cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) US27 on CXCR4 Receptor Internalization Measured by Fluorogen-Activating Protein (FAP) Biosensors

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a widespread pathogen and a member of the Herpesviridae family. HCMV has a large genome that encodes many genes that are non-essential for virus replication but instead play roles in manipulation of the host immune environment. One of these is the US27 gene, which encodes a protein with homology to the chemokine receptor family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The US27 protein has no known chemokine ligands but can modulate the signaling activity of host receptor CXCR4. We investigated the mechanism for enhanced CXCR4 signaling in the presence of US27 using a novel biosensor system comprised of fluorogen activating proteins (FAPs). FAP-tagged CXCR4 and US27 were used to explore receptor internalization and recovery dynamics, and the results demonstrate that significantly more CXCR4 internalization was observed in the presence of US27 compared to CXCR4 alone upon stimulation with CXCL12. While ligand-induced endocytosis rates were higher, steady state internalization of CXCR4 was not affected by US27. Additionally, US27 underwent rapid endocytosis at a rate that was independent of either CXCR4 expression or CXCL12 stimulation. These results demonstrate that one mechanism by which US27 can enhance CXCR4 signaling is to alter receptor internalization dynamics, which could ultimately have the effect of promoting virus dissemination by increasing trafficking of HCMV-infected cells to tissues where CXCL12 is highly expressed.
Redefining the National Park Service Role in Urban Areas: Bringing the Parks to the People

In 2016, the National Park Service (NPS) will celebrate its centennial. In this article, Deputy Director of Operations of the NPS Peggy O'Dell reflects on the great history of National Parks in Ame...
Sensing the impact of environment on small molecule differentiation of RNA sequences

Using pattern recognition of RNA with small molecules (PRRSM) with fluorescent RNA chemosensors and aminoglycosides, we reveal the impact of changing environmental conditions on the differentiation of a range of RNA structures as well as the ability to predict different sequence/size compositions of five canonical RNA motifs.
To Grow or Not to Grow: TOR and SnRK2 Coordinate Growth and Stress Response in Arabidopsis.

For optimal growth, plants must tightly control the switch between stress responses and regrowth upon restoration of favorable conditions. In this issue of Molecular Cell, Wang et al. (2017) reveal that reciprocal regulation of growth-promoting TOR and stress-activated SnRK2 facilitates plant adaptation to environmental variations.
Antisuicidal Effects in Mood Disorders: Are They Unique to Lithium?

Introduction Suicidal behavior is strongly associated with depression in major depressive (MDD) and bipolar (BD) disorders, especially with associated behavioral activation, dysphoria, or agitation. A rare intervention with evidence of suicide risk-reducing as well as mood-stabilizing effects in mood disorder patients is lithium. Methods We reviewed available research evidence on associations of long-term treatment with lithium with risk of suicidal behavior. We meta-analyzed 12 randomized trials in 10 reports (with at least 1 suicide in either treatment arm) including both BD and MDD subjects, with particular attention to comparisons of lithium with placebo or other pharmacological treatments. We also summarized ecological studies on lithium concentration in local drinking water and reported suicide rates. Results We found substantial reduction of risks of suicide and attempts with long-term lithium treatment, particularly in depressive phases of BD and in MDD. Risk of suicidal behavior was higher in mixed (agitated-dysphoric) states than in manic or hypomanic periods. Risk of suicide fatality, specifically, was lower with lithium than with placebo and probably with mood-altering anticonvulsants or antidepressants. Discussion Long-term treatment with lithium has growing evidence of suicide- and attempt-sparing effects, probably greater than with anticonvulsants or antidepressants; antipsychotics remain to be tested adequately. However, the ethical and scientifically adequate design and conduct of trials of treatments aimed at suicide prevention remain challenging and underdeveloped.
Political Money and Freedom of Speech: Kathleen Sullivan's Seven Deadly Sins

In Political Money and Freedom of Speech, Professor Kathleen Sullivan makes an elegant attack on what she refers to as the "mainstream orthodoxy" in regard to regulation of election campaign financing. It is Professor Sullivan's position that the real mistake in the Supreme Court's bifurcated Buckley analysis was in upholding limits on contribution amounts. Putting aside an irreconcilable ideological disagreement over whether spending money is in fact pure speech within the meaning of the First Amendment, Professor Sullivan and I have fundamental factual disagreements over the functioning of the political process itself. Thus, even assuming spending money constitutes speech, Professor Sullivan's argument still fails because of the fundamental flaws in her factual assumptions. Moreover, speaking from my personal experience as a political campaign manager, twice unsuccessful congressional candidate, and occasional congressional staffer, I find terribly naive Professor Sullivan's observations about the workings of the political process and the influence of money. Meanwhile, the politician hears only indirectly from the less comfortable members of society.
REAL-TIME KNOWLEDGE-BASED SYSTEMS FOR ENTERPRISE DECISION SUPPORT AND SYSTEMS ANALYSIS

This keynote paper explores the use of real-time knowledge-based systems (RTKBSs) for enterprise decision support as well as for systems specification and analysis. Knowledge-based systems for monitoring and decision-making in a real-time environment must meet stringent response time and logical correctness requirements. Modern enterprise information systems are requiring shorter response time and greater reliability for businesses to stay competitive. The critical nature of such decision-making systems requires that they undergo rigorous and formal analysis prior to their deployment. This paper describes how knowledge-based systems for decision support are formally analyzed. It also shows how the requirements and operations of enterprise systems can actually be modeled as a rulebase which can then be formally analyzed.
Early Highland Andean Archaic

relative time period: Follows the Late Andean Hunting-Collecting tradition and is followed by the Late highland Andean Archaic tradition.
An Engineered Sso7d Variant Enables Efficient Magnetization of Yeast Cells

Magnetization using cheap and minimally toxic materials, such as iron oxide nanoparticles can enable easy separation of cells from culture medium and is relevant to several industrial applications. Here, we show that cell surface expression of a mutant protein that binds iron oxide can enable efficient magnetization of yeast cells. We screened a combinatorial library of mutants derived from the Sso7d protein scaffold to isolate proteins that exhibit preferential binding to iron oxide. One of the isolated mutants, SsoFe2, was chosen for further characterization. Yeast cells expressing SsoFe2 as fusions to a cell wall protein—but not other Sso7d mutants with similar overall protein charge or amino acid composition—preferentially bind iron oxide when present in a solution with high protein concentration and in the presence of 1000-fold excess of competitor yeast cells. Moreover, coexpression of cell surface SsoFe2 enables efficient magnetic capture and separation of yeast cells expressing an enzyme (glucose ...
Technical success and outcomes in pediatric patients undergoing transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement: a 20-year experience.

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) placement has been extensively studied in adults. The experience with TIPS placement in pediatric patients, however, is limited. The purpose of this study was to report technical success and clinical outcomes in pediatric patients undergoing TIPS placement. Twenty-one children — 12 (57%) boys and 9 (43%) girls, mean age 12.1 years (range, 2–17 years) — underwent TIPS placement from January 1997 to January 2017. Etiologies of hepatic dysfunction included biliary atresia (n=5; 24%), cryptogenic cirrhosis (n=4; 19%), portal or hepatic vein thrombosis (n=4, 14%), autosomal-recessive polycystic kidney disease (n=3; 14%), primary sclerosing cholangitis (n=2; 10%) and others (n=3, 14%). Indications for TIPS placement included variceal hemorrhage (n=20; 95%) and refractory ascites (n=1; 5%). Technical success, manometry findings, stent type, hemodynamic success, complications, liver enzymes, and clinical outcomes were recorded. TIPS placement was technically successful in 20 of 21 (95%) children, with no immediate complications. Mean pre- and post-TIPS portosystemic gradient was 18.5±10.7 mmHg and 7.1±3.9 mmHg, respectively. Twenty-two total stents were successfully placed in 20 children. Stents used included: Viatorr (n=9; 41%), Wallstent (n=7; 32%), Express (n=5; 23%), and iCAST (n=1; 5%). All children had resolution of variceal bleeding or ascites. TIPS revision was required in 9 (45%) children, with a mean of 2.2 revisions. Hepatic encephalopathy developed in 10 children (48%), at a mean of 223.7 days following TIPS placement. During the study, 6 (29%) children underwent liver transplantation. TIPS placement in pediatric patients has high technical success with excellent resolution of variceal hemorrhage and ascites. TIPS revision was required in nearly half of the cohort, with hepatic encephalopathy common after shunt placement.
Outcomes of Safety Climate in Trucking: a Longitudinal Framework

Utilizing a longitudinal approach, this study examined mechanisms explaining how safety climate is associated with truck drivers’ safety behavior and outcomes. The present study also examined the top-down process of how organization-level safety climate (i.e., top management referenced) is related to group-level safety climate (i.e., supervisor referenced). Two waves (matched N = 481) of safety climate and safety behavior data (with a 2-year interval) were obtained from a large US trucking company. Days lost due to road injuries were assessed 6 months after time 2. Autoregressive, cross-lagged, and prospective effects were examined. Safety climate scores and safety behavior were moderately stable across a 2-year period. Both organization- and group-level safety climate scores were positively associated with safety behavior. The top-down association between time 1 organization-level safety climate and time 2 group-level safety climate was supported. Safety behavior mediated the relationship between group-level safety climate and future lost days due to injury. Contrary to suggestions of some prior research, the present study shows that safety climate measures may have lasting ability to predict safety behavior/outcomes in the trucking industry. In particular, the present study supported a hierarchical model in which organization-level safety climate influences safety outcomes through its influence on group-level climate. The top-down model connotes that top management efforts to instill a strong positive safety climate to affect workers’ driving behavior operate through management’s influence on the actions of the workers’ immediate supervisor.
(2-{[2-(Di­methyl­amino)­eth­yl]imino­meth­yl}benzene­thiol­ato-κ3N,N′,S)(4-meth­oxy­benzene­thiol­ato-κS)nickel(II)

In the title compound, [Ni(C11H15N2S)(C7H7OS)] or [Ni(NNImS)(4-OCH3PhS)] (NNImS = 2-{[2-(di­methyl­amino)­eth­yl]imino­meth­yl}benzene­thiol­ato), the NiII cation is coordinated by a tridentate NNImS ligand and a monodentate thiol­ate ligand giving an N2S2 coordination set defining an almost square-planar environment. The Ni—Namine bond in the coordination plane is approximately 0.1 A longer than the Ni—Nimine bond.
CRISPR/Cas9 Edited Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Based Vascular Tissues to Model Aging and Disease-Dependent Impairment.

The discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and advancements in genome editing technology introduced a new perspective to disease modeling as genetic factors can now be incorporated to ...
Taking Care and Taking Over: Daughter’s Duty, Self-Employment, and Gendered Inheritance in Zacatecas, Mexico:

Although disproportionate housework and care responsibilities ascribed to mothers and wives have been found to greatly impact women’s self-employment, less is known about how family-level labor str...
Properties of metal-polymer-metal structures observed with space charge mapping techniques — I. High field stressing experiments

Most of what is known about the electrical properties of dielectrics is attributable to various forms of current-voltage measurements. Reliance on this limited method often has generated untested theories rather than fundamental understanding.
Children’s health and income: evolution of the gradient

This paper extends previous measurements of the children’s income-health gradient through 2015. We first replicate findings about the steepness of the gradient from 1986 to 2005. We then find that ...
Coverage Expansions and Utilization of Physician Care: Evidence From the 2014 Affordable Care Act and 1966 Medicare/Medicaid Expansions.

Objectives. To evaluate the effects of the 2 major coverage expansions in US history—Medicare/Medicaid in 1966 and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2014—on the utilization of physician care.Methods...
The geography of follicle pubescence in the Physocarpus opulifolius (Rosaceae) complex1,2

Taxonomic circumscription is a critical prerequisite for ecological, taxonomic, and systematics research but can be complicated by undetected patterns in morphological variation. Cryptic variation has long confounded the taxonomy of Physocarpus (Cambess.) Raf., with conflicting circumscriptions especially prevalent in the Physocarpus opulifolius (L.) Maxim. complex, which comprises P. opulifolius sensu stricto and Physocarpus intermedius (Rydb.) C.K.Schneid. Here, we assess variation for carpel and follicle pubescence, a key diagnostic character for the P. opulifolius s.l. complex. Data were collected from 748 herbarium accessions obtained from across the range of this complex in North America. We then assessed the statistical and geographic distribution of this variation. As suggested by Rydberg and others, follicle pubescence is bimodally distributed and exhibits a strong geographic signal. An eastern, glabrous (or nearly so) form occurs in temperate forests from the St. Lawrence River valley of Quebec west to the Upper Great Lakes region and south to the southern Appalachians (i.e., P. opulifolius s.s.), while a more western, densely pubescent form occurs from the Interior Highlands north to the Driftless Area, with disjunct populations in the Southeastern Plains of Alabama, Sand Hills of Nebraska, Black Hills of South Dakota, Front Range of Colorado, and Sierra Madre Oriental of northeastern Mexico (i.e., P. intermedius). We conclude that taxonomic recognition is warranted based on variation in follicle pubescence, which also has implications for downstream research (e.g., floristics, phylogenetics, and ecological niche modeling).
Ultrafast dynamics of charge transfer in CVD grown MoS2–graphene heterostructure

We study the interlayer charge transfer dynamics across the heterojunction of graphene and chemical-vapor-deposition grown MoS2, using ultrafast optical spectroscopy. Electron–hole pairs are generated only in the graphene layer by a 100-fs pump pulse, and the presence of carriers in the MoS2 layer is observed via a probe pulse tuned to the MoS2 bandgap. Due to the band lineup, there is an initial rapid transfer of electrons from the graphene into the MoS2 layer, which cannot be well resolved within the 100-fs resolution of the experiment. This work focuses instead on the transfer of thermalized electrons back from the MoS2 to the graphene layer, as the system returns to equilibrium. The dynamics of the back transfer are found to be nonexponential and, for times after carrier cooling is complete (≳5 ps), can only be fit using a Porter-Thomas distribution of the charge transfer rates, indicating that the MoS2 states are localized by disorder and that the interlayer transfer process is dominated by random coupling.
Decadence, radicalism, and the early modern French nobility: the enlightened and depraved: by Chad Denton, Lanham, MD, Lexington Books, 2017, xviii, 159 pp., $80.00 (hardback), ISBN: 149853726X

In a compact book that ranges over two centuries of aristocratic experience and intellectual innovation, Chad Denton argues that, in the course of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, me...
Application of Computers to Quantitative Analysis of Microstructures

Evaluation of particle size and shape, a necessity for any stereological projection beyond volume fraction, requires continuity of observations over the section. Observations must be made on a dense raster at a resolution approximating that of the microscope, yielding up to one million observations per field. Such masses of data are obtainable only from automatic scanning equipment, and require computer processing of the image. (Figure 1)
QoS constraints in bluetooth-based wireless sensor networks

This paper investigates the case of a wireless sensor network deploying Bluetooth technology. The paper analyses main technological features of Bluetooth, such as error recovery, power consumption and connection establishment, and using some experimental results analyses their effect on the Quality of Service in the sensor network. The paper presents a case for a different view of QoS in sensor networks. We argue that the network availability, reliability and especially the originality (freshness) of data have emerged as crucial QoS issues in wireless sensor networking. The paper puts emphasis on master-side scheduling in Bluetooth and analyses using simulation the performance of three scheduling schemes in a sensor network model. We analyse the performance of the schemes in symmetric and asymmetric load environments and with different bit error probabilities. Two of the schemes are specially designed for sensor networks, and one of them, the Maximum Burst Delay First, shows very good results in the asymmetric load environment.
Dios y modalidad

En este texto el A. se propone mostrar que es posible emplear algunas tecnicas de la logica modal para reflexionar en torno al problema de la existencia de Dios. En la primera parte se presenta la estructura general de la logica modal,su simbologia y los diversos sistemas que recientemente han sido propuestos. En la segunda parte, el A. sugiere la posibilidad de formular en terminos modales la prueba ontologica de San Anselmo. El texto culmina extrayendo algunas consecuencias de esta formulacion
Discourse Systems and Aspirin Bottles: On Literacy:

This paper first argues that any use of language involves three interlocking systems: the referential system (“literal meaning”), the contextualization system (which has primarily to do with mainta...
Sellars vs. McDowell on the Structure of Sensory Consciousness

I argue that John McDowell’s attempt to refute Wilfrid Sellars’s two-component analysis of perceptual experience and substitute for it a conception according to which perceptual experience is the “conceptual shaping of sensory consciousness” fails. McDowell does not recognize the subtle dialectic in Sellars’s thought between transcendental and empirical considerations in favor of a substantive conception of sense impressions, and McDowell’s own proposal seems to empty the notion of sensory consciousness of any real significance.
Biosynthesis of the Peptidoglycan of Bacterial Cell Walls III. THE ROLE OF SOLUBLE RIBONUCLEIC ACID AND OF LIPID INTERMEDIATES IN GLYCINE INCORPORATION IN STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS

The mechanism of addition of glycine during synthesis of the peptidoglycan of cell walls of Staphylococcus aureus has been investigated. Glycine was activated as glycyl soluble ribonucleic acid (sRNA) for this reaction. The initial acceptor for glycine was disaccharide(-pentapeptide)-P-P-phospholipid, an intermediate in peptidoglycan synthesis. Acetylmuramyl(-pentapeptide)-P-P-phospholipid also acted as a glycine acceptor, but less effectively. The glycyl-sRNA of S. aureus has been fractionated into two glycyl-sRNAs, only one of which was active in peptidoglycan synthesis. The product of this sequence, disaccharide(-pentapeptide-pentaglycine)-P-P-phospholipid, then transferred disaccharide-decapeptide to an endogenous cell wall acceptor. Analyses of the lipid intermediate and of the peptidoglycan product indicated that a chain of about 5 glycine residues was substituted on the e-amino group of lysine both in the lipid intermediate and in the peptidoglycan. These pentaglycine chains had free amino ends, and the closure of the pentaglycine bridges was therefore not catalyzed by the enzyme preparations employed. The inhibition of this system by various solvents, detergents, and antibiotics is reported. Two antibiotics, ristocetin and vancomycin, were specific inhibitors of the reaction sequence. Of the three reactions involved in the sequence (attachment of disaccharide-pentapeptide to the lipid, transfer of glycine to the lipid intermediates, and utilization of the lipid intermediates for peptidoglycan synthesis), the first was the least sensitive and the last was the most sensitive to these agents.
Properties of 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate amidotransferase from human lymphoblasts.

Abstract 5-Phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate amidotransferase was assayed in human lymphoblasts maintained in tissue culture, and some of the properties of this enzyme that catalyzes the first committed step of de novo purine biosynthesis were determined. Cell-free preparations of the enzyme catalyze the phosphoribosylpyrophosphate-dependent conversion of 75 to 85 nmoles of the cosubstrate glutamine to glutamic acid per hour per mg of protein. The enzyme exhibits a dependence for magnesium ion, is stable to heating at 60° for 15 min, and exhibits a pH optimum from 6.8 to 7.4. Substrate velocity curves for phosphoribosylpyrophosphate are sigmoidal, whereas glutamine shows hyperbolic kinetics. Analysis of the data for phosphoribosylpyrophosphate by the Hill equation yields an interaction coefficient of 2, and a half-maximal velocity, S0.5, of 0.25 mm. The Km for glutamine at saturating phosphoribosylpyrophosphate concentrations is 1.6 mm. Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate amidotransferase is subject to feedback inhibition by adenylic and guanylic acids, the ultimate products of de novo purine biosynthesis. The concentrations of AMP and GMP which inhibit enzyme activity by 50% are 1.8 and 0.5 mm, respectively. Mixtures of the two nucleotides show additive inhibition, and it is proposed that only one type of inhibitory site exists on the enzyme. Lineweaver-Burk double reciprocal plots show GMP to be a competitive inhibitor with respect to phosphoribosyl-pyrophosphate. Presence of the nucleotide abolishes the cooperative interaction of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate with the enzyme.
Components of life satisfaction in middle and later life adults: perceived social competence, leisure participation, and leisure satisfaction.

Relation entre la competence sociale percue et 1) la participation aux loisirs, 2) la satisfaction quant aux loisirs chez les adultes, vieux et moins vieux. Les donnees d'un questionnaire ont ete analysees en utilisant: analyse des pistes causales et modeling causal
Implementing Music Therapy-Based Intergenerational Programs in the Community

Music-Based Intergenerational Programs, Older Adults and Community Engagement Through Music.Research in music-based intergenerational programming has shown benefits such as improved cross-age attitudes and cross-age interactions between younger and older generations. However, there is limited information pertaining to how older adults' experiences change based on the age of the younger participants. The purpose of this paper was to compare older adults' experiences in three multiple-aged music intergenerational programs. Older adults were involved in one of three musicbased intergenerational groups with youth of differing ages: preschoolers, elementary-age children, and college-age young adults. The preschool program focused on teaching academic skills through music activities. Participants in the elementary program interacted with fourth-graders through singing, moving to music, playing instruments, and structured conversations. Older adults in the college program participated with music majors in a rock band and chorus, and performed a final concert at the local university. Older adult participants were interviewed upon completion of the programs. Results revealed that older adults had different motivations for participating in the three varied intergenerational programs (preschool, elementary, and college programs). Differences were also discovered in older adults' descriptions of the programs, and in perceptions of the programs' benefits provided to the younger generations. The author will discuss how to use these findings to structure future intergenerational programming in school and community settings.
Chapter 9. Anticoagulants: Thrombin and Factor Xa Inhibitors

Publisher Summary This chapter describes anticoagulants with a particular emphasis on thrombin and Xa inhibitors. Thrombin, a serine protease of the trypsin family, plays a central role in thrombosis and haemostasis. It is the terminal enzyme in the coagulation cascade and is directly responsible for the cleavage of fibrinogen, resulting in the precipitation of insoluble fibrin, the primary component of a blood clot or thrombus. In addition, thrombin is the key to the activation of platelets which stimulates aggregation. The development of selective, orally active, low molecular weight thrombin inhibitors has been an intense research focus in the search for new anticoagulants for a large number of pharmaceutical laboratories. The chapter presents an overview of naturally occurring thrombin inhibitors and explains electrophilic transition state inhibitors. Non-covalent inhibitors based on argatroban NAPAP and TAPAP are elaborated, and non-covalent inhibitors derived from peptidomimetics are discussed. Nonpeptide derived inhibitors are described. Factor Xa inhibitors are reviewed and synthetic pentasaccharides are analyzed. An overview of electrophilic transitions state inhibitors is presented. Details of monobasic non-covalent inhibitors are provided and a discussion on less basic non-covalent inhibitors is also presented.
A comprehension tool for mathematics?: the Math Forum@Drexel's Online Mentoring Guide

Two studies of the Math Forum's Online Mentoring Guide (OMG) address whether and how online comprehension tools might support mathematics learning. In Study 1, the culture of the preservice teachers' (PTs') mathematics classroom and their work with the OMG and its impact on their developing comprehension of mathematics and mentoring is described. In Study 2, the impact of content-informed scaffolding of PTs' work with the OMG is investigated.
Characteristics of Noninstitutionalized DI and SSI Program Participants, 2010 Update

The authors use data from the 2008 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) matched to administrative records from the Social Security Administration (SSA) to produce tables describing the characteristics of Disability Insurance (DI) beneficiaries and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients in December 2010. This match to survey data allows the authors to provide detailed information on the economic and demographic characteristics of program participants not available in administrative records. These tables update those previously published by DeCesaro and Hemmeter (2008) using 2002 data.
Elevated atopy in healthy obese women

BACKGROUND Allergic disorders, including asthma, have increased dramatically in the United States in the past 20 y. Epidemiologic studies have found body mass index (body weight in kg/height squared in m) to be a positive independent correlate of atopy in women but not in men. OBJECTIVE We investigated the prevalence of atopy among healthy obese and nonobese women and its relation to fat mass (FM), insulin resistance, and plasma concentrations of 17beta-estradiol, interleukin 4 (IL-4), and leptin. DESIGN A cross-sectional study of 21 obese (> or = 30% body fat) and 22 nonobese (< 30% body fat) women (18-41 y of age) was performed. The following measurements were taken: FM by plethysmography, total and specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) by automated immunosorbent analysis, and blood glucose, insulin, C-peptide, 17beta-estradiol, sex hormone-binding globulin, and IL-4. Insulin sensitivity was determined on the basis of the fasting insulin resistance index and with an oral-glucose-tolerance test. RESULTS The frequency of specific IgE in the obese group was almost 3 times that in the nonobese group (P = 0.008). The total IgE concentration was not significantly different between groups. Plasma concentrations of 17beta-estradiol, the ratio of 17beta-estradiol to sex hormone-binding globulin, the fasting insulin resistance index, and C-peptide and leptin concentrations were higher in the obese than in the nonobese group (P < 0.05) after adjustment for oral contraceptive use. All factors correlated positively with FM. Logistic regression showed FM to be the only positive predictor of specific IgE (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION The findings confirm a direct relation between obesity and a T helper 2 cell immune response in women.
Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in patients with chronic wounds.

Chronic non-healing wounds are a major health problem with steadily increasing importance.1 The prevalence of chronic leg ulcers is 3%–5% in the population over 65 years of age, with an increase of up to 12% in the population over 70 years of age.2 The most prevalent forms of chronic wounds are leg ulcers caused by chronic venous insufficiency(CVI)3–6 accounting for 70%-90% of ulcers found on the lower leg,7 followed by diabetic foot ulcers.8 Despite significant advances in knowledge, management of chronic wounds continues to involve frequent visits to wound centers and repeated interventions imposing significant burden on patients and society.3,9,10 Chronic wound ulcers are commonly associated with delayed healing requiring an average of 4-6 months, with a substantial number of patients failing to heal.11,12 The burden of chronic wounds is expected to be increasing in coming years with the increased aging and obesity of the population.2 Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disorder of intermittent hypoxia13–18 and severe vascular complications including hypertension, coronary disease, and stroke.19,22 OSA is present in 5%-10% of the middle-aged population and probably increasing in incidence due to the increasing obesity and age of the population.23 These are also the risk factors of chronic non-healing wounds.2 Therefore, it is very likely that patients with chronic wounds would have higher prevalence of OSA than the general population. We endeavored to characterize the risk factors for OSA in patients of academic wound center and to determine the actual prevalence of OSA in this population. BRIEF SUMMARY Current Knowledge/Study Rationale: Patients with non-healing wounds have high prevalence of cardiovascular disease and significant rate of healing failure. The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea is unknown in this population. Study Impact: The study identifies a new population with very high pre-test probability for obstructive sleep apnea. Wound healing in this population may stand to benefit from expedited surveillance and treatment strategies for OSA.
The Fuse Survey of O VI in and Near the Galaxy

We summarize Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) observations of the O VI λ1031.926 absorption line associated with gas in and near the Galaxy, as detected in the spectra of a sample of 100 extra-galactic targets and 2 distant halo stars.
Caudal Mandibular Bone Height and Buccal Cortical Bone Thickness Measured by Computed Tomography in Healthy Dogs.

Objective To characterize bone height and buccal cortical bone thickness of the caudal mandible of healthy dogs. Study Design Prospective original study. Sample Population Client-owned dogs (n = 36). Methods Dogs were distributed by weight into 3 groups ( 20 kg). Thirteen transverse plane computed tomography images were selected for each dog based on anatomic landmarks from the 4th premolar (PM4) through the 2nd molar. On each image, bone thickness was measured along the buccal surface of both mandibles from the alveolar margin to the ventral border in 3 mm increments. The number of 3 mm increments were recorded as an estimation of mandibular height. Results Buccal bone was generally thicker ventrally in the area studied with decreasing bone thickness over both roots of PM4 and the mesial root of the 1st molar (M1). Cortical bone thickness of 10 kg compared with the number of observations at the immediately mesial and distal locations. Conclusion Thin cortical bone overlying the mesial and distal roots of PM4 and the mesial root of M1 limits use of these areas for application of monocortical anchorage devices. Decreased mandibular bone height at mandibular M1 may create a stress riser at this location, which along with thin cortical bone may explain why this is a common area for mandibular fracture.
Early uptake of 99mTc-C2A in the acute phase of myocardial infarction as a prognostic indicator for follow-up cardiac dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE The C2A domain of Synaptotagmin I is a molecular probe for the specific imaging of cell death. Here we test the hypothesis that the uptake of 99mTc-C2A in the acute phase of an infarction is associated with cardiac dysfunction in follow-ups. METHODS The left coronary artery was occluded in Sprague-Dawley rats for 0, 10, 20, and 30 min. 99mTc-C2A was injected intravenously at 2 h of reperfusion. Anterior planar images were acquired with one million counts on a gamma camera 3 h after injection. 99mTc-C2A uptake was calculated as the total counts in the left ventricle region minus blood pool signal. The in-vivo signal detected was correlated with wall motion score index at 1 and 3 weeks follow-ups measured by echocardiography. RESULTS 99mTc-C2A uptake was higher with increased ischemic time (2244+/-852, 4054+/-1223, and 6178+/-1451 for 10, 20, and 30 min ischemia, analysis of variance P<0.001). A significant correlation was found between 99mTc-C2A uptake and wall motion score index at 1 week (R=0.800, P=0.0006) and 3 weeks (R=0.810, P=0.0008). CONCLUSION In this ischemia/reperfusion model, 99mTc-C2A uptake in the acute phase was associated with functional abnormality at 1 and 3 weeks. This demonstrates the potential diagnostic and prognostic value of 99mTc-C2A as a novel imaging agent.
APPLICATIONS OF TIME-RESOLVED FLUOROIMMUNOASSAY TO DETECT MAGNETIC BEAD CAPTURED ESCHERICHIA COLI O157:H7

A time-resolved fluorescence technique was developed to detect Escherichia coli O157:H7 in ground beef burger. After a 4.5 h enrichment period, streptavidin coated magnetic beads conjugated with biotin-labeled anti E. coli O157:H7 were used to capture the bacteria. The bacteria were, at the same time, also labeled by a nonfluorescent, europium (Eu)-tagged anti-E. coli O157:H7 antibody. The sandwiched bacterial complexes were then concentrated using a magnetic particle concentrator and washed to remove other solution components. Upon addition of an enhancement buffer, the Eu-labels were then released from the antibodies and chelated to nitrilo-triacetic acid (NTA) and trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) to form highly fluorescent Eu-(2-NTA)3(TOPO)2–3 micellar complexes. Delayed fluorescence associated with these complexes was measured and its intensity was used to estimate the original bacterial concentration spiked in hamburger. This approach was applied to detect E. coli O157:H7 spiked in hamburgers. The results indicated this method is able to detect 1 CFU/g of the bacteria after a brief enrichment for four and half hours at 37C. Specificity studies indicated that the approach exhibited no or limited cross reactivity to Salmonella typhimurium, E. coli K-12 or Shigella dysenteriae spiked in hamburgers. Thus, the developed approach may be used as a rapid screening procedure for E. coli O157 bacteria in foods.
Immunocytochemical localization of cleaved caspase-3 in pancreatic islets from type 1 diabetic subjects.

Aims/ hypothesis Caspase-3 is a main effector caspase of the apoptotic cascade. Involve-ment of caspase-3 has been implicated in a β cell cloned cell line from type 1 diabetic subjects and in isolated islets from type 2 diabetic subjects. Methods Using commercially available rabbit anti-cleaved caspase-3 antibody, immunocytochemical staining was performed on 8 cases of pancreatic tissues from type 1 diabetic subjects and age-matched controls obtained at autopsy. Islets were divided into large islets containing more than 34 islet cells and small islets containing less than 34 islet cells. Cleaved caspase-3 immunostained islet cells were calculated for large and small islets, respectively, with total number of islet cells and total percentage of cleaved caspase-3 positive cells. Results The control islets revealed cleaved caspase-3 positive cells in about 4.7 % in the total islet cells with large and small islets positive at 4.1 % and 6.8%, respectively. The islets from type 1 diabetic patients showed highe...
Change in model for end-stage liver disease score on the transplant waiting list predicts survival in patients undergoing liver transplantation

Allocation of donor livers through the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score has resulted in a fall in waiting list deaths in the United States. Change in MELD score (DeltaMELD) whilst awaiting transplant has been suggested as a method of refining organ allocation. Our aims were to analyse the effect of DeltaMELD between listing and transplant, and examine its impact on patient survival, intensive care stay and hospital stay in 402 patients transplanted for chronic liver disease at a single centre. Patients who had a DeltaMELD score of >+1 point were more likely to die in hospital following transplant (P < 0.05) and had a significantly worse 12- and 36-month survival post transplant (P < 0.0001) when compared with patients with DeltaMELD <or=+1 (77.8% vs. 91.9% at 12 months; 72.1% vs. 83.6% at 36 months). This difference persisted even when in-hospital deaths were excluded (P = 0.0148). In a Cox-proportional hazards model, factors associated with reduced survival were DeltaMELD (P = 0.008), and transplant from intensive care (P < 0.001). In conclusion, change in MELD score whilst on the transplant waiting list has a significant effect on survival post-transplant although MELD score at the time of transplant appears to have the most significant effect on resource utilization.
Volume loading improves low cardiac output in experimental right ventricular infarction

To evaluate the effect of volume loading in the low output state associated with right ventricular infarction, isolated right ventricular infarction was produced in seven dogs with the pericardium intact. Volume loading and pericardiotomy were then sequentially performed. After the production of right ventricular infarction, right ventricular systolic pressure decreased by 25%, aortic pressure by 36% and cardiac output by 32%. Right ventricular ejection fraction decreased by 57%, but left ventricular ejection fraction did not change significantly. Left ventricular transmural pressure and diastolic size decreased, and right ventricular diastolic size increased. Intrapericardial pressure increased and equalization of diastolic pressures was noted. Volume loading resulted in increased right ventricular systolic pressure and stroke work, increased aortic pressure and cardiac output and increased transmural pressure and diastolic size in both ventricles. Pericardiotomy resulted in further increases in right and left ventricular filling, stroke work and cardiac output, as well as resolution of equalized diastolic pressures. These results indicate that cardiac output in experimental right ventricular infarction increases with volume loading, which enhances left ventricular preload by augmenting right ventricular output. Elevated intrapericardial pressure affects filling of both ventricles and may play a role in the pathophysiology of low cardiac output in right ventricular infarction.
Abnormal retinotopic organization of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the tyrosinase-negative albino cat.

Visual defects associated with hypopigmentation have been studied extensively in Siamese and albino cats. Previous research on tyrosinase-negative albino cats has shown that (1) ≈95% of all nasal and temporal retinal fibers cross at the optic chiasm, and (2) ocular dominance columns normally found in cortex are replaced with hemiretinal domains. In this study, we compared the retinotopic organization of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGNd) and visual cortex in albino cats. Extracellular recordings were conducted in the LGNd, area 17, and area 18 of six albino cats. Receptive fields (RFs) were plotted for all sites. We find that, as in albino visual cortex, the albino LGNd contains (1) normal cells with RFs in the visual hemifield contralateral to the recording site (RFc), (2) abnormal cells with RFs in the ipsilateral hemifield (RFi), (3) abnormal cells with dual, mirror-symmetric RFs, one in each hemifield (RFd), and (4) abnormal cells with broad RFs that span the vertical meridian (RFb). Our data indicate that lamina A and lamina A1 consist predominantly of normal RFc and abnormal RFi cells, respectively. The C laminae contain a mixture of RFc, RFi, RFd, and RFb cells. The interlaminar zones contained RFd cells, RFb cells, or both. Thus, the albino LGNd is arranged into hemiretinal and not ocular dominance laminae. Finally, the percentage of normal cells is significantly larger in area 17 (84%) and area 18 (70%) than in the LGNd (46%), suggesting a suppression of abnormal activity in albino cat cortex, which could underlie the existing competence of visual function in albinos. J. Comp. Neurol. 427:209–219, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Dynamics of Arrestin-Rhodopsin Interactions: LOOP MOVEMENT IS INVOLVED IN ARRESTIN ACTIVATION AND RECEPTOR BINDING *

In this study we investigate conformational changes in Loop V-VI of visual arrestin during binding to light-activated, phosphorylated rhodopsin (Rho*-P) using a combination of site-specific cysteine mutagenesis and intramolecular fluorescence quenching. Introduction of cysteines at positions in the N-domain at residues predicted to be in close proximity to Ile-72 in Loop V-VI of arrestin (i.e. Glu-148 and Lys-298) appear to form an intramolecular disulfide bond with I72C, significantly diminishing the binding of arrestin to Rho*-P. Using a fluorescence approach, we show that the steady-state emission from a monobromobimane fluorophore in Loop V-VI is quenched by tryptophan residues placed at 148 or 298. This quenching is relieved upon binding of arrestin to Rho*-P. These results suggest that arrestin Loop V-VI moves during binding to Rho*-P and that conformational flexibility of this loop is essential for arrestin to adopt a high affinity binding state.
Effect of linolenic acid/ethanol or limonene/ethanol and iontophoresis on the in vitro percutaneous absorption of LHRH and ultrastructure of human epidermis

The effect of enhancer(s) (e.g. ethanol (EtOH), 5% linolenic acid/EtOH, and 5% limonene/EtOH) and iontophoresis was investigated on the in vitro percutaneous absorption of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) and ultrastructure of human epidermis by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). 5% linolenic acid/EtOH or 5% limonene/EtOH significantly enhanced (P<0.05) the passive flux of LHRH through human epidermis in comparison to the control (no enhancer treated epidermis). Iontophoresis further increased the flux of LHRH through enhancer(s) treated epidermis. Iontophoretic flux of LHRH through 5% linolenic acid/EtOH and 5% limonene/EtOH treated epidermis was significantly (P<0.05) enhanced in comparison to iontophoretic flux through the control epidermis. TEM is the most efficient way to visualize the ultrastructure of the stratum corneum (SC). TEM results reveal that iontophoresis in combination with enhancers (e.g. linolenic acid/EtOH or and limonene/EtOH) transformed the highly compact cells of the SC into a looser network of filaments, disrupted the keratin pattern, and resulted in swelling of SC cell layers of human epidermis. Thus, linolenic acid/EtOH or limonene/EtOH in combination with iontophoresis increased the flux of LHRH through human epidermis by disrupting keratin pattern as well as loosening and swelling of SC cell layers.
Evolving technologies, utility incentives and alternative financing and cost recovery methods

Abstract During the 1950s and 1960s, the regulatory environment and the high average demand growth encouraged rapid technical change which was embodied in generating technologies of ever greater scale. Experience in the 1970s contradicted many of the assumptions of the 1950s and 1960s. This paper surveys technologies currently under development and indicates how they may be adopted under alternative financing and cost recovery methods in the entirely different world of the late 1980s and 1990s.
The Future of Formal Methods and GALS Design

The System-on-Chip era has arrived, and it arrived quickly. Modular composition of components through a shared interconnect is now becoming the standard, rather than the exotic. Asynchronous interconnect fabrics and globally asynchronous locally synchronous (GALS) design has been shown to be potentially advantageous. However, the arduous road to developing asynchronous on-chip communication and interfaces to clocked cores is still nascent. This road of converting to asynchronous networks, and potentially the core intellectual property block as well, will be rocky. Asynchronous circuit design has been employed since the 1950's. However, it is doubtful that its present form will be what we will see 10 years hence. This treatise is intended to provoke debate as it projects what technologies will look like in the future, and discusses, among other aspects, the role of formal verification, education, the CAD industry, and the ever present tradeoff between greed and fear.