cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Protein palmitoylation and cancer

Protein S-palmitoylation is a reversible post-translational modification that alters the localization, stability, and function of hundreds of proteins in the cell. S-palmitoylation is essential for the function of both oncogenes (e.g., NRAS and EGFR) and tumor suppressors (e.g., SCRIB, melanocortin 1 receptor). In mammalian cells, the thioesterification of palmitate to internal cysteine residues is catalyzed by 23 Asp-His-His-Cys (DHHC)-family palmitoyl S-acyltransferases while the removal of palmitate is catalyzed by serine hydrolases, including acyl-protein thioesterases (APTs). These enzymes modulate the function of important oncogenes and tumor suppressors and often display altered expression patterns in cancer. Targeting S-palmitoylation or the enzymes responsible for palmitoylation dynamics may therefore represent a candidate therapeutic strategy for certain cancers.
Exploring customer orientation as a marketing strategy of Mexican-American entrepreneurs

Abstract Customer orientation is a major tenet of the entrepreneurial marketing concept, especially as the concept applies to small- and medium-sized minority businesses. The present exploratory research focuses on the customer orientation of Mexican-American entrepreneurs in the context of enclave theory, firm performance, and immigrant generation. A discernible percentage of the firms of the Mexican-American entrepreneurs surveyed followed a co-ethnic enclave customer orientation marketing strategy. However, the most common entrepreneurial marketing strategy observed was oriented toward a mixture of Hispanic and non-Hispanic customers. First generation Mexican-American entrepreneurs differed from second-and later-generation Mexican-American entrepreneurs in terms of the extent to which they employed co-ethnic customer and employee strategies as well as their self-assessed business skills. Even so, perceived business performance did not differ across customer orientation strategies and was relatively similar across immigrant generation and other personal and firm characteristics.
Hip Dysplasia Compromises the Outcome of Femoroacetabular Impingement Surgery.

Abstract Background The optimal treatment for patients with symptomatic hip dysplasia presenting with labral tear is unknown. Although femoroacetabular osteoplasty (FAO) has excellent outcome for most femoroacetabular impingement patients, the presence of concomitant hip dysplasia has been implicated as an adverse prognostic factor. This study evaluated the outcome of FAO in a group of dysplastic hips and compared the outcome to a cohort of patients without dysplasia. Methods Seventy-three patients (38 males, 35 females) with hip dysplasia who underwent FAO between 2007 and 2015 were identified. The minimum 2-year clinical, functional (modified Harris Hip Score and Short-Form 36 Health Survey), and radiological outcome was compared with 550 patients without dysplasia who underwent FAO by the same surgeon. The preoperative and postoperative alpha angle, Tonnis grade, joint space, and presence of chondral lesion were determined and compared. Conversion to total hip arthroplasty or revision FAO was considered as treatment failure. Results The mean age in the dysplasia cohort was 30.7 ± 11.8 years compared to 34.5 ± 11.2 in the nondysplastic group. The mean follow-up was 4.3 years for dysplasia cohort and 4.1 for the nondysplastic group. The mean modified Harris Hip Score and Short-Form 36 Health Survey6 was significantly lower in the dysplastic group at 75.1 and 74.3 compared to 83.4 and 85.6 for the comparison group. There was a higher percentage of failure at 28.8% among dysplasia patients compared to 2.5% in the nondysplastic group. Conclusion Although labral repair and FAO may be an option for patients with hip dysplasia, the outcome in this population appears to be less optimal compared to femoroacetabular impingement patients with no evidence of dysplasia. Labral repair and osteoplasty should be limited to those with mild and borderline dysplasia.
A non-parametric approach to simulate panel data

Real world multivariate data mostly contains correlation structure because generally some variables tend to have a similar behavior or some dependency structure. This is due to the nature of data generation process. The variables can contain cross-sectional correlation, correlation between variables at a given time stamp, and temporal correlation, correlation between various observations of a given variable at various timestamps. Also, there are datasets which contain both cross-sectional and temporal correlations. Modeling of such correlation structure in the data is important because it provides us the predictive power and affects the Machine Learning algorithms in various ways, due to relationships within variables. We propose a methodology to simulate a cyber activity dataset, containing both cross-sectional and temporal correlations, also called Panel dataset. The proposed methodology uses non-parametric approach to induce correlations among feature vectors and across time without disturbing the marginal distributions of features.
The features that control discrimination of an isodipole texture pair

Abstract Visual features such as edges and corners are carried by high-order statistics. Previous analysis of discrimination of isodipole textures, which isolate specific high-order statistics, demonstrates visual sensitivity to these statistics but stops short of analyzing the underlying computations. Here we use a new texture centroid paradigm to probe these computations. We focus on two canonical isodipole textures, the even and odd textures: any 2 × 2 block of even (odd) texture contains an even (odd) number of black (and white) checks. Each stimulus comprised a spatially random array of black-and-white texture-disks (background = mean gray) that varied in their fourth-order statistics. In the Even (Odd) condition, disks varied along the continuum between random coinflip texture and pure (highly structured) even (odd) target texture. The task was to mouse-click the centroid of the disk array, weighting each disk location by the target structure level of the disk-texture (ranging from 0 for coinflip to 1 for even or odd). For each of block-sizes S = 2 × 2 , 2 × 3, 2 × 4 and 3 × 3, a linear model was used to estimate the weight exerted on the subject’s responses by the differently patterned blocks of size S. Only the results with 2 × 4 and 3 × 3 blocks were consistent with the data. In the Even condition, homogeneous blocks exerted the most weight; in the odd condition, block-pattern symmetry was important. These findings show that visual mechanisms sensitive to four-point correlations do not compute evenness or oddness per se, but rather are activated selectively by features whose frequency varies across isodipole textures.
Multi-point coupling for tool point receptance prediction

Abstract This paper describes a multi-point receptance coupling substructure analysis (RCSA) technique for tool point receptance prediction. The portion of the tool inside the holder is coupled to the portion of the holder that clamps the tool at multiple points along the insertion length. The coupling can be rigid or flexible-damped. The procedure is described analytically and then experimental results are presented. The tool point receptances, or frequency response functions, for four carbide tool blank diameters are tested at multiple extension lengths and compared to predictions for an ER32 collet connection. Stiffness matrices are identified for each of the tool blank diameters and reported. Given the predicted tool point receptances, milling process models can be used to select optimized operating parameters at the process planning stage.
Imaging of Diseases of the Orbit

Orbital pathology may be compartmentalized into lesions of the optic nerve/perioptic sheath, orbital fat, extraocular muscles, and orbital bone.
Tourism, Design and Disability?

As a person who my whole life have been a personal assistant of a wheelchair user and had my Master degree on Design for All, I wrote a paper which analyses a global idea about human discrimination of disabled people related to design and their everyday activities as Accessible Tourism is. Based on the idea that the ‘ultimate goal of social development is to improve and enhance the quality of life for all people’ (United Nations, Department of Public Information Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, pub. DPI 1476 (New York, May 1994)) design plays an important role to this. The focus is to examine: the needs and Targets for Accessible Tourism Policies, Accessible Principles, the design essentials for Accessible Hotels, what do we mean by ‘accessible’ and who are the customers that needs accessible facilities? How the principles of Universal design empower tourism destinations to improve the quality of their services, expand the tourism market and in conclusion to achieve and determine tourism policies focusing to the value of ‘design for All’!
The cross-sectional association of cognitive stimulation factors and cognitive function among Latino adults in Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)

Abstract Introduction Higher cognitive stimulation (CS) is associated with improved cognition. Sources of CS among Hispanics/Latinos are understudied. Methods In the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos 2008 to 2011 (n = 9438), we used finite mixture models to generate latent CS profiles, and multivariate linear regressions to examine associations with cognition in Hispanic/Latino adults (45–74 years). CS included education, occupation, social network, and acculturation. Cognitive measures included the Six-Item Screener, Brief-Spanish English Verbal Learning Test Sum and Recall, Controlled Oral Word Association Test, Digit Symbol Substitution, and Global Cognition. Results Two CS profiles emerged, and were labeled “typical” and “enhanced.” The enhanced CS profile (22%) had more family connections, bicultural engagements, skilled/professional occupations, education, and higher cognitive scores. Discussion An enhanced CS profile emerged from contextual and culturally relevant factors, and was associated with higher cognitive scores across all measures. This provides initial evidence on how factors coalesce to shape cognitive protection in Hispanics/Latinos.
A Morphological Factor in the History of the Irregular Future (and Conditional) of Spanish

Modern Spanish has twelve verbs that are considered synchronically irregular in the future indicative (and conditional) because they exhibit roots that are not comprised of the full form of the inf...
Infection with Ureaplasma spp in Lung Transplant Recipients is Donor-Derived

Purpose Recent studies using human subjects and murine models have demonstrated a causal link infection with Ureaplasma spp in lung transplant (LTx) recipients (R) and hyperammonemia syndrome (HS). We sought to determine the source of Ureaplasma as well as the risk factors associated with the development of HS. Methods Consecutive patients who underwent LTxR at Northwestern Memorial Hospital from 7/2014 - 10/2018 and had Ureaplasma testing were included. Donor testing for Ureaplasma spp was performed through bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) at the time of implantation. From 7/2014 - 2/2017 LTxR were treated only if found positive; from 2/2017 - 1/2018 all LTxR received empiric levofloxacin and azithromycin until negative testing. Donor were evaluated through DonorNet®. Results Sixty-six patients who underwent LTxR with screening were included. Ureaplasma spp was detected on BAL PCR in 12.1% (n=8) of donors. 87.8% (n=58) of donors tested negative. Positive donors were younger (26.6 vs 39.2 years, p = 0.014) and sexually active (100% vs 65.5%, p = 0.047). Donors were more likely to be male (87.5% vs 63.8%, p = 0.182). All LTxR who developed HS (n=3) were positive for Ureaplasma spp on donor BAL PCR and were not empirically treated prior to microbial confirmation. Five patients were BAL PCR positive but did not develop HS but antimicrobial therapy was initiated empirically either in the donor prior to or recipient at transplantation. Conclusion Infection with Ureaplasma spp in LTxR appears donor-derived. Positive donors were younger sexually active males. Empiric therapy prevents HS and screening should be performed in all LTxR.
Scale Economies in the Money Market

Money-market issuers reward scale when they borrow from prime money funds. The scale they reward isn’t the scale of the transaction or of the fund, but rather the scale of the fund complex. For a one-month loan the magnitude is a basis point per fourfold increase in complex size. Larger complexes also enjoy an advantage when exiting holdings: they are both more likely to part with a holding and more likely to exchange it with the issuer for new paper with longer maturity. Our results demonstrate both economies of scale, which can concentrate the industry, and also the importance of relationships in money-market transactions.
Personalized chemotherapy in clear cell adenocarcinoma of the urethra: A case report

Background Clear cell adenocarcinoma of the urethra is a rare type of aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis. Clear cell carcinoma of the urethra represents less than 0.02% of all malignancies in women. Adenocarcinomas account for 10% of female urethral carcinomas, of which 40% are the clear cell variant. Determining the presence or absence of certain mutations through genetic testing may predict whether a patient with cancer may benefit from a particular chemotherapy regimen. Case summary A 40-year-old woman presented with a 3-year history of slow urinary flow and a 3-mo history of urinary urgency and frequency as well as gross hematuria. An abdominal and pelvic computed tomography scan demonstrated enlarged lymph nodes in the abdomen and pelvis. A biopsy of a left inguinal lymph node microscopically confirmed a metastatic adenocarcinoma of the urethra. Specialized genetic testing determined personalized chemotherapy. She was treated successfully with a non-platinum-based chemotherapy consisting of paclitaxel and bevacizumab. Following 3 cycles of paclitaxel and bevacizumab, she attained significant clinical improvement, and response by FDG-Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging showed a definite improvement in size and metabolic activity. She achieved complete response after 6 cycles of therapy by PET scan. The patient concluded 11 cycles of paclitaxel and bevacizumab, and a subsequent PET scan confirmed progression of metastatic disease. The patient was then treated with two cycles of doxorubicin after which a PET scan revealed a mixed response to the treatment. Conclusion We report the first case of a patient with metastatic clear cell adenocarcinoma of the urethra who underwent personalized chemotherapy after testing for cancer gene alterations. Our unique case represents the safe and effective use of non-platinum-based chemotherapy in clear cell adenocarcinoma of the urethra.
Conflict as an Identification Strategy

The consequences of conflict (international and domestic) for political and economic outcomes is an important concern for scholars and policymakers. But establishing causal relations with the data typically available is an effort that is plagued by endogeneity concerns, thus restricting the scope of empirical conflict studies. A prominent feature of most theories of conflict is uncertainty, which implies an inherent randomness that is not predictable ex ante to combatants or researchers. Consequently, there may be random variation which can provide a source of exogenous variation for some political and economic outcomes related to conflict. We identify two distinct sources of risk that produce qualitatively different kinds of natural experiments. First, incidence risk is the uncertainty regarding whether a crisis escalates into violence, and arises from private information between potential combatants. Second, result risk arises from imperfect information about the ultimate outcome of conflict, which implies that the initiation of conflict essentially triggers a lottery. We discuss the kinds of natural experiments that emerge from these sources of uncertainty and ways they can (and cannot) be used.
BK potassium currents contribute differently to action potential waveform and firing rate as rat hippocampal neurons mature in the first postnatal week

This work describes the early developmental trends of large-conductance calcium-activated potassium (BK) channel activity. Early developmental trends in expression of BK channels, both total expres...
Habitat edge effects decrease litter accumulation and increase litter decomposition in coastal salt marshes

Habitat fragmentation is known to be one of the leading causes of species extinctions, however few studies have explored how habitat fragmentation impacts ecosystem functioning and carbon cycling, especially in wetland ecosystems. We aimed to determine how habitat fragmentation, defined by habitat area and distance from habitat edge, impacts the above-ground carbon cycling and nutrient stoichiometry of a foundation species in a coastal salt marsh. We conducted our research in a salt marsh in the Mid-Atlantic United States, where the foundation grass species Spartina patens is being replaced by a more flood-tolerant grass, leading to highly fragmented habitat patches. We quantified decomposition rates, live biomass, and litter accumulation of S. patens at patch edges and interiors. Additionally, we measured relevant characteristics (e.g., habitat area, elevation, microclimate) of S. patens patches. Habitat edge effects, and not habitat area effects, had distinct impacts on ecosystem functioning. Habitat edges had less litter accumulation, faster decomposition rates, a warmer and drier microclimate, and lower elevations than patch interiors. Patches with low elevation edges had the fastest decomposition rates, while interiors of patches at any elevation had the slowest decomposition rates. Notably, these impacts were not driven by changes in primary production. Habitat fragmentation impacts the above-ground carbon cycling of S. patens in coastal wetlands by altering litter decomposition, but not primary production, through habitat edge effects. Future research should investigate whether this pattern scales across broader landscapes and if it is observable in other wetland ecosystems.
Impact and Timing of Breast Cancer Radiation Therapy and Fertility Preservation

Upfront fertility counseling improves quality of life for young breast cancer patients planning for pregnancy post-treatment. We reviewed the literature on the impact, if any, that breast radiation may have on post-treatment fertility and fertility preservation decisions in order to facilitate fertility counseling. While the ovaries and uterus should not receive significant doses of radiation during breast radiation, negligible radiation doses (that are too low to induce ovarian failure) may result from internal scatter. Despite a low risk of infertility from breast radiation, data suggest that women may have chosen mastectomy to avoid whole-breast radiation due to fertility concerns. Although multiple studies have provided encouraging data with successful pregnancies after breast cancer treatment, the number of patients that underwent breast radiation and required fertility preservation methods are rarely reported. In conclusion, the impact that breast radiation appears to have on fertility is low and, in our opinion, should not result in patients choosing mastectomy over breast conservation therapy due to fears of infertility. However, further studies specifying the patients receiving breast radiation and requiring fertility preservation methods are warranted to help reassure patients and their providers.
Performance analysis of hybrid power configurations: Impact on primary energy intensity, carbon dioxide emissions, and life cycle costs

Abstract Utilization of Natural gas and Hydrogen to support current and future building energy needs to offset the total electric demand while improving the grid resiliency and energy efficiency was investigated. Demand side energy management will play an important role in efficiently managing the available energy resources. Performance assessment of different power generation and energy management configurations is presented in this paper. Development of solutions in addressing grid resiliency by providing the ability to design suitable configurations for meeting individual building energy needs is discussed. Primary movers (PM) such as internal combustion engines (ICE) and fuel cells (FC) along with small scale auxiliary renewable energy source such as photovoltaics (PV) were considered. Key attributes of total carbon foot-print, life cycle costs including capital and operational expenditure, electric grid offset or peak shaving capability, thermal energy availability and its further potential to offset total electric demand, and primary energy intensity are analyzed and discussed in detail.
Impact of preoperative opioid use disorder on outcomes following lumbar-spine surgery.

Abstract Objectives Opioid use disorder (OUD) has previously been shown to negatively impact postoperative outcomes. As the number of spine surgeries continues to rise annually, more patients with preexisting OUD will be seen in operating rooms. Our retrospective cohort study aims to expand on the independent association between preoperative OUD and outcomes following lumbar-spine surgery. Patients and methods Using 2007–2014 data from the State Inpatient Databases (SID) for the states of California (2007–2011), Florida, New York, Maryland, and Kentucky, we identified patients ≥18 years of age undergoing lumbar-spine surgery. Our primary variable of interest was present-on-admission OUD. Outcomes of interest included a range of postoperative complications divided into those specific to spinal surgery and general surgical complications, length of stay (LOS), 30- and 90-day readmission rates, and total hospital charges. Results Of the 267,976 patients undergoing lumbar-spine surgery, 1902 patients were identified as having OUD. After adjusting for patient- and hospital-level confounders, we found that patients with OUD were more likely to experience complications related specifically to spine surgery (aOR = 1.51, 95%CI = 1.33–1.71) as well as general postoperative complications (aOR = 1.63, 95%CI = 1.36–1.96) compared to those without OUD. OUD was additionally associated with longer LOS (aIRR = 1.29, CI = 1.24–1.34) and higher total charges (aIRR = 1.14, CI = 1.11–1.18). Whereas no statistically significant difference was detected for 30-day-readmission rates, patients with OUD experienced higher rates of readmission within 90 days of discharge (aOR = 1.20, CI = 1.08–1.35). Conclusions Our study strengthens the evidence that patients with OUD fare poorly after lumbar-spine surgery. More research is needed to determine whether reducing opioid use before surgery can mitigate the postoperative risks associated with OUD.
Covalent modification with concomitant inactivation of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase by affinity labels containing only L-amino acids.

Affinity labels for proteins that process other proteins (e.g. proteinases and protein kinases) are an amalgam of two components, an active site-directed peptide carrier and a non-peptidic electrophilic appendage. We have synthesized several affinity labels for the cAMP-dependent protein kinase that are composed solely of L-amino acids and therefore contain only functionality present in naturally occurring proteins. We have found that 2 adjacent cysteine residues, when covalently linked via a peptide bond and an intramolecular disulfide loop (abbreviated as Cys Cys), serves as a potent electrophile. The peptides Leu-Arg-Arg-Cys Cys-Leu-Gly (1), Leu-Arg-Arg-Ala-Cys Cys-Gly (2), and Leu-Arg-Arg-Ala-Ala-Cys Cys-Gly (3) inactivate the cAMP-dependent protein kinase in a time-dependent fashion. Since dialysis does not restore activity, but dithiothreitol does, this strongly suggests that covalent modification of the target enzyme has occurred at a cysteine residue. Although there are 2 cysteine moieties contained within the protein kinase, the 14C-acetylated affinity labels modify the enzyme only once. In addition, since ATP blocks inactivation of the protein kinase, this implies that it is the active site cysteine residue (Cys-199) that has undergone covalent modification. Based on the KI(inact) values obtained from inactivation kinetics, we conclude that the optimal site on the affinity label for the electrophilic Cys Cys is 1 amino acid removed from the 2 arginine residues (i.e. 2). In addition, the efficacy of these inhibitors is also dependent upon the size of the disulfide ring. The eight-membered disulfide ring-containing peptides 1-3 are relatively poor affinity labels compared to the 12-membered ring-containing inhibitor, [formula: see text]
Seasonal variation of CH4 emissions from central California

[1] We estimate seasonal variations in methane (CH4) emissions from central California from December 2007 through November 2008 by comparing CH4 mixing ratios measured at a tall tower with transport model predictions based on a global 1° a priori CH4emissions map (EDGAR32) and a 10 km seasonally varying California-specific map, calibrated to statewide by CH4emission totals. Atmospheric particle trajectories and surface footprints are computed using the Weather Research and Forecasting and Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport models. Uncertainties due to wind velocity and boundary layer mixing depth are evaluated using measurements from radar wind profilers. CH4signals calculated using the EDGAR32 emission model are larger than those based on the California-specific model and in better agreement with measurements. However, Bayesian inverse analyses using the California-specific and EDGAR32 maps yield comparable annually averaged posterior CH4emissions totaling 1.55 ± 0.24 times and 1.84 ± 0.27 times larger than the California-specific prior emissions, respectively, for a region of central California within approximately 150 km of the tower. If these results are applicable across California, state total CH4 emissions would account for approximately 9% of state total greenhouse gas emissions. Spatial resolution of emissions within the region near the tower reveal seasonality expected from several biogenic sources, but correlations in the posterior errors on emissions from both prior models indicate that the tower footprints do not resolve spatial structure of emissions. This suggests that including additional towers in a measurement network will improve the regional specificity of the posterior estimates.
Solar image parameter data from the SDO: Long-term curation and data mining

Abstract The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) mission captures thousands of images of the Sun per day, motivating the need for efficient and effective storage, representation, and search over a massive repository of data. This work investigates the general-purpose image parameter data produced by the SDO Feature Finding Team’s trainable module, which operates at a fixed six minute cadence over all AIA channels. The data contains ten numerical measures computed for each image cell over a 64 × 64 grid for each image. We analyze all available data and metadata produced over the first three years and present comprehensive statistics and outliers while validating the cleanliness and usability of the data source for future research. We then utilize a database of automated solar event reports to create large-scale region-labeled datasets available to the public. We highlight the new-found potential for data-driven discovery by presenting several best-case labeling scenarios that establish a baseline for comparing machine learning classification and attribute (image parameter) evaluation results. Future work focuses on continued dataset curation and spatiotemporal data mining.
Suppression of adoptive antibody responses by addition of spleen cells from agammaglobulinaemic chickens "immunised" with histocompatible bursa cells.

THE report that T cells from patients with common variable hypogammaglobulinaemia can suppress immunoglobulin synthesis by B cells in vitro1 implies that some forms of hypogammaglobulinaemia could, at least in part, be maintained by a patient's own T cells. Blaese et al.2 described a phenomenon of “infectious agammaglobulinaemia” in line 6 chickens (USDA Regional Poultry Research Laboratory, East Lansing) which seems to represent an ideal laboratory model for the human disease. Transfer of agammaglobulinaemia with spleen cells has now also been observed consistently in strain FP and SC chickens22. The mechanism whereby recipients of cells from an agammaglobulinaemic donor are rendered agammaglobulinaemic is, however, difficult to analyse in such a long term in vivo system. Thus, further examination of the phenomenon would be greatly facilitated by a short term assay to allow better identification of the target cell.
A HIGH FIDELITY TRAFFIC SIMULATION MODEL BASED ON CELLULAR AUTOMATA AND CAR-FOLLOWING CONCEPTS

A high fidelity cell based traffic simulation model (CELLSIM) has been developed for simulation of high volume of traffic at the regional level. Straightforward algorithms and efficient use of computational resources make the model suitable for real time traffic simulation. The model formulation uses concepts of cellular automata (CA) and car-following (CF) models, but is more detailed than CA models and has realistic acceleration and deceleration models for vehicles. A simple dual-regime constant acceleration model has been used that requires minimal calculation compared to detailed acceleration models used in CF models. CELLSIM is simpler than most CF models; a simplified car-following logic has been developed using preferred time headway. Like CA models, integer values are used to make the model run faster. Space is discretized in small intervals and a new concept of percent space occupancy (SOC) is used to measure traffic congestion. CELLSIM performs well in congested and non-congested traffic conditions. It has been validated comprehensively at the macroscopic and microscopic levels using two sets of field data. Comparison of field data and CELLSIM for trajectories, average speed, density and volume show very close agreement. Statistical comparison of macroscopic parameters with other CF models indicates that CELLSIM performs as good as detailed CF models. Stability analyses conducted using mild and severe disturbances indicate that CELLSIM performs well under both conditions.
Plant drugs in the twenty-first century

Lack of effective cooperation among researchers in the applicable biological, physical, and clinical sciences has accounted, in large measure, for the lack of successful development in the United States of any significant number of new plant drugs during the latter part of the 20th century. Unrealistic federal regulations that tend to render unprofitable such research have also played an important role in hindering the development of new plant drugs. It is likely that both of these factors will change in the future as health-conscious consumers demand more accurate information and wider availability of natural drug products. Several anticipated developments will greatly facilitate research and production in this previously difficult area. These include the development of new, simplified bioassay procedures; improved, easily applied analytical methods; and innovative plant-cell-culture methodologies, possibly involving genetic manipulation. The kinds of drugs that need to be developed using such techniques are discussed. It is concluded that significant new plant drugs and new methods of producing them will be developed to serve mankind during the 21st century.
Optimizing Experimental Design in Genetics

Researchers in the life sciences (i.e., healthcare and agriculture) commonly use heuristics to process and interpret the vast amount of available DNA sequence data. The application of discrete optimization techniques, such as mixed-integer programming (MIP), remains largely unexplored and has the potential to transform the field. This paper reports on the successful use of MIP to optimize experimental design in a practical genetics application. More generally, our results illustrate the potential benefits of using MIP for subset selection problems in genetics.
Catalyst Characterization Using Quantitative FTIR: CO on Supported Rh

Abstract Qualitative FTIR has been and continues to be one of the most utilized tools in the characterization of supported metal catalysts. Quantitative FTIR has the potential to allow catalysis researchers to determine the surface concentrations of active intermediates. However, its successful application depends upon an understanding of the factors affecting integrated absorption intensities (coefficients relating IR absorbance to surface concentration). This work addresses the effect of metal particle size and temperature on the absorption intensities for CO chemisorbed on Rh/SiO 2 . Absorption intensities for both linear and bridged CO surface species ( A 1 and A b ) were determined by combining peak area data from IR spectra with uptake measurements obtained in gravimetric experiments. This resulted in an A 1 value of 13 (±2) and an A b value of 42 (±6) cm/μmol. No statistically significant particle size effect has been observed for average spherical particle diameters ranging from 13 to 58 angstroms (100 to 22% dispersion). Also, integrated absorption intensities for linear and bridged CO were shown to vary little over the temperature range of 323 to 473 K. The discovery that absorption intensities determined for one temperature and metal dispersion may be used for other temperatures and dispersions is a welcome result which may broaden the application of quantitative FTIR. Rh dispersions were determined for Rh/SiO 2 samples of five different weight loadings using the absorption intensities determined in this study. The variation of Rh dispersion with Rh loading was practically identical to that observed in hydrogen chemisorption experiments conducted on another series of Rh/SiO 2 catalysts. Also, it was observed that the ratio of linear to bridged CO surface concentrations increased from 2 to 5 as Rh dispersion increased from 22 to 100%. These observations demonstrate the usefulness of a more fully developed quantitative FTIR technique.
The effect of changing climate on the frequency of absolute extreme events

In some areas of climate impact analysis, the possible impact of a changing mean climate has been dismissed by some writers either because of a belief that society can adapt to a slowly changing mean and/or because expected rates of future changes lie within or not far outside those experienced in the past. The two standard counter arguments to this optimistic view are: (1) the future will lead to much longer periods of protracted change in one direction, with final conditions well into the no-analogue region; and/or (2) the main impacts will accrue through changes in the frequency of extremes. In the literature on greenhouse effect, lip service is often paid to the effect of changes in the frequency of extremes. But just how will a slowly changing mean affect the frequency of extremes? Quantitative discussions of this subject are rare,
Perceived control as a mediator of family environment in etiological models of childhood anxiety

Recent developments in cognitive and emotion theory emphasize the importance of cognitive dimensions related to control and helplessness. Drawing from evidence in the area of control and explanatory style, the present study used a cross-sectional design to evaluate structural models investigating the relation of perceived control and attribution to family environment, negative affect, and clinical disturbance. It was hypothesized that the anxiogenic and depressogenic influences of a controlling family environment on negative affect would be mediated by cognitive dimensions. A mixed clinical and nonclinical sample of 93 children and their families was assessed, and findings suggested superior fit for the model in which the dimension of perceived control mediated between family environment and negative affect. The findings are discussed with respect to models of the etiology of childhood anxiety.
Haemophilus parainfluenzae mitral prosthetic valve endocarditis in an intravenous drug abuser

Haemophilus species are an infrequent cause of subacute bacterial endocarditis. Of the Haemophilus species causing endocarditis, H. aphrophilus and H. parainfluenzae are more frequent causes of subacute bacterial endocarditis than H. influenzae. H. parainfluenzae requires growth factor V (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and grows very slowly on routine culture media. H. parainfluenzae is a rare cause of "culture negative" endocarditis because it is a slow-growing organism. We present a case of a 42-year-old intravenous drug abuser with H. parainfluenzae mitral prosthetic valve endocarditis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of mitral prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by H. parainfluenzae in an intravenous drug abuser.
Intradermal use of convalescent serum against measles

Summary 1. Forty persons, two adults and thirty-eight children, have been given recent convalescent measles serum intradermally. 2. The serum was given in 0.4 c.c. amounts intradermally on successive days until 2 c.c. were given. 3. Thirty-four children and two adults did not develop measles. Two children developed uncomplicated measles before the course was completed. Two children developed attenuated measles fourteen days after the inoculations. 4. It is believed at the present time that recent convalescent measles serum has enough measles antigen available to produce an active immunity when this serum is given intradermally in at least the amounts suggested. 5. The intradermal employment of recent convalescent measles serum in the amounts suggested provides an economical use of this product.
Error Gravity: A Study of Faculty Opinion of ESL Errors

This study is part of a larger project which examines faculty response to the written errors of students who are non-native speakers of English. The particular study described here was designed to determine which sentence-level errors are judged to be most serious by an academic community and to discover what factors may influence this judgment. A survey was conducted to measure how a cross-section of faculty at Iowa State University respond to certain common ESL writing errors. The 164 respondents ranked the relative gravity of 12 typical ESL written errors occurring in 24 sentences. Results indicate that most respondents did not judge all errors as equally grievous; rather, their judgments generate a hierarchy of errors. The study also suggests that both the age and academic discipline of faculty members may be important factors in predicting their response to certain ESL student writing errors.
Intermodulation effects induced on parallel wires by transient excitation

The analysis of the transient response of a five-wire planar array of identical thin wire scatterers is presented. The transient current induced on the individual wires comprising the array exhibits inherent intermodulation effects. This particular effect is explained in terms of the excitation of several of the natural frequencies obtained by applying the singularity expansion method (SEM) to the multiple-wire arrays. The natural frequencies group themselves into layers that can each be associated with the natural singularities of the isolated thin-wire scatterers, that constitute the individual elements in the array. Calculation of the coupling coefficients associated with the natural modes corresponding to the natural frequencies illustrates the manner in which different intermodulation frequencies appear in the transient response of the array as a function of the excitation orientation and polarization. Tables and curves illustrating the pertinent parameters determining these intermodulation effects are presented for one-, two-, three-, four-, and five-wire arrays. >
Factors associated with changes in prestige of university departments

Four models of possible predictors of changes in prestige for university departments are advanced and tested using multiple regression. Changes in prestige are measured using a residual change score derived from the ratings of departments in various disciplines collected by American Council of Education in 1964 and 1969. The models are tested using data collected from 1,164 faculty in 80 university departments in 1968, and from published sources for that same year. Results indicate that a resource model is the best predictor for sociology, and that a research productivity model and an organizational model were good predictors of reputational change for political science and chemistry. For physics, only one organizational variable was an important predictor. The fourth model tested involved reputation of faculty within the department, and this model yielded the fewest significant results. A composite predictive equation was then used, retaining variables that had emerged as significant in earlier analyses. Results again exhibited large differences across scientific fields, suggesting that there is no single set of factors that can reliably predict improvement or decline in prestige across all disciplines.
Use of sodium polystyrene sulfonate in a lithium overdose

A 23-year-old woman with an acute-on-chronic lithium overdose received multiple oral doses of sodium polystyrene sulfonate totaling 150 g over a 24-hour period. During the 33 hours after the institution of therapy, the serum lithium level decreased from 4.20 to 0.68 mEq/L. The calculated serum lithium elimination half-life of 12 hours is significantly shorter than that previously noted in other similar overdoses, and the patient suffered no adverse effects of therapy. Multiple-dose sodium polystyrene sulfonate may be useful in lowering the serum lithium level of select patients with acute lithium overdoses but is not a substitute for hemodialysis in severely ill patients.
A Novel Technique to Reduce Harmonics in a Six Pulse Rectifier

Pulse multiplication methods in both parallel and series connected converters are well known to reduce harmonics. A novel technique with fewer thyristors is proposed in this paper to achieve higher pulses. The proposed scheme uses three re-injection thyristors, two re-injection transformers, and an averaging inductor to achieve 18-pulse operation of a 6-pulse rectifier. This technique will reduce the cost and/or complexity for thyristor operation and harmonics filters.
Hydrogen peroxide causes uncoupling of dopamine D1-like receptors from G proteins via a mechanism involving protein kinase C and G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 2.

Abstract Dopamine, via activation of D1-like receptors, inhibits Na,K-ATPase and Na,H-exchanger in renal proximal tubules and promotes sodium excretion. This effect of dopamine is not seen in conditions associated with oxidative stress such as hypertension, diabetes, and aging due to uncoupling of D1-like receptors from G proteins. To identify the role of oxidative stress in uncoupling of the D1-like receptors, we utilized primary cultures from rat renal proximal tubules. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), an oxidant, treatment to the cell cultures increased the level of malondialdehyde, a marker of oxidative damage. Further, H2O2 decreased membranous D1-like receptor numbers and proteins, D1-like agonist (SKF 38393)-mediated [35S]GTPγS binding and SKF 38393-mediated inhibition of Na,K-ATPase. Moreover, H2O2 treatment to the cultures caused membranous translocation of G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK 2) and increased serine phosphorylation of D1A receptors accompanied by an increase in protein kinase C (PKC) activity. Interestingly, PKC inhibitors blocked the H2O2-mediated stimulation of GRK 2 and serine phosphorylation of D1A receptors. Further, GRK 2 antisense but not scrambled oligonucleotides attenuated the effect of H2O2 on membranous expression of GRK 2. Moreover, direct activation of PKC with phorbol ester (PMA) resulted in reduction of SKF 38393-mediated [35S]GTPγS binding. We conclude that H2O2 stimulates PKC leading to the activation of GRK 2, which causes serine phopshorylation of D1A receptors and receptor G-protein uncoupling in these cells, resulting in impairment in D1-like receptor function.
Correlated Raman micro-spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy analyses of flame retardants in environmental samples: a micro-analytical tool for probing chemical composition, origin and spatial distribution

We present correlated application of two micro-analytical techniques: scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) and Raman micro-spectroscopy (RMS) for the non-invasive characterization and molecular identification of flame retardants (FRs) in environmental dusts and consumer products. The SEM/EDS-RMS technique offers correlated, morphological, molecular, spatial distribution and semi-quantitative elemental concentration information at the individual particle level with micrometer spatial resolution and minimal sample preparation. The presented methodology uses SEM/EDS analyses for rapid detection of particles containing FR specific elements as potential indicators of FR presence in a sample followed by correlated RMS analyses of the same particles for characterization of the FR sub-regions and surrounding matrices. The spatially resolved characterization enabled by this approach provides insights into the distributional heterogeneity as well as potential transfer and exposure mechanisms for FRs in the environment that is typically not available through traditional FR analysis. We have used this methodology to reveal a heterogeneous distribution of highly concentrated deca-BDE particles in environmental dust, sometimes in association with identifiable consumer materials. The observed coexistence of deca-BDE with consumer material in dust is strongly indicative of its release into the environment via weathering/abrasion of consumer products. Ingestion of such enriched FR particles in dust represents a potential for instantaneous exposure to high FR concentrations. Therefore, correlated SEM/RMS analysis offers a novel investigative tool for addressing an area of important environmental concern.
Relation of Circadian Ventricular Ectopic Activity to Cardiac Mortality

Abstract The relation between the circadian occurrence of ventricular premature depolarizations (VPD) and sudden arrhythmic death was examined in a subset of patients entered into the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST). Ambulatory electrocardiographic recordings with hourly measurement of VPD frequency were available in 357 patients. Forty percent of the patients (142 of 357) demonstrated circadian variation in VPD frequency between 6:00 a.m. and 9:59 a.m. that was significantly higher (p (Am J Cardiol 1996;78:881–885)
The Participation-Performance Controversy Reconsidered Subordinate Competence as a Mitigating Factor

Recent literature reviews (Locke, Feren, McCaleb, Shaw, & Denny, 1980; Locke & Schweiger, 1979) dealing with the impact of participation in decision making (PDM) on work outcomes have tended to cast doubt upon the relationship between PDM and job performance criteria. Results of cross-sectional research from six different U.S. military organizations are reported. Self-report measures of the degree of influence perceived by employees (i.e., PDM) were significantly correlated with job satisfaction ratings and with supervisory performance ratings in all six samples. Moderated regression analysis and partial correlation analysis indicated that PDM performance correlations were potentially confounded with the employee's self- ratings of task competence.