive patients (55.8±13.6 years), of whom 903 were male (46.64%) and 1 033 female (53.36%). Among 1 050 patients (54.24%) with abnormal glucose metabolism, the impaired fasting glucose rate was 4.44%, the decreased glucose tolerance rate was 22.21%, and the diabetes rate was 27.56%. Blood samples were collected from 4 748 non-hypertensive patients and 1 123 patients (23.65%) with abnormal glucose metabolism. The prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism in hypertensive patients was significantly higher than that in non-hypertensive patients, and the difference was statistically significant (χ2=586.264, P<0.001). The prevalence rate of abnormal glucose metabolism in hypertensive patients was higher in females, 58.57%, than in males, 49.28% (χ2=16.743, P<0.001). Urban patients showed a higher abnormal glucose metabolism, 57.68%, than rural patients did, 51.67% (χ2=6.984, P<0.001), and the prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism in hypertensive patients showed a significant upward trend with an increase in age. Patients with central obesity, abnormal blood lipids, family diabetes history, non-smokers, and non-drinkers showed a higher prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism increased with age and body mass index, and decreased with increase in education level, with differences being statistically significant (P<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, obesity, centripetal obesity, dyslipidemia, and family history of diabetes were the main risk factors for abnormal glucose metabolism in patients with hypertension. Conclusions There is a relatively high prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism in hypertension patients among the urban and rural residents of Zhengzhou. In the management of hypertension, the detection and intervention for reducing abnormal glucose metabolism should be strengthened and related risk factors must be prevented. The age for health management objectives among hypertension and diabetes patients should be further reduced.
Automatic Deep Inference of Procedural Cities from Global-scale Spatial Data

Recent advances in big spatial data acquisition and deep learning allow novel algorithms that were not possible several years ago. We introduce a novel inverse procedural modeling algorithm for urban areas that addresses the problem of spatial data quality and uncertainty. Our method is fully automatic and produces a 3D approximation of an urban area given satellite imagery and global-scale data, including road network, population, and elevation data. By analyzing the values and the distribution of urban data, e.g., parcels, buildings, population, and elevation, we construct a procedural approximation of a city at a large-scale. Our approach has three main components: (1) procedural model generation to create parcel and building geometries, (2) parcel area estimation that trains neural networks to provide initial parcel sizes for a segmented satellite image of a city block, and (3) an optional optimization that can use partial knowledge of overall average building footprint area and building counts to improve results. We demonstrate and evaluate our approach on cities around the globe with widely different structures and automatically yield procedural models with up to 91,000 buildings, and spanning up to 150 km2. We obtain both a spatial arrangement of parcels and buildings similar to ground truth and a distribution of building sizes similar to ground truth, hence yielding a statistically similar synthetic urban space. We produce procedural models at multiple scales, and with less than 1% error in parcel and building areas in the best case as compared to ground truth and 5.8% error on average for tested cities.
The advanced tokamak path to a compact net electric fusion pilot plant

Physics-based simulations project a compact net electric fusion pilot plant with a nuclear testing mission is possible at modest scale based on the advanced tokamak concept, and identify key parameters for its optimization. These utilize a new integrated 1.5D core-edge approach for whole device modeling to predict performance by self-consistently applying transport, pedestal and current drive models to converge fully non-inductive stationary solutions, predicting profiles and energy confinement for a given density. This physics-based approach leads to new insights and understanding of reactor optimization. In particular, the levering role of high plasma density is identified, which raises fusion performance and self-driven 'bootstrap currents', to reduce current drive demands and enable high pressure with net electricity at a compact scale. Solutions at 6-7T, ~4m radius and 200MW net electricity are identified with margins and trade-offs possible between parameters. Current drive comes from neutral beam and ultra-high harmonic (helicon) fast wave, though other advanced approaches are not ruled out. The resulting low recirculating power in a double null configuration leads to a divertor heat flux challenge that is comparable to ITER, though reactor solutions may require more dissipation. Strong H-mode access (x2 margin over L-H transition scalings) and ITER-like heat fluxes are maintained with ~20-60% core radiation, though effects on confinement need further analysis. Neutron wall loadings appear tolerable. The approach would benefit from high temperature superconductors, as higher fields would increase performance margins while potential for demountability may facilitate nuclear testing. However, solutions are possible with conventional superconductors. An advanced load sharing and reactive bucking approach in the device centerpost region provides improved mechanical stress handling. The prospect of an affordable test device which could close the loop on net-electric production and conduct essential nuclear materials and breeding research is compelling, motivating research to validate the techniques and models employed here.
Maximizing Learning in the Operating Room: Residents’ Perspectives

Abstract Background Few studies examine how residents can optimize their educational experience in the OR on their terms. This study aimed to examine residents’ perceptions of how learners can maximize their education in the OR. Method Using constructivist grounded theory methodology, the authors conducted focus groups with general surgery residents, PGY1-5, followed by semi-structured interviews with attending surgeons from a single, academic medical center. Constant comparison was used to identify themes and explore their relationships. Theoretical sampling was used until saturation was achieved. Results Residents and attendings participated. Two phases of OR learning were identified, intra-operative and inter-operative. Characters that made optimized learning included control, struggling, and reflection. Residents who practiced self-reflection with their experiences, and were able to articulate this awareness to attendings, felt the OR was an ideal learning environment. Attendings echoed similar findings. Conclusions Providing residents with a method of maximizing OR learning is critical to postgraduate clinical education. Currently, observation passively morphs into active learning and eventually independent operating in the OR. However, residents who practice self-regulated learning, and are able to discuss their educational goals with attendings, seem to find the OR a better learning environment and progress to independence more quickly. This was echoed by practicing attendings. Providing residents with a generalizable, self-regulated learning framework specific to operative educational experiences could maximize learning potential and expedite resident progression in the OR.
Postface: Making Sense of Reality Together: Interdisciplinary ‘Ways of Seeing,’

Pragmatic Inquiry brings together a remarkably creative transcontinental and interdisciplinary group of researchers who met on a regular basis over four years to explore together novel analytical tools to make sense and account for social reality. It will give the reader a renewed sense of possibilities for capturing social complexity. Each chapter zooms in on a different conceptual device that aims to illuminate relatively unexplored aspects of reality. The authors draw on the work of influential scholars – for instance, Foucault’s notion of “dispositif” – but they go beyond them by digging in greater depth, extending and transposing such concepts to new objects.
Digest: Taxonomically inclusive and quantitative tests for convergence.

How common is morphological convergence, and can the cause of convergence be traced to simple ecological categories like diet? Tamagnini et al. use phylogenetic comparative methods and simple morphological data from a large number of Carnivora taxa to investigate whether diet causes convergence in their craniomandibular complex. They find that convergence is less prevalent than expected and that this outcome is likely caused by a complex interplay between biomechanics, ecology, and morphology.
Predicting Water Quality Parameters in Lake Pontchartrain using Machine Learning: A comparison on K-Nearest Neighbors, Decision Trees, and Neural Networks to Predict Water Quality

This work is about the use of machine learning methods to improve the monitoring of water quality. The work aims to use machine learning to predict the normal values of a quality indicator (pH, salinity, etc.). Upon significant deviation from actual measurements, monitoring scientists would be alerted to the need to inspect the water way more closely thereby reducing the possibility of missing a problem and speeding up determinations of issues regarding water quality. This study compares methods to predict water quality parameters using water data from Lake Pontchartrain in Southeast Louisiana. K-Nearest neighbors, decision trees, and an artificial neural network have been used to determine which method most accurately predicted water quality parameters such as pH, temperature, salinity, specific conductance, and dissolved oxygen. The decision tree and k-nearest neighbors algorithms produced similar results which were only slightly below the standard deviation of the data. However, a neural network was able to predict the values with a much higher accuracy.
Is Intensive Care Unit Monitoring Necessary After Maxillomandibular Advancement for Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract Purpose Maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) is an accepted treatment modality for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of complications requiring an intensive care unit (ICU) level of care and the necessity of routine overnight ICU airway monitoring after MMA. Patients and Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing MMA at Massachusetts General Hospital from 2003-2020. The primary predictor variable was postoperative admission to the ICU versus post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) or ward. The primary outcome variable was grade IV or V complications as scored using the Clavien-Dindo classification system. Secondary outcome variables included postoperative SpO2 nadir and length of hospital stay. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were computed to measure the association between complications and predictor variables. Results The study sample consisted of 104 subjects (74.0% male, mean age 37.6 ± 12.1 years), 61 of which were admitted to the ICU (58.7%). During the initial 24 hours of airway monitoring the mean SpO2 nadir was 93.7±2.59% for subjects admitted to the ICU compared to 94.0±6.56% for subjects admitted to the PACU or ward (p = 0.862). Subjects experienced 2 grade IV complications (1.92%) and no grade V complications, with no statistical association between complications and postoperative admission location (p=1.000). Age (p=0.002) and operative time (p=0.046) were the only variables statistically associated with grade IV or V complications. There was no difference in length of hospital stay between subjects admitted to the ICU (2.64±1.37 days) versus PACU or ward (2.58±1.62 days). Conclusions The incidence of complications requiring ICU level care after MMA for OSA is low. Additional studies are warranted to guide development of feasible, cost-effective perioperative protocols for patients undergoing MMA.
Use of Simulation in Visual Flight Training: The Effect on Time to Solo

The purpose of this study was to determine what effect the use of flight simulation has on the time to solo of student pilots. Participants in this study were first semester flight students at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). Twelve participants completed the study and were given three hours of instruction in a Frasca 141 flight training device (FTD) with visual display prior to beginning training in an aircraft. The students were all instructed on the basic sight pictures of a Cessna 172, given instruction on aircraft control, basic maneuvers, and take-off and landing in the FTD. At the completion of first solo, the total flight time and calendar days to the first solo from the starting date were calculated and compared to a historic data group. The experimental group had a mean time to solo of 17.1 hours, mean days to solo of 77.3 days compared to the historic group which had a mean time to solo of 17.4 hours, mean days to solo of 86.1 days. These differences were not significant at the .05 level for hours t (150) = .225, p = .823 (two-tailed), 1 – â = .056, c2 = .000; or days t (150) = .784, p = .434 (two tailed), 1 – â = .142, c2 =.004.
Acetonitrile-bis-(2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phen-an-throline)copper(II) bis-(tetra-fluorido-borate).

The title compound, [Cu(CH3CN)(C12H12N2)2](BF4)2, crystallizes with two copper-containing cations and four tetra­fluoro­borate anions in the asymmetric unit. The structure represents a second crystal form of the salt, the first being an acetonitrile solvate [Watton (2009). Acta Cryst. E65, m585–m586]. The complex cation has a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal geometry, whereas the previous structure exhibits a distorted square-pyramidal geometry. One of the four BF4− counter-ions is disordered, with a refined site occupancy of 0.8615 (17):0.1385 (17).
Wage Determination and Gender Discrimination in a Transition Economy: The Case of Romania

Romania's labor code stipulates equal pay for equal work. In reality gender discrimination is found in both urban and rural labor markets. While the observed bias in urban areas is comparable with that found in other Western countries, in rural settings gender discrimination is much greater than in the West. Paternostro and Sahn analyze wage determination and gender discrimination in Romania using the 1994 Romanian Household Survey. They estimate wages for men and women in urban and rural areas using a Heckman selection model. They analyze gender discrimination in offered wages, to address the methodological shortcomings found in the literature. Increasing returns to education and experience are consistently significant for both men and women in urban and rural areas. Returns to education are greater in rural than in urban areas, especially for women. Labor markets are segmented regionally, probably as a result of the country's economic history, especially the spatial allocation of resources under a centrally planned economy. Only with economic liberalization has the specialization of specific regions translated into differences in regional performance and hence local economic differences. They found discrimination against women in both urban and rural labor markets, especially at low levels of education. The observed bias against women in urban areas is comparable to that found in other Western countries - but in the region`s rural settings the bias is much greater than in the West. With the adjustment to market forces, as less-skilled workers face increasing difficulties in the region, women's relative wages may be expected to decline further. Discrepancy in pay also directly affects the level of pensions, unemployment benefits, and other means-tested benefits to workers, contributing to pauperization. This paper - a product of Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study changes in welfare and inequality during the transition. The authors may be contacted at spaternostro@worldbank.org or david.sahn@cornell.edu.
Relating Unidimensional IRT Parameters to a Multidimensional Response Space: A Review of Two Alternative Projection IRT Models for Scoring Subscales

A practical concern for many existing tests is that subscore test lengths are too short to provide reliable and meaningful measurement. A possible method of improving the subscale reliability and validity would be to make use of collateral information provided by items from other subscales of the same test. To this end, the purpose of this article is to compare two different formulations of an alternative Item Response Theory (IRT) model developed to parameterize unidimensional projections of multidimensional test items: Analytical and Empirical formulations. Two real data applications are provided to illustrate how the projection IRT model can be used in practice, as well as to further examine how ability estimates from the projection IRT model compare to external examinee measures. The results suggest that collateral information extracted by a projection IRT model can be used to improve reliability and validity of subscale scores, which in turn can be used to provide diagnostic information about strength and weaknesses of examinees helping stakeholders to link instruction or curriculum to assessment results.
Nothing but the Truth: Why Trial Lawyers Don't, Can't, and Shouldn't Have to Tell the Whole Truth

chapter one Biff and Me: Stories That Are Truer Than True chapter two Edgardo Mortara: Forbidden Truths chapter three John Brown: Political Truth and Consequences chapter four Wyatt Earp: Truth and Context chapter five Liberty Valance: Truth or Justice chapter six Atticus Finch: Race, Class, Gender, and Truth chapter seven Sheila McGough: The Impossibility of the Whole Truth
WATER QUALITY DURING TWO HIGH-FLOW YEARS ON THE LOWER MISSOURI RIVER: THE EFFECTS OF RESERVOIR AND TRIBUTARY CONTRIBUTIONS

Complex socioeconomic and ecological issues, ranging from impaired streams to Gulf of Mexico hypoxia, have made nutrient management an increasingly important issue across the USA. High flows during 2010 and 2011 provided a unique opportunity to investigate trends in discharge, total nitrogen, nitrate/nitrite, total phosphorus, ortho-phosphorus, suspended sediment and total suspended solids during two distinct high-flow years on the Missouri River. We compared collections taken during 2010 and 2011 at 12 lower Missouri River locations (river kilometers 1212 to 71) and 22 Missouri River tributary locations. During 2011, average concentrations for all sampled parameters were significantly lower, despite significantly higher total discharge, than 2010 concentrations. Differences in water chemistry between years are likely attributed to the primary source of water. Tributary inflow created high flows during 2010, whereas record releases from Gavins Point Dam created high flows during 2011. Analysis of flow estimated the contribution of these releases at each site and revealed strong positive relationships between the percentage of estimated tributary flow at each site and the concentrations of total nitrogen, total phosphorus and total suspended solids. These monitoring efforts underline the contrasting impacts that tributary streams and reservoir releases have on nutrient export of the Missouri River during high-flow events and reveal a larger trend of increased nutrient concentrations as the proportion of Missouri River tributary flow increased. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. River Research and Applications published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
No se trata de fútbol americano: la emancipación de Tony Dungy, de marginado quarterback negro a célebre

The ideals of individual freedom and universal equality contrast with the persistence of oppression and inequality worldwide, making every case study of practical progress toward freedom and equality valuable. The example of Coach Tony Dungy, the first African American to lead a Super Bowl championship team, is an instance of incremental self-emancipation. Dungy's competitive nature shows up in everything he writes and says, but his emphasis on commitment to self-improvement and community-building illustrates the possibilities of individual and collective progress. Dungy's narrative, seen in the context of Jacques Ranciere's theoretical approach, is an instructive example of "intellectual equality." Ranciere insists that we are all intellectual equals, and Dungy's autobiographical writing exemplifies a pragmatic application of this attitude, which also suggests a theoretical and practical approach to the development of community through a process of dedicated self-emancipation.
Welded preforms for forging

Abstract While tailor-welded preforms are commonly used in sheet forming, to date, similar technology has not been developed for bulk forming. In the present paper, the results of a study that was conducted to investigate the feasibility of solid-state welded preforms in forging is presented. Both same-metal and bi-metal combinations were considered and results indicate that in general friction welded preforms have adequate workability based on upsetting and side pressing tests, although flow tends to be concentrated in the lower strength alloy for bi-metal preforms. Mechanical properties obtained from tensile testing of specimens machined from side pressed preforms indicate that mechanical properties of welded preforms are comparable to that of the as-received base metal pieces. While further work is needed to develop the process, results to date confirm that friction-welded preforms have potential for use in bulk forming applications.
Cyanogel Coordination Polymers as Precursors to Transition Metal Alloys and Intermetallics - from Traditional Heating to Microwave Processing

Cyanogel coordination polymers are amorphous Prussian blue analogues formed in a hydrogel state by the reaction of a chlorometalate with a cyanometalate in aqueous solution. At elevated temperatures, cyanogels thermally autoreduce to form transition-metal alloys. This work demonstrates the general nature of this type of sol−gel processing chemistry to prepare binary and ternary transition-metal alloys (Pd/Co, Pt/Co, Ru/Co, Ir/Co, Pd/Ni, Pt/Ni, Pt/Ru, Pd/Fe, Pd/Fe/Co) and intermetallics (Pt3Fe, Pt3Co, PtCo). Tuning of the composition of the gels and alloys by a variety of methods is demonstrated. The thermal autoreduction can be induced either by convective heating or by microwave irradiation, as microwave dielectric heating of cyanogels leads to a sufficient temperature increase in the sample to cause the reduction of the metal centers.
The near-UV absorption constants for nitrite ion in aqueous solution

Abstract The UV decadic molar absorptivities of nitrite ion in water were determined between 290 and 400 nm in 2-nm increments. The measured maximum absorptivity of 22.93 M cm−1 at 354 nm is in agreement with previous results. Using absorptivities obtained in this wavelength range, we calculated the first-order rate constant for the formation of OH radicals by the photolysis of aqueous nitrite in summer noon sunlight at 40°N. The resulted rate constants, 5.2 × 10−5 s−1 for surface water and 1.04 × 10−4 s−1 for cloud and rain water droplets, are twice the previously reported values. The environmental significance of these results is discussed briefly.
Selecting local therapy in the young breast cancer patient

Survival rates among young women with breast cancer remain inferior to that of older women. Higher rates of local failure after breast conservation (BCT) have led to speculation that mastectomy may be better, yet this remains unproven. Gene expression profiling provides new insight into biological differences that may account for differences in outcomes. With careful attention to margins and appropriate use of radiation and systemic therapy, BCT remains a safe option for young women with breast cancer.
Calpain activation and Na+/Ca2+ exchanger degradation occur downstream of calcium deregulation in hippocampal neurons exposed to excitotoxic glutamate

Delayed calcium deregulation (DCD) plays an essential role in glutamate excitotoxicity, a major detrimental factor in stroke, traumatic brain injury, and various neurodegenerations. In the present study, we examined the role of calpain activation and Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger (NCX) degradation in DCD and excitotoxic cell death in cultured hippocampal neurons. Exposure of neurons to glutamate caused DCD accompanied by secondary mitochondrial depolarization. Activation of calpain was evidenced by detecting NCX isoform 3 (NCX3) degradation products. Degradation of NCX isoform 1 (NCX1) was below the detection limit of Western blotting. Degradation of NCX3 was detected only after 1 hr of incubation with glutamate, whereas DCD occurred on average within 15 min after glutamate application. Calpeptin, an inhibitor of calpain, significantly attenuated NCX3 degradation but failed to inhibit DCD and excitotoxic neuronal death. Calpain inhibitors I, III, and VI also failed to influence DCD and glutamate-induced neuronal death. On the other hand, MK801, an inhibitor of the NMDA subtype of glutamate receptors, added shortly after the initial glutamate-induced jump in cytosolic Ca(2+), completely prevented DCD and activation of calpain and strongly protected neurons against excitotoxicity. Taken together, our results suggest that, in glutamate-treated hippocampal neurons, the initial increase in cytosolic Ca(2+) that precedes DCD is insufficient for sustained calpain activation, which most likely occurs downstream of DCD.
Light-induced increases in the glycine decarboxylase multienzyme complex from pea leaf mitochondria

The rates of mitochondrial glycine oxidation estimated by CO2-release and glycine-bicarbonate exchange activities in fully greened tissues are approximately 10 times greater than those of etiolated pea leaves and potato tuber mitochondria. The release of CO2 from glycine in intact mitochondria isolated from dark-grown and nonphotosynthetic tissues was sensitive to inhibitors of mitochondrial electron transport, glycine transport, and glycine decarboxylase activities. The CO2-release and glycine-bicarbonate exchange activities in crude mitochondrial protein extracts from light-grown versus dark-grown tissues exhibited light/dark ratios of 12 and 21, respectively. This suggests that the differences in capacity to oxidize glycine reside with the glycine decarboxylase enzyme complex itself. The complex is composed of four subunit enzymes, the P, H, T, and L proteins, which can be isolated individually and reconstituted into the active enzyme. The activities of P and T proteins were at least 10 times higher in fully greened pea leaves than in the etiolated tissue, while the H and L protein activities were four times higher in these same tissues. The levels of P and T proteins detected immunochemically were substantially lower in total mitochondrial extracts prepared from leaves of dark-grown pea seedlings. Labeling of whole pea seedlings and in vitro protein synthesis with isolated mitochondria indicated that the entire glycine decarboxylase enzyme complex is cytoplasmically synthesized and therefore encoded by the nucleus. Polypeptides synthesized from total leaf polyadenylated mRNA isolated from leaves of both the dark-grown and light-treated peas indicated the presence of P protein. This implies that translatable messages for this enzyme are present at some level throughout leaf development.
Effect of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin (TCDD) on maternal immune response during pregnancy

Whether pregnancy-induced immunosuppression when combined with exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) could exacerbate immunotoxicity has not been previously investigated. The current study evaluated the immune status of C57BL/6 pregnant and virgin mice following exposure to TCDD. To this end, syngeneically pregnant or virgin female mice were injected intraperitoneally with 10 µg/kg TCDD. Pregnancy alone significantly decreased thymic cellularity and J11d expression as well as induced changes in T-cell subsets. TCDD treatment caused significant thymic atrophy in pregnant mice as early as 48 h after exposure, but this effect was apparent in virgin mice only after 72 h. TCDD treatment also caused more marked alterations in thymic T-cell subpopulations of pregnant mice when compared to the virgin mice, with a decrease in the percentage of double-positive T cells and an increase in the percentage of single-positive (sP CD4+ or sP CD8+) and double-negative T cells. Moreover, the proliferative responses of thymocytes, but not splenocytes, to mitogens were significantly altered in TCDD-treated pregnant mice when compared to the TCDD-treated virgin mice. Furthermore, no significant changes in the expression of CD4, CD8, B220 and NK1.1 markers were found in splenocytes from TCDD-treated virgin and pregnant mice. Immunization of mice with a superantigen caused a similar immunotoxic response in TCDD-treated pregnant and virgin mice with a decreased lymph node cellularity and lower percentages and cell numbers of Vβ3+ and Vβ11+ T cells. Together, the results of the current study demonstrate for the first time that pregnancy augments the sensitivity to TCDD-induced immunotoxicity in the thymus, but not in secondary lymphoid organs.
A six-port 30-GB/s nonblocking router component using point-to-point simultaneous bidirectional signaling for high-bandwidth interconnects

This paper describes a high-speed six-port router component with a sustainable I/O bandwidth in excess of 30 GB/s. The device uses three distinct clock domains to connect low-speed processor and I/O nodes to a high-speed switch fabric capable of data rates of up to 6.4 Gb/s per wire on copper system interconnects. The router component is fabricated in 0.18-/spl mu/m bulk CMOS technology. The 100-mm/sup 2/ device contains approximately 6.6 million transistors and consumes 21 W at a link transfer rate of 3.2 Gb/s and a supply voltage of 1.75 V. Integrated on a single component, the router core and the simultaneous bidirectional links form a building block useful in the realization of large high-bandwidth multiprocessor systems.
On the nonvanishing of a certain L-series at s = 12

Abstract It is proved that L 205 ( 1 2 ) ≠ 0 where L d (s)= ∑ 1 ∞ d n 1 n s (s > 0) and ( d n ) is Kronecker's symbol.
Enhanced expression of mouse c-ski accompanies terminal skeletal muscle differentiation in vivo and in vitro

Overexpression of either v-ski, or the proto-oncogene, c-ski, in quail embryo fi- broblasts induces the expression of myoD and myo- genin, converting the cells to myoblasts capable of differentiating into skeletal myotubes. In trans- genic mice, overexpression of ski also influences muscle development, but in this case it effects fully formed muscle, causing hypertrophy of fast skel- etal muscle fibers. In attempts to determine whether endogenous mouse c-ski plays a role in either early muscle cell determination or late mus- cle cell differentiation, we analyzed mRNA expres- sion during muscle development in mouse em- bryos and during in vitro terminal differentiation of skeletal myoblasts. To generate probes for these studies we cloned coding and 3' non-coding re- gions of mouse c-ski. In situ hybridization revealed low c-ski expression in somites, and only detected elevated levels of mRNA in skeletal muscle begin- ning at about 12.5 days of gestation. Northern anal- ysis revealed a two-fold increase in c-ski mRNA during terminal differentiation of skeletal muscle cell lines in vitro. Our results suggest that c-ski plays a role in terminal differentiation of skeletal muscle cells not in the determination of cells to the myogenic Lineage. 0 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 or poly(ADP‑ribose) glycohydrolase individually, but not in combination, leads to improved chemotherapeutic efficacy in HeLa cells

The genome-protecting role of poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) has identified PAR polymerase-1 (PARP-1) and PAR glycohydrolase (PARG), two enzymes responsible for the synthesis and hydrolysis of PAR, as chemotherapeutic targets. Each has been previously individually evaluated in chemotherapy, but the effects of combination PARP-1 and PARG inhibition in cancer cells are not known. Here we determined the effects of the inhibition of PARP-1 and the absence or RNAi knockdown of PARG on PAR synthesis, cell death after chemotherapy and long-term viability. Using three experimental/clinical PARP-1 inhibitors in PARG-null cells, we show decreased levels of PAR and increased short-term and long-term viability with each inhibitor, with the exception of DPQ. Treatment with the experimental chemotherapeutic agent, N-methyl-N’-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), led to increased cell death in PARG-null cells, but decreased cell death when pretreated with each PARP-1 inhibitor. Similar results were observed in MNNG-treated HeLa cells, where RNAi knockdown of PARG or pretreatment with ABT-888 led to increased HeLa cell death, whereas combination PARG RNAi knockdown + ABT-888 failed to produce increased cell death. The results demonstrate the ability of the PARP-1 inhibitors to decrease PAR levels, maintain viability and decrease PAR-mediated cell death after chemotherapeutic treatment in the absence of PARG. Further, the results demonstrate that the combination of PARP-1 and PARG inhibition in chemotherapy does not produce increased HeLa cell death. Thus, the results indicate that inhibiting both PARP-1 and PARG, which both are chemotherapeutic targets that increase cancer cell death, does not lead to synergistic cell death in HeLa cells. Therefore, strategies that target PAR metabolism for the improved treatment of cancer may be required to target PARP-1 and PARG individually in order to optimize cancer cell death.
The roles of clinical assessment, human chorionic gonadotropin assays, and ultrasonography in medical abortion practice

Abstract The clinical assessment of patients who request early medical abortion includes confirmation of the diagnosis of pregnancy and estimation of gestational age. Accurate gestational dating is essential, because the efficacies of medical abortion regimens decline as pregnancy advances. Whereas medical abortion researchers in the United States have relied on routine ultrasonography for gestational dating, abortion providers experienced with mifepristone and prostaglandin regimens outside the United States have reported high efficacy and safety primarily with clinical dating parameters. Diligent follow-up of patients allows clinicians to confirm that complete abortion has occurred without complications. In cases of uncertain outcome or suspected ectopic pregnancy, transvaginal ultrasonography and β-human chorionic gonadotropin assays can assist in prompt diagnosis and management. As medical abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol becomes more prevalent in the United States, studies will be needed to further evaluate the effects of these modalities on medical abortion outcomes. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000;183:S34-S43.)
The critical and expanding role of genetics in assisted reproduction.

With the progress of the human gene mapping initiative, it is expected that the entire genome will be mapped within two years. A significant use for these data will centre on testing for genetic disease. Professionals associated with assisted reproduction are presented with a very special subset of the population, namely, couples suffering from infertility. Infertility may occur in the male, the female or both partners and may be heritable. Infertility, subfertility or recurrent spontaneous miscarriage is associated with chromosomal or genetic anomalies, suggesting that basic developmental genetics should be a part of the education of the physician or clinical embryologist. A review of the most common infertility-associated chromosomal and genetic diseases for which genetic testing has become routine in infertile parents and in the products of assisted reproduction through preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and prenatal testing follows. Less common genetic diseases that have compromising effects on reproduction and which are likely to be encountered by providers of assisted reproduction are also considered.
Technology transfer and continuity of care by a "consultant".

The author's 12-year relationship with an elderly man with emphysema reaffirms his belief in house calls and the benefit of home care.
Towards an understanding of identity and technology in the workplace

Despite the ubiquitous presence of information technology (IT) in the workplace and the continued computerization of all kinds of work practices, investigations into how IT artifacts play a role in professional identity construction remain rare. Existing studies tend to emphasize sense-making and discourses around IT. This study attempts to fill some of this gap by offering an empirical investigation of how IT artifacts play a role in professional identity enactment at a back office of a Big 4 accounting firm. Building on the socio-technical school of thought and the concept of self as storied, the paper offers a complementary perspective to existing views on the role of IT in identity formation. Our findings reveal that IT artifacts become part of professional identity performances by acting as landmarks in individuals’ self-narratives around which the self and others are positioned and a preferred professional identity is enacted. The findings also indicate that different types of preferred selves may be expressed in specific patterns of technology use. As such, our study contributes to a better understanding of professional identity construction, workplace behavior and ongoing use or non-use of IT at work.
Spectral transmission characteristics of spectacle contact, and intraocular lenses

The spectral transmissions of various lenses were analyzed using a spectrophotometer to clarify their ultraviolet (UV)-blocking efficacy. Results showed that UV CR-39 and polycarbonate lenses provided better protection than did clear CR-39 and glass lenses, and UV contact lenses had better UV-blocking efficacy than clear contact lenses. Also, both hard and soft intraocular lenses from Alcon and Pharmacia & Upjohn were capable of blocking UV radiation efficiently.
Simultaneous systems of representatives and combinatorial number theory

Abstract This paper applies a recent theorem about simultaneous systems of representatives for families of finite sets to obtain combinatorial results that are closely related to problems concerning minimal asymptotic bases in additive number theory.
Selective Activation in the MAPK Pathway by Hg(II) in Precision-Cut Rabbit Renal Cortical Slices

Abstract The kidneys are the primary organ for the accumulation and toxicity of inorganic mercury. In these studies the molecular response of precision-cut rabbit renal cortical slices to low levels of inorganic mercury was examined. Cortical slices (275 μm) were obtained from 1.0 kg NZW rabbits and exposed to mercuric chloride [Hg(II)] at concentrations of 0.01–10 μM for 2–8 h. Overt cytotoxicity, as assessed by intracellular K+ levels, was not observed following exposure to these concentrations of Hg(II). However, an induction of heme-oxygenase-1 (Hsp32) was seen following a 2-h challenge to Hg(II). A dose-dependent induction of the DNA binding activity of the AP-1 transcription factor after 4 h of Hg(II) exposure correlated with a dose-dependent enhancement of c-jun gene expression following 2 h of Hg(II) exposure. Additionally, an increase in phosphorylated c-Jun NH2-terminal protein kinase (JNK) was observed following 2 h of Hg(II) exposure. These results suggest activation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) signal transduction pathway, specifically the c-Jun NH2-terminal protein kinase (JNK) pathway. No changes were observed, however, in the DNA binding activity of ATF2 and Elk-1, transcription factors involved in both the JNK and p38 pathways of MAP signal transduction, nor in the gene expression of c-myc. This selectivity of alterations in molecular signaling suggests an acute response in signal transduction, specifically activation of the JNK pathway in renal tissue following exposure to nanomolar concentrations of Hg(II).
The Burmese people's struggle

The Burmans, the dominant people in Burma from the 11th to the 19th century, were never able to maintain unity among themselves or with the other ethnic minorities they subjugated. Nor did the Burmans carry any tradition of political freedom with them for, as Josef Silverstein writes in Burmese Politics: The Dilemma of National Unity, the Burman kings were “thought to be semi‐divine and entitled to command the absolute obedience of their subject‐slaves.” These kings established their kingdom by conquest and never developed political structures that assured an orderly succession from one king to another. Since political authority resided in the king, his subjects owed fealty to him as a person. The British, who ruled all of Burma by the end of the Third Anglo‐Burmese War in 1885, continued the tradition of despotic power over the people until the 1940s. Two great movements for self‐determination have emerged in Burma in the 20th century. The first reached a crucial stage during World War II, achieved polit...
The influence of diffusion and associated errors on the adjoint data assimilation technique

We investigate the influence of diffusion, and errors associated with its representation, on the adjoint data assimilation technique. In order to determine how diffusion influences the retrieval of the initial state given a set of observations at later times, we perform a linear analysis of the one-dimensional diffusion equation and show that the retrieved initial state will be amplified (smoothed) if the diffusion in the prediction model is larger (smaller) than that present within the observations. This amplification (smoothing) not only increases dramatically as the length scale of the feature under consideration decreases, but also plays a role in suggesting an appropriate time period within which to assimilate observed data. These results are verified numerically for the simple case of a rising thermal in a neutrally-stratified environment using simulated pseudo-observations from a dry, three-dimensional Boussinesq model and its adjoint. DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0870.1993.00008.x