cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differential regulation of expression of the multiple ADP/ATP translocase genes in human cells.

The expression of the genes encoding the three isoforms of the human ADP/ATP translocase (T1, T2, and T3) has been investigated in cultured cell systems under different experimental conditions, using isoform- specific probes. In several human cell lines tested, i.e. HeLa, Hep3B, 143B, HL60, the T3 gene is expressed as a single 1300-nucleotide mRNA, whereas the T2 gene produces two species of mRNA, 1450 and 1600 nucleotides in size. These two species, which are present in HeLa cells in approximately equivalent amounts, were shown to derive from the use of two different polyadenylation signals. The gene for the muscle-specific isoform of ADP/ATP translocase, T1, was not found to be expressed in any of the cell lines investigated. The levels of T2 and T3 mRNAs in HeLa cells are differentially affected by the growth conditions. In fact, the T2 mRNA level remains relatively constant throughout the exponential and stationary phases, whereas the T3 mRNA level decreases progressively in the second half of the exponential phase and in the stationary phase down to less than 50%. This difference in quantitative behavior of the two mRNAs must reflect changes in their rates of synthesis, since their half-lives are very similar (t^1/2 = 5-6 h), with no significant growth-related differences. Treatment of HL60 cells with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate or retinoic acid, two agents which induce cessation of cell proliferation and cell differentiation, resulted in a marked decrease in both T2 and T3 mRNA levels. Exposure of HeLa cells to chloramphenicol produced a pronounced decrease in the levels of both T2 and T3 mRNAs after 48 to 72 h of treatment. Half-life time measurements strongly suggested that this decrease reflected a reduction in the rate of synthesis of the two transcripts. Treatment of HeLa cells with dinitrophenol also produced a dramatic decrease in the steady state levels of both T2 and T3 mRNA, which, however, in contrast to the just mentioned situation, could be accounted for by a decrease in their metabolic stability. Control experiments indicated that the chloramphenicol- and dinitrophenol-induced changes were not a nonspecific consequence of mitochondrial dysfunction. The observations reported here clearly demonstrate that the expression of the multiple ADP/ATP translocase genes in human cells is sensitive to the cell physiological conditions, responding to the varying cellular demands by changes in the rate of synthesis or stability of their mRNAs.
Thiol-modified gold nanoparticles for the inhibition of Mycobacterium smegmatis

Antimicrobial drug discovery has slowed considerably over the last few decades. One major cause for concern is the lack of innovative approaches to treat infections caused by mycobacteria such as TB. Herein we demonstrate that our Small Molecule Variable Ligand Display (SMLVD) method for nanoparticle antibiotic discovery can be expanded around a ligand feed ratio parameter space to identify gold nanoparticle conjugates that are potent inhibitors of mycobacteria growth, with our most potent inhibitor able to reduce growth by five orders of magnitude at 8 μM.
Cleft posterior mitral leaflet resembling a tri-leaflet mitral valve: a novel phenotypic association with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Three patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and progressive dyspnoea presented for surgical evaluation. In all three, transthoracic echocardiography showed asymmetric septal hypertrophy, dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, systolic anterior motion of the mitral apparatus, and mitral regurgitation ranging from moderate to severe. All the patients underwent surgical septal …
Iron Fortification of Process Cheddar Cheese

Abstract Dairy products contribute high quality protein, calcium, and other nutrients but no Fe to human diets. In this study, we determined whether Fe fortification affected the quality of process Cheddar cheese fortified with Fe-casein, Fe-whey protein, or FeCl 3 . An unfortified process cheese served as a control. Iron concentrations in the fortified cheeses were about 40 mg/kg, an Fe density of 10 mg/ 1000kcal; and unfortified cheese contained 1 to 2mg iron/kg. The quality of the process cheese was determined by thiobarbituric acid assay and taste panel evaluation. Thiobarbituric acid numbers were slightly lower in the unfortified cheese ( P = .049). A taste panel of experts did not detect any differences in oxidized off-flavor or cheese flavor among the cheeses that have been stored as long as 3 mo ( P >.05). A panel of 94 lay subjects gave similar hedonic scores to the flavor, texture, and overall quality of the Fe-fortified and unfortified cheeses ( P >.05). Results indicate that it is possible to produce good quality, Fe-fortified process Cheddar cheese.
Interruption handling strategies during paediatric medication administration

Background: Interruptions are a part of many hospital settings. During medication administration, interruptions have been shown to lead to medication errors. Understanding interruption management strategies during medical management could lead to the design of interventions to reduce and mitigate related errors. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with paediatric nurses in an in-patient setting were used to identify types of interruptions, strategies for safe medication administration and interruption management, as well as factors influencing the interruption management strategy choice. Nurses also worked through use cases and provided verbal protocols about their strategies. To confirm and refine a framework for interruption handling, on-the-job observations were also conducted. Results: Four case studies of medication administration highlight four interruption handling strategies. Three allow the interruption: 1) the primary task is suspended so that the higher priority secondary task may be engaged immediately; 2) multi-task by dividing attention between the primary and secondary tasks; and 3) mediating the interruption with an action that supports resumption of the primary task. The fourth blocks the interruption, keeping attention on the primary task (blocking). Interviews and on-the-job observation suggest that nurses dynamically assess the primary and (interrupting) secondary tasks. They prioritise task execution based on both risk and workflow efficiency assessments. Specific interruption handling depends on both task and experience related factors. Conclusions: Paediatric nurses have developed sophisticated strategies to manage interruptions and maintain patient safety and work efficiency during medication administration. To support a more resilient healthcare system, interruption management strategies should be supported through process, task support tools and education.
Unintended consequences of collocation: using agent-based modeling to untangle effects of communication delay and in-group favor

In studies about office arrangements that have individuals working from remote locations, researchers usually hypothesize advantages for collocators and disadvantages for remote workers. However, empirical findings have not shown consistent support for the hypothesis. We suspect that there are unintended consequences of collocation, which can offset well-recognized advantages of being collocated. To explain these unintended consequences, we developed a multi-agent model to complement our laboratory-based experiment. In the lab, collocated subjects did not perform better than the remote even though collocators had faster communication channels and in-group favor towards each other. Results from the multi-agent simulation suggested that in-group favoritism among collocators caused them to ignore some important resource exchange opportunities with remote individuals. Meanwhile, communication delay of remote subjects protected them from some falsely biased perception of resource availability. The two unintended consequences could offset the advantage of being collocated and diminish performance differences between collocators and remote workers. Results of this study help researchers and practitioners recognize the hidden costs of being collocated. They also demonstrate the value of coupling lab experiments with multi-agent simulation.
Novoseven Use To Reduce Peri-Operative Bleeding Following HeartMate II Implant

Purpose Peri-operative bleeding is a significant complication of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. Excessive bleeding requiring substantial blood product adminstration can contribute to sustained systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), tissue edema, pulmonary dysfunction, prolonged ventilator requirement, and even right heart heart failure. We describe the use use of recombinant human activated caogulation factor VII (Novoseven, Novo-Norsk) to reduce peri-operative bleeding. Methods and Materials In this single center, retrospective, non-randomized review, we analysed our use of Novoseven in the operating room (OR) or intensive care unit (ICU) to manage bleeding following implantation of the HeartMate II. 133 patients were implanted from Jan 1, 2012 through Nov 1, 2012, with 65 of those receiving Novoseven. Total chest tube drainage (CTD), ICU stay, hospital length of stay (LOS), thromboembolic (TE) events, and bleeding events were compared between the 2 groups using Stastica (Statsoft). Results 65 patients received an average of 5.8 mg of Novoseven. 27 received Novoseven in the OR, 10 in the ICU, and 28 in both locations. There was no significant difference in surviavl at 1, 3, or 6 months. CTD was higher in patients who did not receive Novoseven by an average of 120 mL, but there was no significant differnce in ICU stay (4.7 vs. 5.2 days, p=N.S.) or average LOS (22.4 vs. 21.3, p=N.S.). There was also no statistical differnce in TE rate, but patients receiving Novoseven were 1.8 times more likely to experience a GIB (p Conclusions Novoseven was used in 65 of 133 HeartMate II recipients with no apparent adverse effects. An increased risk of GIB observed in patients receiving Novoseven may reflect a population at higher risk for bleeding. Further study to identify those at highest risk for bleeding could improve the use of Novoseven to ameliorate peri-operative bleeding associated with LVAD implantation.
Wax digestion in a Crown-of-Thorns starfish.

Abstract Digestive enzymes of Acanthaster ellisii are exceptionally effective in hydrolyzing a wax ester, cetyl palmitate, the major energy reserve of reef corals.
Effect of periodic and aperiodic surface distortions on membrane reflector antennas

The objective of this paper is to study the effects of some systematic distortions such as periodic and aperiodic surface errors on the performance of membrane reflector antennas. As a case study, a cylindrical parabolic reflector antenna is studied in detail. This membrane reflector is the half scale model of a proposed precipitation radar antenna in the PR-2 mission. The performance of an aperiodic distorted reflector is simulated by introducing analytical models of distortions and representative results are also presented. These are important considerations for evaluation of large deployable membrane reflector antennas for the PR-2 mission.
Reply to ``Comment on `Oxidation of the Fe(110) surface: An Fe 3 O 4 (111)/Fe(110) bilayer' ''

We briefly reconsider the supposed controversy between our results [H.-J. Kim, J.-H. Park, and E. Vescovo, Phys. Rev. B 61, 15284 (2000); 61, 15288 (2000)] and the ones by Koike's group [K. Koike and T. Furukawa, Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 3921 (1996); K. Mori, M. Yamazaky, T. Hiraki, H. Matsuyama, and K. Koike, Phys. Rev. B 72, 014418 (2005)] and find neither any need to modify our original conclusions [namely that the oxide formed by heavy oxidation of the Fe(110) surface is Fe3O4] nor any real discrepancy between the data from the two laboratories. The results presented in the comment are not in contradiction with our previous findings because they were taken under different experimental conditions.
Effects of selenium and methylmercury upon glutathione and glutathione-S-transferase in mice.

The effect of selenium and methylmercury upon liver glutathione concentration and glutathione-S-transferase activity was investigated in mice. Intraperitoneal injections of methylmercury produced a decrease in liver glutathione and an increase in glutathione-S-transferase. The response to methylmercury was similar in both selenium-control and selenium-deficient animals. Selenium administered alone produced an increase in glutathione and glutathione-S-transferase activity in the selenium-deficient animals but had little effect in the selenium-control animals. However, in both selenium-control and selenium-deficient mice the injection of selenium prior to methylmercury reduced the effect of methylmercury upon glutathione-S-transferase. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that following methylmercury administration the liver glutathione level dropped drastically within 2 days, but that it was 6 days before the rise in glutathione-S-transferase activity reached a peak. The results from this study suggest that one of the interactions of selenium and methylmercury, which may be involved in the amelioration of methylmercury toxicity, occurs at the time both metals are metabolized in the liver.
Epidemiology of Bloodstream Infections in The First Year After Pediatric Lung Transplantation.

Background: Significant morbidity and mortality associated with infection occurs in the first year after pediatric lung transplantation. To better understand the clinical significance of bloodstream infections (BSI), we systematically evaluated the epidemiology of BSI in the first year posttransplant. Methods: A retrospective case-cohort study of pediatric primary lung transplant recipients was performed. The incidence of BSI and organisms isolated were determined through medical and laboratory record review. We assessed variation in causative organisms and rate of BSI in three time periods after transplantation: acute (0–30 days), intermediate (31–90 days) and late (91–365 days). Results: From July 1990 to November 2000, 190 pediatric patients received primary lung transplants. Twenty-six percent (49 of 190) of recipients had at least one BSI. The most common organisms isolated were Coagulase-negative staphylococcus (n=25, 28.4%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=14, 16.0%), and Candida species (n=9, 10.2%). The overall rate of BSI was 2.1 per 1000 catheter-days. The highest rate of BSI occurred in the acute period compared to the intermediate and late periods at 5.5, 1.3 and 1.6 per 1000 catheter-days, respectively (P = 0.21). Early BSI was associated with death in the first year after transplant (RR=3.9, 95% CI 1.6–9.4, p = 0.002). Conclusions: BSI occurs frequently after primary pediatric lung transplantation with the highest rate in the first 30 days after transplantation. Early BSI is associated with death in the first year after transplant. Prevention of early BSI could potentially decrease mortality after pediatric lung transplantation.
Improving locality of reference in a garbage-collecting memory management system

Modern Lisp systems make heavy use of a garbage-collecting style of memory management. Generally, the locality of reference in garbage-collected systems has been very poor. In virtual memory systems, this poor locality of reference generally causes a large amount of wasted time waiting on page faults or uses excessively large amounts of main memory. An adaptive memory management algorithm, described in this article, allows substantial improvement in locality of reference. Performance measurements indicate that page-wait time typically is reduced by a factor of four with constant memory size and disk technology. Alternately, the size of memory typically can be reduced by a factor of two with constant performance.
Biotic structure indirectly affects associated prey in a predator-specific manner via changes in the sensory environment.

Indirect effects, which can be either positive or negative, may be important in areas containing biotic structure, because such structure can provide refuge and habitat, produce additional sensory cues that may attract predators, and modify the sensory landscape in which predator–prey interactions occur. To determine the indirect effects of biotic structure on prey populations, we assessed predation on patches of hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) by large odor-mediated blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) and knobbed whelk (Busycon carica) predators at 0, 5, and 10 m from oyster reefs in intertidal salt marshes. Oyster reefs had an overall indirect negative effect on hard clams, with higher predation rates closer to the reef than farther away. Predator-specific patterns of predation showed that blue crabs consumed more clams very close to the reef, whereas whelks consumed more clams at intermediate distances. Laboratory flume experiments suggest that the oyster reef structure creates turbulence that diminishes predator foraging efficiency, particularly in rapidly mobile predators such as blue crabs, but that oyster reef chemicals ameliorate the negative impact of turbulence on foraging success for both predators. Changes in the sensory landscape, in combination with predator perceptual ability, will determine the positive and/or negative impacts of biotic structure on associated prey. Gaining an understanding of the context specificity of positive and negative sensory effects of biotic structure provides insights that are important for developing a predictive framework to assess the magnitude and distribution of indirect interactions in natural communities.
A nanoparticle–dendrimer conjugate prepared from a one-step chemical coupling of monofunctional nanoparticles with a dendrimer

Gold nanoparticle–dendrimer conjugate clusters were prepared by a covalent coupling of monofunctional gold nanoparticles with a generation 5 PAMAM dendrimer.
The eutectic and liquidus in the Al2O3-ZrO2 system

A high-temperature X-ray diffraction method was employed to establish,in situ, the eutectic temperature (1910±20° C) and the liquidus line in the Al2O3-ZrO3 binary system. The eutectic composition was determined by optical microscopy to be 42.5±1 wt% ZrO2. No evidence was found for the existence of a reportede-Al2O2 high temperature phase.
Strategies for increasing the participation in computing of students with disabilities

It is predicted that the demand for workers in computing fields will continue to be high for years to come. However, some groups of people continue to be underrepresented in academic programs and careers in computing. People with disabilities form one such group of untapped talent. This article addresses the unique challenges faced by individuals with disabilities, and shares practices of a nationwide alliance, AccessComputing, that show promise for attracting qualified individuals with disabilities to computing fields.
Ocean background model for scene simulation

An ocean surface model for synthetic IR/visible imaging applications has been developed at GTRI based upon the Pierson-Moskowitz wave spectrum. The model calculates a 2D grid of height values describing a given snapshot of the sea surface. This surface is a function of wind speed and direction as well as elapsed time into the simulation. The time parameter permits the animation of the sea surface during a simulated movie sequence. Sea signatures are calculated using a combination of models and tools: the GTRI IR signature code GTSIG is used to predict sea temperatures; LOWTRAN7 is used to construct tables of sky radiances; the Fresnel equations are used to construct tables of sea reflectance. These signature components are combined during image rendering with a ray-tracing approach the provides the total radiance (emitted and reflected) from the ocean surface arriving at each sensor image pixel. This ocean model has been integrated into a complete image rendering system called GTRENDER, and is available for use in GTRI applications such as the GTSIMS family of missile simulations.
Extraction of Petroleum Hydrocarbons from Soil Using Supercritical Argon

The use of supercritical argon is described for the extraction of petroleum hydrocarbons from soil samples. Argon is an attractive solvent because it is inexpensive and inert. Additionally, it has a clear spectral window in the infrared region which makes it useful for on-line (i.e., directly coupled) experiments. Spiking studies conducted with gasoline, no. 1 fuel oil, and no. 5 fuel oil on sand, loam, and clay show that component recovery rates for argon supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) generally increase with increasing pressure and/or temperature. The highest recovery rates (and recoveries) were obtained for Ar SFE at 500 atm and 150 °C. Under these conditions, the components of the gasoline and no. 1 fuel oil spikes could be recovered in as little as 12 min. However, the no. 5 fuel oil components could not be quantitatively removed from the loam and clay matrixes even for extraction times as long as 100 min. We also show in this work that Ar SFE performs similarly to CO2 SFE for petroleum hydroca...
Design of an automated assembly environment

Abstract A design environment for acquisition, analysis and validation of information for automated mechanical assembly is proposed in this paper. The environment acts as a preprocessing step before the actual assembly operation. The working memory — consisting mainly of instances of component and subassembly data objects and a B-rep based structured face adjacency graph — is used to establish the assembly precedence relationship. The environment has been implemented in the object-oriented programming language Smalltalk-80. An object-based approach has been preferred to a procedural language because of increased modularity, data abstraction, and efficiency of the code. The hierarchical class (data type) structure of object-oriented programming has been used to define a hierarchical mating requirement module permitting knowledge inheritance from parent classes.
Release of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone and thyrotropin releasing hormone from a synaptosome-enriched fraction of hypothalamic homogenates.

A mitochondrial fraction prepared from homogenates of rat hypothalamic tissue was found by means of electron microscopy to be enriched with synaptosomes. The release of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) and thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) from this preparation was investigated. After incubation, the synaptosomes were re-isolated by ultrafiltration; and the concentration of LHRH and TRH in the ultrafiltrate was determined by radioimmunoassay. When the synaptosome-enriched preparation was incubated in 0.32M sucrose at 1 or 30 C, less than 10% of the total LHRH and TRH was recovered in the ultrafiltrate. The two hormones were released by depolarizing concentrations (60 mM) of K+ in a Ca++- dependent manner, and the stimulatory effect of K+ was essentially complete within 2 min. In the presence of 2 mM Ca++, the release of LHRH and TRH increased with increasing K+ concentrations in the range 30–120 mM. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), PGF2α, and PGF2β had little if any effect on LHRH or TRH release. Wh...
Minimal Non-Metabelian Varieties of ℓ-Groups Which Contain No Nonabelian o-Groups

Martinez suggested and Scrimger proved that, when n is prime, the varieties &#x1d4ae; n defined by what are now called Scrimger l-groups S n cover the abelian variety, which is the smallest nontrivial variety of l-groups. Darnel, Gurchenkov, and Reilly then independently proved that these are the only minimally nonabelian varieties which contain no nonabelian totally ordered groups. Holland and Reilly then gave a complete description of the lattice of metabelian l-group varieties which contain no nonabelian totally ordered groups. This article now describes all of the minimally non-metabelian l-group varieties which contain no nonabelian totally ordered groups.
SOMATOMEDIN-C (SM) LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH TRUE PRECOCIOUS PUBERTY: EFFECT OF TREATMENT WITH A POTENT LRF-AGONIST (LRF-A)

An interrelationship has been suggested between SM, growth rate, and sex steroid levels in normal puberty. We measured serum acid-ethanol extractable SM by RIA in 7 boys and 12 girls with central precocious puberty before and at 1 week (W), 2W, 6W, 12W, and then every 3 months (M) after starting treatment with 4 μg/kg daily SQ injections of the LRF-A, D-TRP6-PRO9-NET LRF, supplied by Drs. Wylie Vale and Jean Rivier. Gonadotropin and sex steroid levels at baseline and in response to an IV bolus of LRF were measured and correlated with changes in SM. Median ΔLH at 0, 1W, and 2W was 2.4, 0.6, and 0.7 ng/ml, respectively, in boys, and 7.9, 0.9, and 0.5 ng/ml in girls. Median testosterone (T) was 366, 403, 53, and 34 ng/dl in boys, and median estradiol (E2) was 61, 62, <5, and <5 pg/ml in girls at 0, 1W, 2W, and 6W respectively. The ΔLH, T, and E2 values remained prepubertal thereafter. SM was correlated with height velocity (p<.005) at 0, 6M, and 12M of therapy. SM rose from a pretreatment mean of 1.99±.17 (SEM) units/ml to 2.19±.16 u/ml at 1W (p=.1, Wilcoxon) and fell significantly to 1.6±.17 u/ml (p<.05) at 6M. Significant correlations were found between SM and E2 (p=.005) and T (p<.001). In 3 patients who had therapy with LRF-A discontinued, SM levels rose to pre-treatment values and decreased when therapy was restarted. The reversible suppression of T, E2, and SM by LRF-A treatment supports the assertion that SM is dependent on T and E2 levels in precocious puberty.
Signaling pathway requirements for induction of senescence by telomere homolog oligonucleotides

Abstract Cellular senescence is a major defense against cancer. In human fibroblasts, suppressing both the p53 and pRb pathways is necessary to bypass replicative senescence as well as senescence induced by ectopic expression of a dominant negative form of the telomere repeat binding factor 2, TRF2DN. We recently reported that exposure to oligonucleotides homologous to the telomere 3′ overhang (T-oligos) activates both the p53 and pRb pathways and leads to senescence in primary human fibroblasts. To further characterize T-oligo-induced senescence, we compared established isogenic fibroblast cell lines lacking functional p53 and/or pRb pathways to the normal parental line. Here, we report that, as in physiologic senescence, inactivation of both the p53 and pRb pathways is necessary to suppress T-oligo-induced senescence. Moreover, T-oligo rapidly induces senescence in a malignant fibroblast-derived cell line, demonstrating the potential of using T-oligo as a novel anticancer therapeutic. Our data support the hypothesis that exposure of the TTAGGG tandem repeat telomere 3′ overhang sequence is the event that initiates signaling through DNA damage response pathways after experimental telomere disruption, serial passage, or acute genomic damage of normal cells.
Research and application of comprehensive electromagnetic detection technique in spontaneous combustion area of coalfields

Perplexed by severe disasters, spontaneous combustion areas of coalfields in China not only lose a large number of precious coal resources but damage the ecological environment badly. The premise of effective control against the disasters is investigations on the source position and scope of spontaneous combustion areas at coalfields so as to provide scientific basis for fire extinguishment design and construction of coalfields. Working principles, construction methods and detection effects of high resolution earth resistivity method, transient electromagnetic method (small loop-center probe device) applied in the detection of combustion areas at coalfields have been introduced. The application shows that the above mentioned methods can detect the accurate position of underground combustion areas, are effective ones in detecting the combustion center, combusted area and distribution scope of combustion areas at coalfields, and have broad application prospects.
Satellite Estimation of the Surface Energy Balance, Moisture Availability and Thermal Inertia.

A method for inferring the distribution of surface heat and evaporative fluxes and the ground moisture availability and thermal inertia (ground conductive capacity) is used to analyze two urbanized areas, Los Angeles and St. Louis. The technique employs infrared satellite temperature measurements in conjunction with a one-dimensional boundary-layer model. Results show that there is a marked reduction of evaporation and moisture availability and a corresponding elevation of sensible heat flux over urbanized areas and over cropped areas with low vegetative cover. Conversely, low heat flux and high evaporation characterize vegetated and, especially, forested areas. Warm urban centers appear directly related to a reduction in vegetation, which normally allows for a greater fraction of available radiant energy to be converted into latent heat flux. The distribution of thermal inertia was surprisingly ill-defined and its variation between urban and rural areas was quite small. Thus, the increased heat storage within the urban fabric, which has been proposed as the underlying cause of the nocturnal heat island, may be caused mainly by enhanced daytime surface heating which occurs because of surface dryness, rather than by large spatial variations in the conductivity of the surface.
SUGAR TRANSPORT IN ISOLATED NEWBORN RAT RENAL TUBULES A POSSIBLE EXPLANATION FOR THE ABSENCE OF NEONATAL GLUCOSURIA

Although glycosuria is absent in the newborn rat, uptake of galactose and alpha-methyl-D-glucoside (AMG) a non-metabolized transport model for glucose by newborn cortical slices is known to be impaired. We have shown concentration-dependent active uptake of AMG by isolated renal tubules from the newborn Sprague-Dawley rat and have confirmed the validity of this in vitro uptake phenomenon by an in vivo demonstration of AMG uptake by the newborn kidney. A kinetic analysis of the entry phenomenon for AMG in the newborn tubule reveals two distinct membrane transport systems, only one of which is present in the adult tubule. Glucose was shown to competitively inhibit uptake on the shared, high-capacity system, with a Ki of 2 mM in both newborn and adult tubules. The low-capacity system in the newborn (Km = 0.533 mM) was not affected by either 10 mM fructose or complete anoxia, although both glucose and galactose (10 mM) exerted inhibition on uptake by this system. These data suggest that the newborn rat shares a sugar-transport system with the adult, but is able to transport less on this carrier per unit time. This deficit is offset by the presence of an additional system with a very high affinity, not present in the adult. The net result is a relatively efficient transport of sugar, impervious to anoxic insult, which approximates that of an adult.
New rotavirus vaccine is effective and appears to have no increased risk of intussception.

(35.3% [1.8-57.4]). The vaccine reduced frequency of infection from vaccine-related cross-reactive pneumococcal serotypes by 65.5%, but did not significantly change the number of episodes caused by other non-vaccine serotypes. Conclusions Use of the H influenzae–derived protein D as a carrier protein for pneumococcal polysaccharides not only allowed protection against pneumococcal otitis, but also against acute otitis media caused by non-typable H influenzae. Whether this approach would also allow improved protection against lower respiratory tract infections warrants further investigation. Commentary In this valid efficacy study, the novel 11-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine showed an efficacy against acute otitis media caused by the vaccine serotypes that was almost identical to that demonstrated in a Finnish efficacy study 1 for the currently available 7-valent conjugate vaccine. Interestingly, the vaccine used in this study also seemed to provide protection against acute otitis media caused by non-typable H influenzae. One important point is worth noting: The design of this study apparently resulted in considerable selection of cases, since the observed incidence of acute otitis media in the control group was only about one-tenth of the incidence seen in most U.S. and European studies. The impact of a protein D conjugate vaccine on the overall incidence of acute otitis media in the United States and most of Europe is therefore difficult to anticipate. The relative risk reduction could hardly be as high as 33% since serotype replacement, although not detected during the study, is bound to be associated with the use of this pneumococcal conjugate vaccine also. However, it is reasonable to assume that the impact of this vaccine on pneumococcal otitis would be equivalent to that induced by the currently available vaccine. The observed efficacy of the protein D conjugate vaccine against acute otitis media due to H influenzae indicates that this type of vaccine has even more potential to reduce acute otitis media.
A Generic Key to the Nymphs of North American Lygaeiclae (Hemiptera-Heteroptera)

This key includes the fifth-instar nymphs of 53 of the Nearctic genera of Lygaeidae, together with the tribes and subfamilies that they represent. Orsillinae, Isclmorhynchinae, and Cyminae are considered as definite subfamilies, and recent changes in the tribal classification of the Megalonotinae are incorporated. Stress is laid on the value of the nymphal stages in systematic studies of this family.
Early larvae of Zesticelus profundorum (family Cottidae) identified using DNA barcoding

Early larvae of Flabby Sculpin, Zesticelus profundorum, are described using DNA barcoding methods to identify specimens collected in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea. Based on the low myomere count, distribution of larvae, and vertebral counts in adults, we selected Zesticelus profundorum and Sebastolobus macrochir as good potential candidates for genetic comparison. We used DNA samples from voucher specimens of each candidate taxon to identify species-specific sequences. An exact match in sequence data allowed us to positively identify these larvae as Zesticelus profundorum, a rare deepwater species of the family Cottidae.
Vocal Communication in a Neotropical Treefrog, Hyla Ebraccata: Aggressive Calls

We studied the aggressive calls of Hyla ebraccata in Panama by recording natural interactions in the field and by playing recordings of natural and synthetic calls to males. Aggressive calls of this species had higher pulse repetition rates than advertisement calls and often were much longer. Aggressive calls also were much more variable in introductory note duration, pulse rate, rise time, and the number and structure of click notes. Pulse repetition rate was negatively correlated with the duration of the introductory note, as were the number of click notes in the call and the number of pulses in each click. In natural encounters, the duration of introductory notes increased as the distance between interacting males decreased. Males gave aggressive calls in response to playbacks of both advertisement and aggressive calls, but aggressive calls were much more effective in eliciting such responses. The proportion of aggressive calls and the duration of introductory notes generally increased with increasing playback intensity. Playbacks of synthetic calls which varied in pulse repetition rate and rise time showed that a high pulse repetition rate was the most important feature in eliciting aggressive responses from males, but rise time also was important when calls had fast pulse rates. The aggressive calls of this species appear to be a graded signaling system, the first to be documented in amphibians.
Safety and security in the Malacca straits: The limits of collaboration

Abstract The Malacca Straits are arguably the world's busiest and most important waterways. An estimated 25 to 40 percent of all trade passes through them each year, including significant amounts of global oil supplies and other natural resources. Increased vulnerability of shipments through the area, from such causes as piracy and armed robbery to navigational and safety concerns, prompted littoral and user states to mount a series of initiatives that helped significantly bolster ship security in the region over the last several years. User states are providing financial and technical assistance to the littoral states, but that assistance has been largely bilateral, with some new collaboration among the participants suggesting a multilateral approach to enhancing safety and security. However, questions remain about the sustainability of these programs, additional needs and opportunities, and the lessons they may offer for enhancing safety and security in other regions. For the Malacca Straits states, con...
Toward a More and Less Heroic View of Strategic Management

The terms “strategy” and “strategic management” have been problematic for decades, and they are no less so today. As economic woes plague the nonprofi t and public sectors, many implore organizational leaders to make strategic decisions, think strategically, and adopt strategic management skills. Are these admonitions truly helpful to those managing public service–oriented organizations? What pressures exist now and in the future that might test common strategic management frameworks and suggest ways in which the concepts and practices should be altered? Old debates about strategy and strategic management illuminate the challenges of understanding their import and use in the future.
Brain Potentials Reflect Behavioral Differences in True and False Recognition

People often falsely recognize nonstudied lures that are semantically similar to previously studied words. Behavioral research suggests that such false recognition is based on high semantic overlap between studied items and lures that yield a feeling of familiarity, whereas true recognition is more often associated with the recollection of details. Despite this behavioral evidence for differences between true and false recognition, research measuring brain activity (PET, fMRI, ERP) has not clearly differentiated corresponding differences in brain activity. A median split was used to separate subjects into Good and Poor performers based on their discrimination of studied targets from similar lures. Only Good performers showed late (1000–1500 msec), right frontal event-related brain potentials (ERPs) that were more positive for targets and lures compared with new items. The right frontal differences are interpreted as reflecting postretrieval evaluation processes that were more likely to be engaged by Good than Poor performers. Both Good and Poor performers showed a parietal ERP old/new effect (400–800 msec), but only Poor performers showed a parietal old/lure difference. These results are consistent with the view that the parietal and frontal ERP old/new effects reflect dissociable processes related to recollection.
Modulating Unimolecular Charge Transfer by Exciting Bridge Vibrations

Ultrafast UV-vibrational spectroscopy was used to investigate how vibrational excitation of the bridge changes photoinduced electron transfer between donor (dimethylaniline) and acceptor (anthracene) moieties bridged by a guanosine−cytidine base pair (GC). The charge-separated (CS) state yield is found to be lowered by high-frequency bridge mode excitation. The effect is linked to a dynamic modulation of the donor−acceptor coupling interaction by weakening of H-bonding and/or by disruption of the bridging base-pair planarity.
A Heuristic Buffer Management and Retransmission Control Scheme for Tree-Based Reliable Multicast

We propose a heuristic buffer management scheme that uses both positive and negative acknowledgments to provide scalability and reliability. Under our scheme, most receiver nodes only send negative acknowledgments to their repair nodes to request packet retransmissions while some representative nodes also send positive acknowledgments to indicate which packets can be discarded from the repair node's buffer. Our scheme provides scalability because it significantly reduces the number of feedbacks sent by the receiver nodes. In addition, it provides fast recovery of transmission errors since the packets requested from the receiver nodes are almost always available in their buffers. Our scheme also reduces the number of additional retransmissions from the original sender node or upstream repair nodes. These features satisfy the original goal of tree-based protocols since most packet retransmissions are performed within a local group.
Supramolecular composite materials from cellulose, chitosan, and cyclodextrin: facile preparation and their selective inclusion complex formation with endocrine disruptors.

We have successfully developed a simple one-step method of preparing high-performance supramolecular polysaccharide composites from cellulose (CEL), chitosan (CS), and (2,3,6-tri-O-acetyl)-α-, β-, and γ-cyclodextrin (α-, β-, and γ-TCD). In this method, [BMIm+Cl–], an ionic liquid (IL), was used as a solvent to dissolve and prepare the composites. Because a majority (>88%) of the IL used was recovered for reuse, the method is recyclable. XRD, FT-IR, NIR, and SEM were used to monitor the dissolution process and to confirm that the polysaccharides were regenerated without any chemical modifications. It was found that unique properties of each component including superior mechanical properties (from CEL), excellent adsorption for pollutants and toxins (from CS), and size/structure selectivity through inclusion complex formation (from TCDs) remain intact in the composites. Specifically, the results from kinetics and adsorption isotherms show that whereas CS-based composites can effectively adsorb the endocrine...
Fibromyalgia syndrome in women

Many more women than men experience the chronically fatiguing condition of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), a growing diagnosis in the United States. Estimates are that upwards of 2% to 6% of adults have been diagnosed with FMS, and at high societal costs. In this article, common manifestations are described to guide assessment and various lines of research are explored as a basis for under-standing contributing factors and potential treatments for FMS and other chronic disorders, such as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and temporomandibular disorders (TMD), and the effectiveness of current treatment options.
Binding-Site Assessment by Virtual Fragment Screening

The accurate prediction of protein druggability (propensity to bind high-affinity drug-like small molecules) would greatly benefit the fields of chemical genomics and drug discovery. We have developed a novel approach to quantitatively assess protein druggability by computationally screening a fragment-like compound library. In analogy to NMR-based fragment screening, we dock approximately 11,000 fragments against a given binding site and compute a computational hit rate based on the fraction of molecules that exceed an empirically chosen score cutoff. We perform a large-scale evaluation of the approach on four datasets, totaling 152 binding sites. We demonstrate that computed hit rates correlate with hit rates measured experimentally in a previously published NMR-based screening method. Secondly, we show that the in silico fragment screening method can be used to distinguish known druggable and non-druggable targets, including both enzymes and protein-protein interaction sites. Finally, we explore the sensitivity of the results to different receptor conformations, including flexible protein-protein interaction sites. Besides its original aim to assess druggability of different protein targets, this method could be used to identifying druggable conformations of flexible binding site for lead discovery, and suggesting strategies for growing or joining initial fragment hits to obtain more potent inhibitors.
Wavelength-tunable all-optical clock recovery using a fiber-optic parametric oscillator

Abstract We report a wavelength-tunable clock recovery scheme for all-optical 3R regeneration and simultaneous wavelength conversion. The scheme is based on a fiber-optic parametric oscillator, in which dynamic gain results from the four-wave mixing process in the fiber. In our implementation, 2.9 ps clock pulses are recovered from the incident pseudo-random data stream with the clock wavelength being tunable over the whole erbium-doped-fiber-amplifier bandwidth. RF spectrum measurements show that the recovered clock has less timing jitter than the incident data stream. We also present a two-channel clock recovery experiment, which demonstrates the feasibility of our scheme at 100 Gbit/s data rate.
On constructing snakes in powers of complete graphs

Abstract We prove the conjecture of Abbott and Katchalski that for every m ⩾ 2 there is a positive constant λm such that S(Kmnd) ⩾ λmnd − 1S(Kmd − 1) where S(Kmd) is the length of the longest snake (cycle without chords) in the cartesian product Kmd of d copies of the complete graph Km. As a corollary, we conclude that for any finite set P of primes there is a constant c = c(P) > 0 such that S(Knd) ⩾ cnd − 1 for any n divisible by an element of P and any d ⩾ 1.
Epikeratophakia for Myopia Correction

Epikeratophakia is based on the principles of the Barraquer refractive procedures, with modifications that simplify the surgical technique and eliminate the use of the microkeratome by placing the donor corneal tissue lens on the anterior surface of the cornea. Procedures developed to permit freeze-drying the preshaped lens for storage enable these lenses to be obtained from a central source, freeing the surgeon from the complexities of the computer and the cryolathe. The correction of theoretically unlimited amounts of myopia is possible with these lenses. In 12 eyes that underwent the final epikeratophakia procedure, the average desired correction achieved was 98%.
The effect of the combination of nitroglycerin and propranolol on splanchnic and systemic hemodynamics in a portal hypertensive rat model.

Present investigations support major contributions from increases in both portal blood flow and portal vascular resistance in the mechanism that maintains portal hypertension. β-Adrenergic blockers have been shown to reduce the elevated portal blood flow component. The possibility that nitroglycerin administration could reduce the elevated portal vascular resistance component is investigated here. Portal hypertension was induced in rats by a calibrated constriction of the portal vein. Portal hypertensive rats receiving placebo exhibited significant (p < 0.05) elevations over normal rats receiving placebo in cardiac index, portal venous inflow and portal pressure. Portal hypertensive rats were then divided into groups receiving nitroglycerin infusion, propranolol (β-adrenergic blockade) and combined administration of nitroglycerin and propranolol. Significant reductions (p < 0.05) in portal blood flow of 30, 32 and 44%, respectively, were accompanied by significant portal pressure reductions of 2.7 ± 0.2, 1.7 ± 0.3 and 3.6 ± 0.4 mm Hg in all groups, respectively (p < 0.05). Nitroglycerin failed to prevent a 46% rise in portal-collateral resistance accompanying the portal blood flow reduction, similar to resistance rises also found in propranolol-treated (33%) and combination nitroglycerin-propranolol-treated (49%) groups. We conclude that nitroglycerin infusion can significantly reduce portal pressure, alone or in combination with β-blockade, by reducing portal venous inflow. It appears that nitroglycerin reduces portal blood flow through the effect of baroreceptor sympathetic reflexes that constrict the splanchnic bed in response to vasodilatation and venous pooling.