cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Subcellular preconditioning of stem cells: mito-Cx43 gene targeting is cytoprotective via shift of mitochondrial Bak and Bcl-xL balance.

Aim: To achieve mitochondria-specific expression of connexin-43 (Cx43) transgene for mitochondrial preconditioning in stem cells to improve their survival post-transplantation during heart cell therapy. Methods & results: Cx43- or GFP-encoding adenoviral vectors with a mitochondrial targeting sequence were constructed for transduction of bone marrow Sca-1+ cells (>90% transduction efficiency). Double-fluorescence immunostaining for cytochrome-c and Cx43 supported by western blotting confirmed mitochondria-specific Cx43 expression in adenoviral-mito-Cx43-transduced cells (Cx43Sca-1+). Cx43Sca-1+ showed improved survival under lethal oxygen–glucose deprivation culture conditions. Cx43Sca-1+ showed an increased mitochondrial Bcl-xL:Bak ratio and reduced cytochrome-c release into cytosol with concomitantly abolished caspase-3 activity. An in vivo study was performed such that 2 × 106 male Cx43Sca-1+ or GFPSca-1+ cells were injected into a female rat model of acute myocardial infarction. DMEM-injected rats ser...
A novel, noninvasive imaging technique for intraoperative assessment of parathyroid glands: Confocal reflectance microscopy

Background. Successful surgical management of primary hyperparathyroidism requires the ability to identify and distinguish normal from abnormal parathyroid tissue. Microscopic pathologic confirmation often helps with the diagnoses and decisions regarding the extent of parathyroid resection. Confocal reflectance microscopy (CRM) is an optical method of noninvasively imaging tissue without fixation, sectioning, and staining as in standard histopathology. The goal of this study was to determine if CRM imaging could be used to distinguish normal from diseased parathyroid tissue intraoperatively. Methods. In this study, 44 parathyroid glands from 21 patients undergoing operations for primary hyperparathyroidism were imaged immediately after excision. CRM images were compared with conventional hematoxylin-and-eosin stained sections obtained from the same gland. The percentage area occupied by fat cells was calculated in images of both normal and diseased glands. Results. Characteristic microscopic features of parathyroid glands were distinguishable by CRM and correlated well with histopathology. The stromal fat content of normal and diseased glands could easily be determined. The percentage area occupied by fat cells differed significantly (P <.00001) in normal glands (average, 23.0% ± 10.9%) and adenomatous glands (average, 0.4% ± 0.7%). Conclusions. CRM imaging rapidly revealed microscopic features that reliably differentiated normal and diseased parathyroid glands. The success of this preliminary ex vivo study promotes interest in further development of an in situ probe for in vivo clinical diagnostic use. (Surgery 2000;128:1088-1101.)
SLC31 (CTR) family of copper transporters in health and disease

Copper is a vital mineral for many organisms, yet it is highly toxic as demonstrated by serious health concerns associated with its deficiency or excess accumulation. The SLC31 (CTR) family of copper transporters is a major gateway of copper acquisition in eukaryotes, ranging from yeast to humans. Characterization of the function, modes of action, and regulation of CTR and other molecular factors that functionally cooperate with CTR for copper transport, compartmentalization, incorporation into cuproproteins, and detoxification has revealed that organisms have evolved fascinating mechanisms for tight control of copper metabolism. This research progress further indicates the significance of copper in health and disease and opens avenues for therapeutic control of copper bioavailability and its metabolic pathways.
Relationship of scar and ischemia to the results of programmed electrophysiological stimulation in patients with coronary artery disease

Although myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is widely used in patients with coronary artery disease, few data are available concerning the relationship between myocardial scar and ischemia and arrhythmic potential. One hundred forty-four patients with chronic coronary artery disease who underwent electrophysiological studies (EPS) and MPI within 3 months constituted the study population. By history, 26% of the patients had sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT), 21% had cardiac arrest with ventricular fibrillation, and 53% had nonsustained VT. Eighty-five percent had previous myocardial infarction. Standard EPS protocol with up to three extra stimuli was used. Patients with a response of sustained monomorphic VT were defined as inducible. Quantitative MPI was used to define stress perfusion defect size and reversibility. The relations of ischemia (reversible defect) and scar (fixed defect) to inducibility on EPS were assessed by univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis was used to compare MPI results with known clinical predictors of inducibility. Fifty-two percent of the patients had inducible monomorphic sustained VT. MPI showed scar alone in 33%, scar with additional ischemia in 53%, ischemia alone in 8%, and no abnormality in 6%. No relation was found between the scintigraphic presence or size of ischemia and the likelihood of inducibility or to the type of arrhythmia history. In contrast, scar size was related to the result of EPS; inducible patients had significantly larger resting defect integrals (27±23 vs 14±15) than noninducible patients (p 30), 78% were inducible, whereas only 30% of 33 patients with defect integrals <5 were inducible. On multivariate analysis resting defect integral was an independent predictor of inducibility. In comparison with left ventricular ejection fraction (available in 122 patients), perfusion defect size was a better independent predictor of sustained VT on EPS. The presence or size of potentially ischemic myocardium does not appear to be related to the inducibility during EPS. Size of scar as quantified by myocardial perfusion imaging correlates well and better than the global left ventricular function with inducibility of sustained VT on EPS.
Effects of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor on wound contraction

The effect of topical recombinant murine and human GM-CSF, 1 or 10 micrograms/cm2 for one to ten days, on the contraction and healing of acute and chronic granulating wounds infected with Escherichia coli was studied in Sprague-Dawley rats. Bacterial contamination of wounds produced significant inhibition of wound contraction. Application of GM-CSF at either dose level to infected wounds markedly increased the rate of wound closure compared to the rate in infected untreated controls. Ten days treatment was found to be more effective than a single application. An advanced stage of wound healing was observed at ten days in the GM-CSF-treated rats compared with controls. Bacterial counts decreased in the GM-CSF-treated wounds which may suggest bactericidal activity. Topical treatment with GM-CSF was shown to effectively inhibit the retardation of wound closure produced by bacterial contamination and may therefore be useful in the management of patients with infected wounds.
Effect of electrolytes and temperature on dications and radical cations of carotenoids: Electrochemical, optical absorption, and high-performance liquid chromatography studies

The effect of supporting electrolytes and temperature on the behavior of dications and radical cations of carotenoids is studied. Cyclic voltammograms (CVs) of canthaxanthin (I) at 23 and −25 °C show that Car•+ of I has similar stability during the time of the CV scan, when using tetrabutylammonium perchlorate (TBAPC), tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TBATFB), or tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAHFP) as supporting electrolyte. However, the stability of Car2+ decreases when using TBAPC or TBATFB; β-carotene (II) shows similar behavior. The CV of I at −25 °C shows a strong cathodic wave (wave 6) near −0.15 V (vs Ag) with an intensity about half that of the neutral oxidation wave when TBAPC or TBATFB is the supporting electrolyte. When TBAHFP is used, wave 6 (ca. −0.05 V vs Ag) is ca. 8 times weaker than when TBAPC or TBATFB is used. This wave results from the reduction of a species that may be a decay product of Car2+ of I. Our results show that these electrolytes commonly used in electrochem...
Molecular logic of neocortical projection neuron specification, development and diversity

The sophisticated circuitry of the neocortex is assembled from a diverse repertoire of neuronal subtypes generated during development under precise molecular regulation. In recent years, several key controls over the specification and differentiation of neocortical projection neurons have been identified. This work provides substantial insight into the “molecular logic” underlying cortical development, increasingly supporting a model in which individual progenitor-stage and postmitotic regulators are embedded within highly-interconnected networks that gate sequential developmental decisions. Here, we provide an integrative account of the molecular controls that direct the progressive development and delineation of subtype and area identity of neocortical projection neurons.
Self-Trapping in an Array of Coupled 1D Bose Gases

We study the transverse expansion of arrays of ultracold (87)Rb atoms weakly confined in tubes created by a 2D optical lattice and observe that transverse expansion is delayed because of mutual atom interactions. A mean-field model of a coupled array shows that atoms become localized within a roughly square fortlike self-trapping barrier with time-evolving edges. But the observed dynamics are poorly described by the mean-field model. The theoretical introduction of random phase fluctuations among tubes improves the agreement with experiment but does not correctly predict the density at which the atoms start to expand with larger lattice depths. Our results suggest a new type of self-trapping, where quantum correlations suppress tunneling even when there are no density gradients.
Modulation of lateral mobility of band 3 in the red cell membrane by oxidative cross-linking of spectrin.

Several recent studies have shown that the lateral diffusion of erythrocyte transmembrane proteins is modulated by the sub-membrane network of spectrin, actin and polypeptide 4.1 (refs 1–3). The rate of lateral diffusion of the major transmembrane glycoprotein (the anion transport channel, band 3) is increased approximately 50-fold in membranes from spherocytic eryth-rocytes of mice which are deficient in the membrane skeletal protein spectrin1. Lateral mobility is increased when spectrin is removed from the membrane by extraction at low ionic strength2 or when it is displaced by a fragment of ankyrin containing the membrane attachment site for spectrin3. Such experiments show that the presence of spectrin on the membrane restricts the mobility of membrane proteins, but they do not define the mechanism by which spectrin could modulate membrane protein mobility in situ. The oxidant diamide has been shown to cross-link spectrin via intermolecular disulphide coupling into a high molecular weight complex4 and this is associated with inhibition of discocyte–echinocyte shape change5 and decreased erythrocyte deformability6. Here we report that the lateral mobility of band 3 protein is decreased in erythrocytes in which spectrin is cross-linked via diamide. Furthermore, this inhibition of mobility is reversed when spectrin oxidative cross-links are reduced by addition of dithiothreitol (DTT).
Estimating a Cholesky decomposition

Abstract For a normal distribution the sample covariance matrix S provides an unbiased estimator of the population covariance matrix Σ. We address the problem of finding an unbiased estimator of the lower triangular matrix Ψ defined by the Cholesky decomposition Σ = ΨΨ′.
Case report of spontaneous remission of cytogenetic relapse of chronic myelogenous leukemia suggestive of progression to blast crisis after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

Detection of the chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)-related marker, the bcr/abl m-RNA transcript, in blood or bone marrow of patients with CML in hematologic remission after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) may be associated with the presence of minimal residual disease but does not uniformly predict hematologic relapse. In contrast, when there is cytogenetic reappearance of the Philadelphia (Ph1) translocation [t(9;22)(q34;q11)] along with additional cytogenetic abnormalities, especially more than 2 years after BMT, progression to hematologic relapse and acceleration of CML usually occur. An exception to this rule may be our patient, who was a 29-year old white woman diagnosed with Ph1-positive CML by cytogenetics. She was initially treated with hydroxyurea. An allo-BMT was performed 4 months after the diagnosis, while the patient was still in the first chronic phase of her disease, her HLA-identical brother serving as bone marrow (BM) donor. The conditioning regimen for BMT consisted of cytosine arabinoside, cyclophosphamide, total body irradiation, splenic irradiation, and intrathecal methotrexate. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporin A and methotrexate. Her hospital course was unremarkable and without evidence of acute GVHD. Six months after transplantation, the patient had mild chronic GVHD and was treated with azathioprine and prednisone for 6 months. A year later, she recurred with mild chronic GVHD. She was treated with azathioprine alone for 5 months. Subsequently, she received cyclosporin A and prednisone for 8 months, with resolution of her symptoms. Serial BM cytogenetic studies showed normal male donor karyotypes 12 and 24 months after BMT. At 36, 42, and 50 months after BMT, reappearance of the Ph1 was noted along with some cells with additional cytogenetic abnormalities, including t(6;14)(p21;q32). The breakpoint involvement of 14q32, the heavy chain Ig locus, in the new clone may be indicative of B-lymphoid lineage-based evolution. The abnormal clones disappeared 56 months from BMT and remained absent through 69 months after BMT. The patient has remained in hematologic remission during her entire post-BMT course. Clinically, she continues to do well without immunosuppressants at presently 69 months after BMT. The reappearance of the Ph1 chromosome could be associated with the immunosuppressive therapy given for chronic GVHD. This case supports the concept that immunologie mechanisms may be important in the eradication of CML after allo-BMT, and even cytogenetic evidence of blast crisis CML may spontaneously remit after allo-BMT.
Electrical responses of astrocytic glia from the mammalian central nervous system cultivatedin vitro

Einzelne Astrozyten in Gewebekulturen vom Klein-und Mittelhirn junger Katzen wurden elektrophysiologisch untersucht. Ableitungen mit Mikroelektroden, die unter mikroskopischer Kontrolle in die Gliazellen eingestochen waren, zeigten Ruhepotentiale ahnlich den aus Nerven- und Muskelfasern bekannten. Durch isolierte Umspulung der Gliazellen mit isotonischer KCl-Losung konnten diese Ruhepotentiale aufgehoben werden. Elektrische Reizung der Gliazellen verursachte eine temporare Reduktion des Ruhepotentials fur 4–5 s. Es werden Angaben gemacht uber die Reaktion der Gliazellen nach Kokainisierung und nach Urethannarkose.
Investigation of transient redox electrochemical MHD using numerical simulations

Abstract To advance numerical simulation capabilities of electrochemical magnetohydrodynamics (ECMHD), we employed potential step and potential sweep voltammetry in simulations of the ECMHD of a redox couple. Using time-varying boundary conditions based on the Butler–Volmer electrode kinetics model, we studied the interplay of Lorentz force, convection and redox species concentration distribution. Parametric studies of potential sweep rate, standard rate constant, solution viscosity, magnetic flux intensity, and redox species concentration were done to shed light on their influence on system behavior. The study establishes numerical simulation as a robust tool for electrochemical MHD studies, and for developing microfluidic devices based on this principle.
1114 CONGENITAL HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS (HSV) INFECTION - EARLY VERSUS LATE GESTATIONAL ACQUISITION

Neonatal HSV infection is usually acquired at birth but a few reports have implied intrauterine infection. Of 155 cases of neonatal herpes, 13 (8.4%) had evidence of HSV acquisition prior to labor. Clinical manifestations defined two groups: 8 babies with early evidence of infection and 5 with late in utero acquisition. Of the 8 infants, all were premature. Manifestations included skin lesions/scars at birth (5/8), chorioretinitis (2/4), microphthalmia (3/7), microcephaly (5/8), and other CNS abnormalities on CT scan (6/8). Two infants died; the 6 surviving had severe neurologic sequelae. Four mothers had a history of primary genital HSV infection between 6-16 weeks. Signs of infection in the latter group were skin lesions at birth (5/5), hepatosplenomegaly (3/5), and other organ involvement (3/5). Two were prematures. One died from HSV pneumonia while the other 4 had no documented CNS sequelae. For this group, rupture of membranes >4 hours occurred in 1 case. Only 1 mother had a history of genital HSV infection (28 weeks) but 3 fathers of other babies reported genital lesions. Other etiologies for congenital infection were excluded. These findings indicate transmission of HSV can occur at any time during gestation. Although skin lesions are the hallmark of infection, regardless of time of acquisition, surviving newborns of early in utero infection are likely to have severe neurologic sequelae.
Adult Attachment Measures and Their Potential Utility in Custody Cases

There is little consensus concerning assessment methods in child custody evaluations, and a lack of a theoretically-informed empirical framework to guide the custody evaluation process. Recently, attachment theory has been proposed as a possible unifying framework for assessing the parent–child relationship as part of custody determinations, due to the theory's rich empirical support. But while the child's attachment to his/her caretaker has begun to be incorporated into custody evaluations, the question of the parents' adult attachment status has so far been neglected as a potentially relevant area for gathering information regarding parenting. This review of the literature discusses the potential utility of assessing adult attachment as part of custody evaluations, and focuses on three measures as relevant sources of information: the Adult Attachment Interview, Adult Attachment Projective, and Attachment Scripts. A call is made for forensic science to incorporate adult attachment research and literature...
Effects of beta-adrenergic stimulation with dobutamine on isovolumic relaxation in the normal and failing human left ventricle.

BACKGROUNDWe tested the hypothesis that beta-adrenergic receptor-stimulated acceleration of left ventricular (LV) isovolumic relaxation (i.e., positive lusitropic response) is attenuated in patients with severe congestive heart failure (CHF) compared with patients without LV dysfunction or CHF.METHODS AND RESULTSThe beta-adrenergic agonist dobutamine was infused by the intracoronary route in 14 subjects (normal group, six; CHF patients, eight) and by the intravenous route in a second group of 14 subjects (normal group, four; CHF patients, 10). The positive inotropic response to intracoronary or intravenous dobutamine was substantially and significantly reduced in the patients with CHF. LV isovolumic relaxation rate was determined by the methods of Weiss (TL), Mirsky (T1/2), and by a nonlinear regression technique (TNL). LV isovolumic relaxation assessed by all three methods was significantly prolonged in CHF patients compared with normal subjects. Intracoronary and intravenous infusions of dobutamine caus...
Skip Areas in Temporal Arteritis

• Segments of temporal arteries removed from patients with the characteristic systemic findings of temporal arteritis were studied to determine whether they showed "skip areas" lacking evidence of granulomatous inflammation, as has been frequently described in this disease, or showed diagnostic evidence of inflammation throughout the entire length of the artery. Eleven temporal artery specimens from ten patients were included in this study. Sections from areas of each specimen had previously been found to contain typical granulomatous inflammation. Nine of these biopsy specimens contained granulomatous inflammation throughout their entire length. Two specimens each had two discrete areas of granulomatous inflammation adjoining segments that lacked evidence of epithelioid or giant cells. These "skip areas" showed diffuse round-cell infiltration of the adventia or lacked evidence of inflammation entirely. This series suggests that "skip areas" in temporal arteritis do occur.
High-precision evaluation of contributions to g-2 of the electron in sixth order

Five graphs contributing to g-2 of the electron in sixth order are evaluated to high precision. With these results, the dominant error in the theoretical prediction for g-2 arises from the eighth-order uncertainty. Updated comparisons of theory and experiment are given. The techniques empolyed are briefly characterized.
Null carcinogenic effect of large doses of nitrosoproline and nitrosohydroxyproline in Wistar rats.

Summary The nitrosamino acids, nitrosoproline or nitrosohydroxyproline, were given orally to weanling rats in four weekly doses totalling 290 mg/animal and the rats were observed for their lifetime. Negative controls received water and positive controls were given diethylnitrosamine. The rats were maintained on a basal semi-purified diet or a basal diet containing cyclopropenoid fatty acids. No tumorigenic effect was seen in rats given nitrosoproline or nitrosohydroxyproline. Diethylnitrosamine produced a high incidence of hepatomas, as expected. Cyclopropenoid fatty acids had no significant effect on the carcinogenicity of the nitrosamino acids.
The influence of sample size and heating time on soil weight loss-on-ignition

Abstract Loss of weight on ignition (LOI) at 360°C for 2 h was compared with organic matter (OM) determined by “Walkley‐Black”; titration in 356 Wisconsin soils. The effects of sample size, number of samples heated at one time, and time of heating were studied using these soils. The number of samples heated at one time in a muffle furnace did not affect LOI. For an organic soil (34.2% OM), beaker size (20‐or 50‐mL) was unimportant, but LOI increased as sample size decreased. Sample size was not significant for a mineral soil (3.62% OM). Time of heating was significant for both soils. A coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.97 was obtained for the linear regression between OM and LOI of the entire group, which had OM ranging from 0.1 to 54.4%. When only samples containing less than 10% OM were considered (n=316), the regression equation was: OM = 0.973 LOI‐0.33 (R2 = 0.90).
A Theoretical Framework and Approach for Fostering Metacognitive Development

This article provides an overview of our work on the nature of metacognitive knowledge, its relationship to learning through inquiry, and technologies that can be used to foster and assess its development in classrooms as students engage in collaborative inquiry. To illustrate our theoretical ideas, we present examples from our Inquiry Island software. It provides learners with advisors, who contain knowledge, advice, and tools aimed at supporting students' metacognitive development in the context of doing inquiry projects. Our pedagogical approach includes having young learners take on the roles of various cognitive, social, and metacognitive advisors as a way of enacting and internalizing the forms of expertise they represent. We describe a sequence of learning activities and indicate how students respond to them, using examples and findings from a 5th-grade class. Our work shows how such learning tools and activities can foster the development of metacognitive knowledge and skills needed for collaborat...
Evaluation of sunlight stability of polyurethane elastomers for maxillofacial use. I

The evaluation of the efficiency of polymer additives with special emphasis on uv absorbers and antioxidants in polyurethane elastomers has been completed. Aliphatic polyurethanes were chosen for this study because their properties closely relate to the requirements of maxillofacial prosthesis. The polyurethane elastomers were either synthesized by ourselves or formulated according to the manufacturer's recommendation. Eleven different types of uv absorbers, coupled with one antioxidant, were incorporated into the polyurethane systems. The Atlas twin-lamp carbon arc Weatherometer was used as the source of uv. The samples were periodically withdrawn for examination of yellowing and tackiness. It was found that, although the incorporation of uv stabilizers enhanced the uv resistance of polyurethanes, the problem of tackiness resulting from uv aging was not solved satiafactorily. The phenomenon of yellowing, however, was significantly improved, mainly due to the aliphatic structure of polyurethanes. The most promising uv absorbers are Tinuvin 770 and the combination of Tinuvin 328, ZnO, and an antioxidant. Their effectiveness in other polyurethane systems is not known and further research is underway to explore this field. Hopefully, these findings will greatly assist the successful application of polyurethane elastomers in maxillofacial prosthesis.
LIGHT, a New Member of the TNF Superfamily, and Lymphotoxin α Are Ligands for Herpesvirus Entry Mediator

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) 1 and 2 infect activated T lymphocytes by attachment of the HSV envelope glycoprotein D (gD) to the cellular herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM), an orphan member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily. Here, we demonstrate that HVEM binds two cellular ligands, secreted lymphotoxin alpha (LTalpha) and LIGHT, a new member of the TNF superfamily. LIGHT is a 29 kDa type II transmembrane protein produced by activated T cells that also engages the receptor for the LTalphabeta heterotrimer but does not form complexes with either LTalpha or LTbeta. HSV1 gD inhibits the interaction of HVEM with LIGHT, and LIGHT and gD interfere with HVEM-dependent cell entry by HSV1. This characterizes herpesvirus gD as a membrane-bound viokine and establishes LIGHT-HVEM as integral components of the lymphotoxin cytokine-receptor system.
Link Delay Estimation via Expander Graphs

One of the purposes of network tomography is to infer the status of parameters (e.g., delay) for the links inside a network through end-to-end probing between (external) boundary nodes along predetermined routes. In this work, we apply concepts from compressed sensing and expander graphs to the delay estimation problem. We first show that a relative majority of network topologies are not expanders for existing expansion criteria. Motivated by this challenge, we then relax such criteria, enabling us to acquire simulation evidence that link delays can be estimated for 30% more networks. That is, our relaxation expands the list of identifiable networks with bounded estimation error by 30%. We conduct a simulation performance analysis of delay estimation and congestion detection on the basis of l1 minimization, demonstrating that accurate estimation is feasible for an increasing proportion of networks.
The Relationship of Stakeholder Salience, Organizational Posture, and Entrepreneurial Intensity to Corporate Entrepreneurship

There is a dearth of literature on stakeholder relationships and organizational posture as they affect entrepreneurial intensity inside established organizations. Corporate entrepreneurs are depicted as those managers or employees who do not follow the status quo and increase the entrepreneurial intensity of a firm. A stakeholder theory framework is presented as a guideline for exploring the relationship between stakeholder salience, organizational posture, and entrepreneurial intensity. This paper presents the view that if a company is to be more entrepreneurial, it must first consider its stakeholders as a source of opportunity and acceptance of new ideas.
3 b/s/Hz 1.2 Tb/s packet generation using optical arbitrary waveform generation based optical transmitter

40-bit OOK, 80-bit QPSK and 120-bit 16-QAM packets are generated with spectral efficiencies of 1, 2 and 3 b/s/Hz, exploiting concepts from OAWG. Results demonstrate potential for a Tb/s OAWG based transmitter using GHz electronics.
Posttranslational Elevation of Cytochrome P450 3A Levels and Activity by Dimethyl Sulfoxide

Abstract The molecular mechanisms by which dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) enhances CYP3A protein in phenobarbital-treated primary cultured rat hepatocytes were examined. DMSO treatment rapidly increased CYP3A protein levels in the absence of an increase in CYP3A mRNA levels or an increase in CYP2B protein or mRNA levels. CYP3A levels were increased ∼3.7- and 9-fold following 0.1% DMSO treatment for 6 and 48 h, respectively. Analyses of the polysomal distribution of CYP3A mRNA suggested that DMSO treatment did not significantly alter the translational efficiency of the CYP3A mRNA. Comparative analyses of immunodetectable protein levels following treatment with cycloheximide showed that DMSO clearly decreased the rate of CYP3A protein turnover but not that of CYP2B. Examination of testosterone metabolism in hepatocyte cultures revealed that DMSO pretreatment increased CYP3A-catalyzed 2β- and 6β-testosterone hydroxylation. When DMSO was in the culture medium, no inhibitory affect on CYP3A-catalyzed testosterone metabolism was observed, although a slight (15–21%) inhibitory effect was noted for CYP2B-catalyzed 16α- and 16β-testosterone hydroxylation. These data provide evidence that DMSO increased CYP3A protein levels as a result of decreased protein degradation. DMSO increased both immunodetectable CYP3A protein levels and catalytic activity, in contrast to compounds that have been reported to stabilize CYP3A protein and inhibit activity.
Tissue Culture and Improvement of Woody Perennials: An Overview

In the United States, we are cutting more forest trees than we grow (4) and in several cases removing more orchards than we plant (65). In both instances breeders are attempting to capture the existing genetic gains for domesticating trees and developing new varieties and cultivars (46, 66, 75, 81, 88, 94 and Zimmerman, this volume). Classical breeding methods, while successful, are slow and costly (12, 58, 67, 93).
Controlling the Position and Orientation of Single Silver Nanowires on a Surface Using Structured Optical Fields

We demonstrate controlled trapping and manipulation of single silver (Ag) nanowires in two dimensions at a surface using structured light fields generated with a spatial light modulator. The Ag nanowires are attracted toward the regions of maximal optical intensity along the surface when the trapping laser light is linearly polarized and are repelled toward the minima of optical intensity when the light is circularly polarized. For linearly polarized light, stably trapped nanowires are oriented perpendicular to the polarization direction due to a torque induced by an asymmetrical response of the nanowire to the electric field. The attractive interactions with linearly polarized trapping laser light, which is at 800 nm for all measurements, enable stable trapping and translation of Ag nanowires in the antinodes of optical gratings and in zero-order Bessel beams. Trapped nanowires can be positioned and oriented on a transparent dielectric substrate, making possible the nonmechanical assembly of plasmonic nanostructures for particular functions.
The SYNTHESIS environment for component-based software development

Component based software development places an emphasis on identifying and managing interdependencies among preexisting pieces of software in order to integrate them into new systems. Traditional software development methodologies, on the other hand, place an emphasis on representing components, leaving the description and management of component interdependencies implicit, or distributed among the components. To support component based software development, we need new methodologies and tools which elevate the representation and management of software component interdependencies to a distinct design problem, orthogonal to the specification and implementation of the core functional pieces of an application. A core element of such methodologies will be a "design handbook" of software component interconnection, which catalogues common software interconnection, which catalogues common software interconnection dependencies and sets of alternative protocols for managing them. SYNTHESIS, a component based software development environment based on this perspective, has been developed and successfully used to minimize the manual effort required to integrate independently developed components into new applications.
How lizards turn into snakes: A phylogenetic analysis of body-form evolution in anguid lizards

One of the most striking morphological transformations in vertebrate evolution is the transition from a lizardlike body form to an elongate, limbless (snakelike) body form. Despite its dramatic nature, this transition has occurred repeatedly among closely related species (especially in squamate reptiles), making it an excellent system for studying macroevolutionary transformations in body plan. In this paper, we examine the evolution of body form in the lizard family Anguidae, a clade in which multiple independent losses of limbs have occurred. We combine a molecular phylogeny for 27 species, our morphometric data, and phylogenetic comparative methods to provide the first statistical phylogenetic tests of several long-standing hypotheses for the evolution of snakelike body form. Our results confirm the hypothesized relationships between body elongation and limb reduction and between limb reduction and digit reduction. However, we find no support for the hypothesized sequence going from body elongation to limb reduction to digit loss, and we show that a burrowing lifestyle is not a necessary correlate of limb loss. We also show that similar degrees of overall body elongation are achieved in two different ways in anguids, that these different modes of elongation are associated with different habitat preferences, and that this dichotomy in body plan and ecology is widespread in limb-reduced squamates. Finally, a recent developmental study has proposed that the transition from lizardlike to snakelike body form involves changes in the expression domains of midbody Hox genes, changes that would link elongation and limb loss and might cause sudden transformations in body form. Our results reject this developmental model and suggest that this transition involves gradual changes occurring over relatively long time scales.
Resource Sharing in EDF-Scheduled Systems: A Closer Look

Resource sharing in priority-based systems can give rise to priority-inversion and blocking, wherein a job?s execution is delayed because a lower-priority job holds some resource that is needed for execution. The Stack Resource Policy (SRP) can be used to reduce such blocking in EDFscheduled systems. An efficient implementation of an algorithm is presented for determining whether systems scheduled in this manner are feasible. Some interesting properties of such systems are derived. The technique of reducing the duration of blocking by the replication of selected resources is explored: an algorithm is presented which determines the minimum amount of resource replication necessary to achieve specified blocking times.
Extended Urinary Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Excretion in Chronic Cannabis Users Precludes Use as a Biomarker of New Drug Exposure

Abstract Background Generally, urinary 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THCCOOH) after alkaline hydrolysis is monitored to detect cannabis exposure, although last use may have been weeks prior in chronic cannabis users. Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and 11-hydroxy-THC (11-OH-THC) concentrations in urine following Escherichia coli β-glucuronidase hydrolysis were proposed as biomarkers of recent (within 8 h) cannabis use. Objective To test the validity of THC and 11-OH-THC in urine as indicators of recent cannabis use. Methods Monitor urinary cannabinoid excretion in 33 chronic cannabis smokers who resided on a secure research unit under 24 h continuous medical surveillance. All urine specimens were collected individually ad libidum for up to 30 days, were hydrolyzed with a tandem E. coli β-glucuronidase/base procedure, and analyzed for THC, 11-OH-THC and THCCOOH by one- and two-dimensional-cryotrap gas chromatography mass spectrometry (2D-GCMS) with limits of quantification of 2.5 ng/mL. Results Extended excretion of THC and 11-OH-THC in chronic cannabis users’ urine was observed during monitored abstinence; 14 of 33 participants had measurable THC in specimens collected at least 24 h after abstinence initiation. Seven subjects had measurable THC in urine for 3, 3, 4, 7, 7, 12, and 24 days after cannabis cessation. 11-OH-THC and THCCOOH were detectable in urine specimens from one heavy, chronic cannabis user for at least 24 days. Conclusion For the first time, extended urinary excretion of THC and 11-OH-THC is documented for at least 24 days, negating their effectiveness as biomarkers of recent cannabis exposure, and substantiating long terminal elimination times for urinary cannabinoids following chronic cannabis smoking.
Adaptive resetting of the volume control of vasopressin secretion during sustained hypovolemia

To determine the effect of sustained hypovolemia on vasopressin secretion, we studied rats after 1-32 h of diuretic therapy. We found that an injection of furosemide (10 mg/kg) produced a transient marked increase in urine output, a moderate 7-10% reduction in blood volume, and a three- to fourfold rise in plasma vasopressin from 1.6 +/- 0.2 to 5.6 +/- 1.0 pmol/l. When the hypovolemia was maintained by repeated injections of the diuretic, plasma vasopressin remained elevated for > or = 8 h but returned almost to normal by 32 h, even though plasma electrolytes, blood pressure, hematocrit, and the other measures of hypovolemia were unchanged. At this time, pituitary vasopressin was undiminished, and plasma vasopressin rose normally or even supranormally when an acute hypovolemic or osmotic stimulus (intraperitoneal polyethylene glycol or hypertonic saline) was superimposed. However, the lines describing the relationship of log plasma vasopressin to plasma volume and plasma sodium in the rats treated with furosemide for 32 h lay to the left of the same relationships in the rats treated for 8 h or the sham-treated controls. We conclude that, in rats, the vasopressin response to sustained hypovolemia persists for > or = 8 h but is markedly diminished by 32 h. The decline in plasma vasopressin during this interval appears to be due to adaptive resetting of the volume control mechanism.
Essential Genome of the Metabolically Versatile Alphaproteobacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris

ABSTRACT Rhodopseudomonas palustris is an alphaproteobacterium that has served as a model organism for studies of photophosphorylation, regulation of nitrogen fixation, production of hydrogen as a biofuel, and anaerobic degradation of aromatic compounds. This bacterium is able to transition between anaerobic photoautotrophic growth, anaerobic photoheterotrophic growth, and aerobic heterotrophic growth. As a starting point to explore the genetic basis for the metabolic versatility of R. palustris, we used transposon mutagenesis and Tn-seq to identify 552 genes as essential for viability in cells growing aerobically on semirich medium. Of these, 323 have essential gene homologs in the alphaproteobacterium Caulobacter crescentus, and 187 have essential gene homologs in Escherichia coli. There were 24 R. palustris genes that were essential for viability under aerobic growth conditions that have low sequence identity but are likely to be functionally homologous to essential E. coli genes. As expected, certain functional categories of essential genes were highly conserved among the three organisms, including translation, ribosome structure and biogenesis, secretion, and lipid metabolism. R. palustris cells divide by budding in which a sessile cell gives rise to a motile swarmer cell. Conserved cell cycle genes required for this developmental process were essential in both C. crescentus and R. palustris. Our results suggest that despite vast differences in lifestyles, members of the alphaproteobacteria have a common set of essential genes that is specific to this group and distinct from that of gammaproteobacteria like E. coli. IMPORTANCE Essential genes in bacteria and other organisms are those absolutely required for viability. Rhodopseudomonas palustris has served as a model organism for studies of anaerobic aromatic compound degradation, hydrogen gas production, nitrogen fixation, and photosynthesis. We used the technique of Tn-seq to determine the essential genes of R. palustris grown under heterotrophic aerobic conditions. The transposon library generated in this study will be useful for future studies to identify R. palustris genes essential for viability under specialized growth conditions and also for survival under conditions of stress.
The Penal Order: Prosecutorial Sentencing as a Model for Criminal Justice Reform?

This chapter traces the history of the penal order from its earliest roots through its consolidation as a normal alternative form of procedure in Germany. It compares the types of penal order procedures found in modern criminal procedure codes, and it compares penal orders with other “consensual” procedural modes that also involve considerable prosecutorial influence in determination of the level of guilt and punishment: diversion, pleas and stipulations of guilt, and abbreviated trials based on the contents of the preliminary investigation dossier. Finally, it explores whether the penal order, could eventually become a model for the consensual resolution of all cases, regardless of their gravity.
A Talmudic Bankruptcy Solution: The CCC Principle

Following a bankruptcy, how should we distribute the available assets among the eligible creditors? Most people would accept a proportional distribution — for each claimant, calculate her percentage of the sum of all claims and assign her that same percentage of total assets. However, this is not the only reasonable approach. For example, if every claim is at least as large as total assets, assigning an equal share to every creditor is a sensible solution. Three numerical bankruptcy examples for three claimants, discussed 2,000 years ago in the Talmud, coincide with the above two approaches, but the third case remained a puzzle until recently when modern game theory (Aumann and Maschler, 1985) was enlisted to demystify all cases. This paper explains the unifying principle, the Contested-Claim Consistency principle (CCC, or CG-Consistent principle), behind the Talmudic examples. Importantly, it uses different means to better understand the logic behind the CCC bankruptcy allocations and points out the subtle yet important properties behind them. This study aims to clarify the meaning of fairness underlying the CCC allocation, and proposes that CCC may better convey the meaning of the pari passu provision that appears in many International Sovereign Debt Instruments.
Resolution of the Band Gap Prediction Problem for Materials Design

An important property with any new material is the band gap. Standard density functional theory methods grossly underestimate band gaps. This is known as the band gap problem. Here, we show that the hybrid B3PW91 density functional returns band gaps with a mean absolute deviation (MAD) from experiment of 0.22 eV over 64 insulators with gaps spanning a factor of 500 from 0.014 to 7 eV. The MAD is 0.28 eV over 70 compounds with gaps up to 14.2 eV, with a mean error of −0.03 eV. To benchmark the quality of the hybrid method, we compared the hybrid method to the rigorous GW many-body perturbation theory method. Surprisingly, the MAD for B3PW91 is about 1.5 times smaller than the MAD for GW. Furthermore, B3PW91 is 3–4 orders of magnitude faster computationally. Hence, B3PW91 is a practical tool for predicting band gaps of materials before they are synthesized and represents a solution to the band gap prediction problem.
The influence of the cyclic product's structure on the Diels-Alder transition state

The concerted cycloaddition of ethylene and cyclopentadiene has been found with full geometry optimization and the STO-3G basis set to be synchronous with E a =35 kcal/mol, while the previously reported, partially optimized, concerted cycloaddition of butadiene and ethylene has been found to have a tendency towards asynchronism due to the nonsymmetrical structure of its transition state; this is due to the two conformations of the cyclohexene product, which also have been optimized, with the boat form being a transition state structure 5.3 kcal/mol above the half-chair structure.
Religion and the Gender Wage Gap: A U.S. State-Level Study

In this paper we investigate the relationship between informal institutions – proxied for by measures of religiosity – and the gap between male and female incomes in the U.S. states, using Pew U.S. Religious Landscape Survey data, and Census Bureau estimates of male and female median incomes. We single out measures of belief (e.g., expressed belief in God; interpretations of scripture) and participation (e.g., worship service attendance; frequency of prayer) as potential determinants of the gender wage gap. After controlling for a number of gender income gap determinants – age, education, marital status, occupation and time in the workforce for female participants – we find that greater belief and belonging are significantly and positively correlated with a state’s median gender income gap. Specifically, a percentage point increase in religiosity (increase in population of believers or that of belonging) is related to a larger gender wage gap by 0.3 percentage points (a 0.10 standard deviation).
Therapy for human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Much is known about the replication of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) from the time of cell attachment to the release of mature virions (Figure 1), and drugs that interfere with many of the steps in HIV replication have been developed and tested in vitro. These drugs include inhibitors of reverse transcriptase, protease, and a regulatory protein, Tat (Table 1). Inhibitors of reverse transcriptase can prevent the spread of infectious virus to new cells but do not interfere with the replication of HIV genomes that are integrated into the host genome. Two of the most promising agents target . . .
Role of angiotensin in renal sympathetic activation in cirrhotic rats

Central nervous system (CNS) renin-angiotensin activity influences the basal level of renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and its reflex regulation. The effect of type 1 angiotensin II (ANG II)...