cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Low back pain due to arterial obstruction.

A considerable proportion of patients with thrombosis of the aorta or its bifurcations exhibit low back pain either alone or in conjunction with other symptoms of this disease. Arterial obstruction should be considered in every patient presenting himself with low back pain. The importance of the history in making this diagnosis cannot be overemphasised. Back or leg pain, or both, coming on after exertion should suggest the diagnosis even in the absence of the other well recognised symptoms of arterial insufficiency. Therefore, to affirm or deny this suspicion, it is essential that palpation of the femoral and peripheral pulses be made a routine and integral part of every orthopaedic examination in patients complaining of low back pain. When pulses are not palpable or are diminished, and in the absence of other clear musculo-skeletal disease, consideration should be given to further and more specific diagnostic procedures, such as aortography. Only in this way can an occasional baffling and elusive case of troublesome backache be fully understood and the appropriate treatment instituted.
On Classical Chinese Utopias

Following the history of thought,this paper traces the development of classical Chinese utopias,arguing that there are two major types of utopia,Daoist and Confucian.The former develops an anarcho-liberal narrative based on Daoist ideas of human nature and social philosophy,while the latter constructs some well-ruled,morally ideal states,expressing Confucian political passion.This paper also analyzes the social background,spatio-temporal framework and aesthetic features of the classical utopias.
Action of glucocorticoids on proximal tubule transport systems.

Abstract A number of transport systems in the proximal tubule now have been shown to change activity in response to glucocorticoids. Two of them, the Na + -H + exchanger and the Na + -dependent phosphate transporter, are apparently directly regulated by specific receptors in the proximal tubule. Glucocorticoid regulation of both transport systems is now known to be dependent upon the synthesis of new mRNA and protein. When one surveys the variety of transporter mechanism and metabolic pathways under glucocorticoid control, it seems clear that this group of hormones usually thought of as controlling glucose metabolism may in fact be playing a central role in maintaining acid-base homeostasis. Future research will clarify this role for glucocorticoids.
Basics of sleep biology

This chapter is an educational chapter on the basics of sleep science. There are numerous recommendations and requirements that come with an FRMS, and this chapter provides information on the biology and the science that underlies these recommendations. Although the FRMS can address many of the common problems of sleep, it cannot be expected to address every unique situation and possibility. Therefore, an FRMS educational program should communicate our best understanding of the biological principles of sleep, circadian, and work performance. This way, both management and employees can integrate these principles in their everyday lives and practices to improve outcomes, and the consequences of sleep deprivation. An understanding of these principles will help an employee plan their day and incorporate adequate sleep time in their schedule. This chapter will also present why sleep is important and understand the consequences of sleep deprivation. Benefits of adhering to the principles of this chapter include better performance on the job and potentially lower health-care costs as workers will be healthier and there will be potentially fewer workers’ compensation claims.
Genetic Risk for Substance Abuse and Addiction: Family and Twin Studies

Evidence from family, adoption and twin studies indicates that genetic variation contributes to the risk for developing addiction to alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs and to the comorbidity of addictions with other psychiatric disorders. For instance, it is estimated that 50–60% of the variation in risk for alcoholism is accounted for by genetic factors. Genetic influences are implicated in multiple aspects of substance involvement, including predispositions to drug-seeking behaviour and development of physiological dependence. These influences likely occur through multiple mechanisms, ranging from cellular processes (e.g. metabolic, pharmacologic) to psychological (e.g. personality traits). Environmental factors are also key – individuals' psychosocial histories may outweigh their genetic predispositions or can combine with genetic factors to magnify or decrease risk for developing addictions. Key Concepts Substance abuse and addiction run in families. Genetic epidemiology uses family, adoption and twin studies to address whether the familiality of addiction is due to environmental factors, genetic transmission or a combination of both. For both men and women, 50–60% of the risk for developing alcoholism is familial and virtually all of this is due to genetic factors. Experimenting with tobacco is primarily environmentally influenced, but genetic factors influence who develops addiction. Addiction to illicit substances also appears to have a genetic component for males; fewer studies have been conducted in females. The available research is based on samples of European ancestry; genetic and environmental estimates could differ for other populations. Keywords: genetic epidemiology; drug abuse; twin studies; adoption studies; alcoholism
Nucleic acid clamp-mediated recognition and stabilization of the physiologically relevant MYC promoter G-quadruplex

The MYC proto-oncogene is upregulated, often at the transcriptional level, in ∼80% of all cancers. MYC's promoter is governed by a higher order G-quadruplex (G4) structure in the NHE III1 region. Under a variety of conditions, multiple isoforms have been described to form from the first four continuous guanine runs (G41-4) predominating under the physiologically relevant supercoiled conditions. In the current study, short oligonucleotides complementing the 5'- and 3'-regions flanking the G4 have been connected by an abasic linker to form G4 clamps, varying both linker length and G4 isoform being targeted. Clamp A with an 18 A linker was found to have marked affinity for its target isomer (G41-4) over the other major structures (G42-5 and G41-5, recognized by clamps B and C, respectively), and to be able to shift equilibrating DNA to foster greater G4 formation. In addition, clamp A, but not B or C, is able to modulate MYC promoter activity with a significant and dose-dependent effect on transcription driven by the Del4 plasmid. This linked clamp-mediated approach to G4 recognition represents a novel therapeutic mechanism with specificity for an individual promoter structure, amenable to a large array of promoters.
T1ρ/T2 mapping and histopathology of degenerative cartilage in advanced knee osteoarthritis

T1ρ/T2 mapping and histopathology of degenerative cartilage in advanced knee osteoarthritis
Chemical End Group Modified Diblock Copolymers Elucidate Anchor and Chain Mechanism of Membrane Stabilization

Block copolymers can be synthesized in an array of architectures and compositions to yield diverse chemical properties. The triblock copolymer Poloxamer 188 (P188), the family archetype, consisting of a hydrophobic poly(propylene oxide) core flanked by hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) chains, can stabilize cellular membranes during stress. However, little is known regarding the molecular basis of membrane interaction by copolymers in living organisms. By leveraging diblock architectural design, discrete end-group chemistry modifications can be tested. Here we show evidence of an anchor and chain mechanism of interaction wherein titrating poly(propylene oxide) block end group hydrophobicity directly dictates membrane interaction and stabilization. These findings, obtained in cells and animals in vivo, together with molecular dynamics simulations, provide new insights into copolymer–membrane interactions and establish the diblock copolymer molecular architecture as a valuable platform to inform copolymer–bi...
Unkosher Sex: Vulnerable Narcissism and Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Men

Narcissistic men that engage in out-of-control extra-marital sex can be challenging to treat when their cultural background reinforces their misogyny and sense of entitlement, as it does among ultra-Orthodox Jewish men. A case study illustrates the challenges for a female clinician helping an unfaithful, married, narcissistic ultra-Orthodox Jewish male refrain from seeing prostitutes. He devalued the approach of his female therapist and the client had to learn that he was not entitled to women's love and respect, but that he needed to earn it by transcending his egocentrism and demonstrating empathy rather than contempt for women.
Transepidermal water loss and skin conductance as barrier integrity tests.

Abstract In vitro skin permeation studies are commonly used in the risk assessment of toxic compound skin exposure. The present study examined the utility of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and electrical conductance as barrier integrity tests before skin permeation studies in vitro using a large number of skin samples and fentanyl. TEWL and conductance of the skin samples were measured before the permeation experiments in Franz diffusion cells in vitro with a vapometer and low voltage application, respectively. The data were analyzed based on the in vitro permeation results and in vivo skin absorption information from the transdermal fentanyl product labels. The results showed poor correlations between TEWL and electrical conductance for the skin samples. Weak correlations between fentanyl delivery rate (flux x area) and TEWL and skin conductance were observed. For comparison, TEWL and conductance were also examined after skin perturbation with a syringe needle, and both TEWL and conductance values of the skin samples increased after the perturbation. The data suggest that either TEWL of 10 g/m2/h or skin conductance of 0.07 mS/cm2 can be used as exclusion criteria in skin integrity testing to remove skin samples with high permeabilities under the in vitro conditions studied.
Assessing barriers to diabetes medication adherence using the Information-Motivation-Behavioral skills model.

Abstract Aims Medication nonadherence is a prevalent and costly problem among patients with type 2 diabetes. Applications of theory can inform and improve adherence promotion interventions. We used a new assessment based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral skills (IMB) model of adherence to assess patient-reported barriers and test the theoretical model. Methods Participants (N = 237) completed a card sorting task to identify barriers to adherence, a survey, and a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test. We identified the most commonly reported adherence barriers and examined associations between patient characteristics and barriers mapped onto each of the IMB constructs. We used structural equation modeling to test the IMB model and determine if barriers as reported on this measure predict patients’ self-reported diabetes medication adherence and, in turn, HbA1c levels. Results The most frequently reported barriers were forgetting doses, thinking brand name medicine works better than generic medicine, not seeing immediate benefit, and feeling burned out with taking diabetes medicine. Younger age and lower health literacy were associated with higher barrier scores for all IMB model constructs. Information and social motivation barriers affected adherence via behavioral skills barriers (indirect effects −0.19, CI [−0.33, −0.09] and −0.24, CI [−0.37, −0.14], respectively). The IMB barrier constructs explained 44% of the variance in diabetes medication adherence which, in turn, was significantly associated with and explained 8% of the variance in HbA1c (both p Conclusions Results suggest this assessment task can identify patient-specific barriers to diabetes medication adherence. Interventions targeting patient-specific barriers using this assessment could improve adherence and HbA1c.
A Vector-Scheduling Approach for Running Many-Task Applications in the Cloud

The performance variation of cloud resources makes it difficult to run certain scientific applications in the cloud because of their unique synchronization and communication requirements. We propose a decentralized scheduling approach for many-task applications that assigns individual tasks to cloud nodes based on periodic performance measurements of the cloud resources. In this paper, we present a vector-based scheduling algorithm that assigns tasks to nodes based on measuring the compute performance and the queue length of those nodes. Our experiments with a set of tasks in CloudLab show that the application proceeds in three distinct phases: flooding the cloud nodes with tasks, a steady state in which all nodes are busy, and the end game in which the remaining tasks are executed on the fastest nodes. We present heuristics for these three phases and demonstrate with measurements in CloudLab that they result in a reduction of the overall execution time of the many-task application.
A Kolmogorov Complexity Approach for Measuring Attack Path Complexity

The difficulty associated with breaching an enterprise network is commensurate with the security of that network. A security breach, or a security policy violation, occurs as a result of an attacker successfully executing some attack path. The difficulty associated with this attack path, then, is critical to understanding how secure a given network is. Currently, however, there are no consistent methods for measuring attack path complexity that make the assumptions of a modeler explicit while providing flexibility in how the modeler models the attack path. To provide these desirable attributes, we propose a regular-expressions-inspired language whose rationale for attack path complexity measurement is based on Kolmogorov Complexity. After detailing our Kolmogorov Complexity-based method, we demonstrate how it can be applied to a novel security metric: the K-step Capability Accumulation metric–a metric that defines the security of a network in terms of the network assets attainable for attack effort exerted.
The Epidemiology of Peripheral Arterial Disease: Importance of Identifying the Population at Risk

Data from the Framingham Study and other population studies indicate that intermittent claudication (IC) sharply increases in late middle age and is somewhat higher among men than women. Noninvasive testing in populations indicates that the true prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is at least five times higher than would be expected based on the reported prevalence of IC. Peripheral arterial disease correlates most strongly with cigarette smoking and either diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance. Other risk factors for PAD include hypertension; low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; and high levels of triglycerides, apolipoprotein B, lipoprotein(a), homocysteine, fibrinogen and blood viscosity. Individuals with PAD are more likely to have coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease than those without PAD. Because of the high risk of both nonfatal and fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in PAD patients, individuals with evidence of PAD should undergo both a careful examination of the entire cardiovascular system and aggressive modification of CVD risk factors.
d-AMPHETAMINE AND SCHIZOPHRENIA: BEHAVIORAL, PHARMACOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS

ABSTRACT Twenty mg of d-amphetamine induced an improvement, a worsening or failed to change psychosis in 45 drug-free schizophrenic patients. Preinfusion psychosis and CSF MHPG levels were related to clinical change following d-amphetamine. Chronic pimozide pretreatment decreased psychotic behavioral changes following a second d-amphetamine infusion. Although increases in activation and euphoria were not diminished, the d-amphetamine-induced sleep disturbance was prevented by chronic pimozide pretreatment. Twelve patients received a repeat d-amphetamine infusion seven days after pimozide withdrawal which did not indicate pimozide-induced DA receptor supersensitivity. Lithium pretreatment in seventeen patients did not affect psychotic behavior changes following d-amphetamine but attenuated the activation-euphoria cluster changes.
Post-Operative Infections: Trends in Distribution, Risk Factors, and Clinical and Economic Burdens

Abstract Background: Post-operative infection (POI) is a serious complication in all surgical disciplines and can derail a patient's treatment and recovery course. In this analysis, we examine nati...
Machine learning of brain gray matter differentiates sex in a large forensic sample.

Differences between males and females have been extensively documented in biological, psychological, and behavioral domains. Among these, sex differences in the rate and typology of antisocial behavior remains one of the most conspicuous and enduring patterns among humans. However, the nature and extent of sexual dimorphism in the brain among antisocial populations remains mostly unexplored. Here, we seek to understand sex differences in brain structure between incarcerated males and females in a large sample (n = 1,300) using machine learning. We apply source-based morphometry, a contemporary multivariate approach for quantifying gray matter measured with magnetic resonance imaging, and carry these parcellations forward using machine learning to classify sex. Models using components of brain gray matter volume and concentration were able to differentiate between males and females with greater than 93% generalizable accuracy. Highly differentiated components include orbitofrontal and frontopolar regions, proportionally larger in females, and anterior medial temporal regions proportionally larger in males. We also provide a complimentary analysis of a nonforensic healthy control sample and replicate our 93% sex discrimination. These findings demonstrate that the brains of males and females are highly distinguishable. Understanding sex differences in the brain has implications for elucidating variability in the incidence and progression of disease, psychopathology, and differences in psychological traits and behavior. The reliability of these differences confirms the importance of sex as a moderator of individual differences in brain structure and suggests future research should consider sex specific models.
Studying mathematical induction and recursive programming together

Mathematical induction is a proof technique used throughout math-ematics, and recursion is a programming concept frequently used in computer science. This note will explore the parallel between induction proofs and recursive programs by providing several example problems that lead to an induction proof and a corresponding recursive program. We feel that students who are exposed to this parallel will gain a deeper understanding of both topics.
On the Feasibility, Cost, and Carbon Emissions of Grid Defection

Distributed solar generation is rising rapidly due to a continuing decline in the cost of solar modules. Nearly all of this solar generation feeds into the grid, since battery based energy storage is expensive to install and maintain. Unfortunately, accommodating unlimited intermittent solar power is challenging, since the grid must continuously balance supply and demand. Thus, governments and public utility commissions are increasingly limiting grid connections of new solar installations. These limitations are likely to become more restrictive over time in many areas as solar disrupts the utility business model. Thus, to employ solar without restrictions, users may increasingly need to defect from the grid. Unfortunately, batteries alone are unlikely to become cost-efficient at enabling grid defection for the foreseeable future. To address the problem, we explore using a mixture of solar, batteries, and a whole-home natural gas generator to shift users partially or entirely off the electric grid. We assess the feasibility and compare the cost and carbon emissions of such an approach with using grid power, as well as existing “net metered” solar installations. Our results show that the approach is trending towards cost-competitive based on current prices, reduces carbon emissions relative to using grid power, and enables users to install solar without restriction.
The Institutional and Cultural Context of Cross-National Variation in COVID-19 Outbreaks

Background The COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented and cascading threat to the health and economic prosperity of the world’s population. Objectives To understand whether the institutional and cultural context influences the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods At the ecological level, regression coefficients are examined to figure out contextual variables influencing the pandemic’s exponential growth rate across 96 countries. Results While a strong institutional context is negatively associated with the outbreak (B = −0.55 … −0.64, p Conclusions The results emphasize the need for public policy makers to pay close attention to the institutional and cultural context in their respective countries when instigating measures aimed at constricting the pandemic’s growth.
Comprehensive Assessment of Alcohol Consumption in People Living with HIV (PLWH): The New Orleans Alcohol Use in HIV Study.

Background High frequency of alcohol use among people living with HIV (PLWH) warrants careful assessment and screening to better understand its impact on HIV disease progression and development of comorbidities. Due to the limitations of the tools used to measure alcohol use, the links to health consequences are not fully understood. Methods We completed a cross-sectional analysis to examine the prevalence of alcohol consumption using multiple alcohol assessment tools and their correlation and consistency in a cohort of PLWH (N = 365) enrolled in the New Orleans Alcohol Use in HIV (NOAH) Study. Alcohol use was assessed with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), timeline followback (TLFB) Calendar, lifetime drinking history, Alcohol and Drug Addiction Severity Index, and blood levels of phosphatidylethanol (PEth). Spearman's correlations were estimated for continuous measures of alcohol consumption; Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare means; and logistic regression was used to estimate odds of alcohol use by demographic characteristics. Results Self-report of current alcohol use varied from 58.9 to 73.7% depending on the assessment. All the self-reported alcohol measures showed statistically significant correlations with the biological marker PEth. The highest correlation was with TLFB grams (r = 0.67, p 3 (women) or >4 (men) drinks/day or>7 (women) or>14 (men) drinks/week, was 49.0%. Medium-risk drinking defined as an AUDIT score ≥ 8 was reported in 40.3%, and high-risk drinkers/probable AUD (AUDIT score ≥ 16) was met by 17.0% of the cohort. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the importance of comprehensive assessments for alcohol use, including self-report via multiple assessment tools administered by trained staff, as well as the addition of biomarkers for improved classification of subjects into different drinking categories.
BAILs mediated Catalytic Thermo Liquefaction (CTL) process to convert municipal solid waste into carbon densified liquid (CTL-Oil).

Abstract Continual increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) posing global environmental challenge which directed focus towards the waste to energy to achieve dual goal of waste minimization and energy generation. The present manuscript introducing Bronsted acid ionic liquids (BAILs) mediated Catalytic Thermo Liquefaction (CTL) process for conversion of MSW into carbon densified liquid (CTL-Oil) which can be used for multiple energy and fuel applications. BAILs with different counter ions were synthesized and tested for CTL of wet organic biodegradable MSW. The exploration of BAILs provides significant benefits in terms of operating conditions (120 °C, 90 min) with zero char and gases. Of the synthesized catalysts [Benz-SO3HIm]+[H2PO4]−,[Benz-SO3Him]+[HSO4]−,[Benz-SO3HIm]+[TsO]−and [BenzSO3HIm]+[TfO]−, BAIL with [HSO4]−counter ion showed a profound effect on CTL. The intensified CTL process resulted in > 85% MSW conversion with > 80% yield of CTL-Oil without any char and gas formation. Use of BAILs assisted the ease of dissolution and hydrolysis of biomass to produce CTL-Oil via hydrolysis, condensation, cyclization and dehydration reactions. The plausible mechanism for CTL has been proposed. The physicochemical analysis of CTL-Oil was conducted by using elemental analysis, Bomb calorimeter, GC–MS and ATR-FTIR. It was found that the CTL-Oil was rich source of C (48–55%), H (6–8%), O (30–41%) containing compounds such as long-chain hydrocarbons, carboxylic acids, heterocyclic compounds, aldehydes, ketones and esters, etc. Furthermore, the calorific value of CTL-Oil was found to be 20–23 MJ/kg, thus it can be explored for multiple energy and fuel applications. However, the CTL process also adds several environmental and process economic benefits over the conventional waste liquefaction/disposal processes.
Admission Cardiac Diagnostic Testing with Electrocardiography and Troponin Measurement Prognosticates Increased 30-Day Mortality in COVID-19.

Background Cardiovascular involvement in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is common and leads to worsened mortality. Diagnostic cardiovascular studies may be helpful for resource appropriation and identifying patients at increased risk for death. Methods and Results We analyzed 887 patients (aged 64±17 years) admitted with COVID-19 from March 1 to April 3, 2020 in New York City with 12 lead electrocardiography within 2 days of diagnosis. Demographics, comorbidities, and laboratory testing, including high sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), were abstracted. At 30 days follow-up, 556 patients (63%) were living without requiring mechanical ventilation, 123 (14%) were living and required mechanical ventilation, and 203 (23%) had expired. Electrocardiography findings included atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter (AF/AFL) in 46 (5%) and ST-T wave changes in 306 (38%). 27 (59%) patients with AF/AFL expired as compared to 181 (21%) of 841 with other non-life-threatening rhythms (P<0.001). Multivariable analysis incorporating age, comorbidities, AF/AFL, QRS abnormalities, and ST-T wave changes, and initial hs-cTnT ≥20 ng/L showed that increased age (HR 1.04/year), elevated hs-cTnT (HR 4.57), AF/AFL (HR 2.07), and a history of coronary artery disease (HR 1.56) and active cancer (HR 1.87) were associated with increased mortality. Conclusions Myocardial injury with hs-cTnT ≥20 ng/L, in addition to cardiac conduction perturbations, especially AF/AFL, upon hospital admission for COVID-19 infection is associated with markedly increased risk for mortality than either diagnostic abnormality alone.
Acupuncture for the treatment of TMD, headache, and cervical spine pain

Acupuncture, derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), involves the insertion of filiform needles into areas of the body to elicit a therapeutic response. Since the widespread introduction o...
A Bioinspired Threonine-based Antifreeze Protein Mimic with Potent Ice Recrystallization Inhibition Activity

Ice growth mitigation is a pervasive challenge for multiple industries. In nature, ice-binding proteins (IBPs) demonstrate potent ice-growth prevention through ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI). However, IBPs are expensive, difficult to produce in large quantities, and exhibit minimal resilience to non-physiological environmental stressors, such as elevated pH. For these reasons, researchers have turned to polymeric bioinspired mimics. To-date, however, no mimic has rivaled the ability of native IBPs to display IRI activity at ultra-low nanomolar concentrations. In this work, we study the IRI activity of peptides and polypeptides inspired by common ice-binding residues of IBPs to inform the synthesis and characterization of a potent bioinspired polymer mimic. We show first that the threonine polypeptide (pThr) displays the best IRI activity in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Second, we use pThr as a molecular model to synthesize and test a new bioinspired polymer mimic, poly(2-hydroxypropyl methacrylamide) (pHPMA). We show that pHPMA exhibits potent IRI activity in neutral PBS at nanomolar concentrations. These results substantiate that pHPMA outperforms poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), the current top performing IBP mimic in the field, in terms of effectiveness at mitigating ice crystal growth at concentrations akin to native IBPs.
Abstract P278: Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction Is Associated With Augumented Autophagy-lysosomal Signaling In Mice With Hypercholesterolemic Diet

Accumulating evidence indicates coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) contributes to myocardial ischemia with or without epicardial coronary atherosclerosis. However, it remains unknown which mo...
Chapter 13: The role of polyphosphoinositides in agonist-evoked release of vasoactive factors from astrocytes

Publisher Summary Activation of α-adrenergic, muscarinic, serotonergic, glutamatergic, and P 2y -purinergic receptors together with a host of peptides cause the hydrolysis of polyphosphoinositides (PPI) in astrocytes, leading to diacylglycerol (DAG) formation and intracellular calcium mobilization. Using a combination of NO-chemiluminescence detection and vascular ring bioassay, it is demonstrated that bradykinin and calcium ionophore evoke the release of a vasorelaxant nitrosyl compound from astrocytes grown on microcarrier beads. In addition to bradykinin, a variety of agents (amines, purines, and peptides) are reported to evoke release of endothelium-derived relaxing factors (EDRF) with NO-like properties. Astrocytes are responsive to many of these agents but lack receptors for N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA). All of the agents that evoke the release of ADRF, activate receptors linked to PPI hydrolysis and calcium mobilization. One major role of astrocytes associated with the vasculature is the induction of changes in endothelial permeability. These studies indicate that products of astrocytes could both directly evoke changes in the release of PGI, from cerebral micro vessel cells, and also modulate the stimulated release of this vasodilator.
Niemann-Pick type C disease: molecular mechanisms and potential therapeutic approaches

Cholesterol is an important lipid of mammalian cells. Its unique physicochemical properties modulate membrane behavior and it serves as the precursor for steroid hormones, oxysterols and vitamin D. Cholesterol is effluxed from the late endosomes/lysosomes via the concerted action of at least two distinct proteins: Niemann-Pick C1 and Niemann-Pick C2. Mutations in these two proteins manifest as Niemann-Pick type C disease – a very rare, usually fatal, autosomal, recessive, neurovisceral, lysosomal storage disorder. In this review we discuss the possible mechanisms of action for NPC1 and NPC2 in mediating cholesterol efflux, as well as the different therapeutic approaches being pursued for the treatment of this lipid storage disorder.
Low-Level Reading of the UGA Triplet in Salmonella typhimurium

Evidence indicating low-level reading of the UGA triplet was obtained for six strains of Salmonella typhimurium. Such low-level UGA “suppression” may be a general phenomenon common to strains of S. typhimurium and, perhaps, to all enteric bacteria.
Dunite distribution in the Oman Ophiolite: Implications for melt flux through porous dunite conduits

[1] Dunites in the mantle section of the Oman ophiolite represent conduits for chemically isolated melt transport through the shallow mantle beneath oceanic spreading centers. These dunite melt conduits exhibit a scale-invariant power law relationship between width and cumulative abundance, as measured over 4 orders of magnitude. We use this size/frequency distribution to assess several hypotheses for dunite formation and estimate the total melt flux that a dunite network can accommodate beneath an oceanic spreading center. Dunites, measured from one-dimensional lithologic sections and digital image mosaics at a variety of length scales, range in width from ∼3 mm to ∼100 m and follow a power law with a slope of ∼1.1. Extrapolation of the power law predicts that dunites as wide as 3.5 km may exist in the melting region beneath a mid-ocean ridge. Alternatively, perhaps the widest dunites we observe (∼100 m) represent a maximum size. Modeling of dunites as diffusive reaction zones around melt-filled hydrofractures cannot explain the existence of dunites wider than ∼10 m in Oman. Instead, dunites may represent high porosity conduits formed by reactive porous flow. Using the observed size/frequency relationship, the assumption that dunites form a coalescing network and the requirement that flux is conserved where dunites merge, we estimate the total flux through a porous dunite network and the fraction of that flux that remains chemically isolated. Our flux model predicts that the porosity in a dunite scales with the width. For maximum porosities of ∼1–4% in the widest dunites, a network of porous dunite conduits with the abundances observed in Oman can supply a sufficient flux of melt (of which > 95% remains chemically unequilibrated with shallow residual peridotites) to satisfy the observed mid-ocean ridge flux.
Direct adaptive stabilization of linear systems using query-based protocols

Query-based inference is a machine learning paradigm which has been used for learning Boolean functions from examples. This paper shows how such a protocol can be used for direct adaptive control of linear systems. The proposed procedure employs the central-cut ellipsoid method to iteratively search for a set of control gains which are feasible solutions to a system of linear inequalities. The value of using this approach is that such inference protocols can be shown to converge after a finite number of updates. This convergence time scales in a polynomial manner, O(n/sup 2/ ln n), with the number, n, of control gains to be determined. The convergence time is also bounded below by a function of the uncontrolled system's eigenvalues. These results thereby suggest that inductive inference protocols may represent a feasible method for direct adaptive control which can be practical for large scale linear systems. >
Resveratrol, but not EGCG, in the diet suppresses DMBA-induced mammary cancer in rats

Despite the advent of new and aggressive therapeutics, breast cancer remains a leading killer among women; hence there is a need for the prevention of this disease. Several naturally occurring polyphenols have received much attention for their health benefits, including anti-carcinogenic properties. Two of these are resveratrol, a component of red grapes, and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major catechin found in green tea. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that these two polyphenols protect against chemically-induced mammary cancer by modulating mammary gland architecture, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. Female Sprague-Dawley CD rats were exposed to either resveratrol (1 g/kg AIN-76A diet), EGCG (0.065% in the drinking water), or control diet (AIN-76A) for the entirety of their life starting at birth. At 50 days postpartum, rats were treated with 60 mg dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)/kg body weight to induce mammary cancer. Resveratrol, but not EGCG, suppressed mammary carcinogenesis (fewer tumors per rat and longer tumor latency). Analysis of mammary whole mounts from 50-day-old rats revealed that resveratrol, but not EGCG, treatment resulted in more differentiated lobular structures. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation studies showed that resveratrol treatment caused a significant reduction in proliferative cells in mammary terminal ductal structures at 50 days postpartum, making them less susceptible to carcinogen insult. The epithelial cells of terminal end buds in the mammary glands of resveratrol-treated rats also showed an increase in apoptotic cells compared to the control or EGCG-treated rats as measured by a DNA fragmentation assay. At the given doses, resveratrol treatment resulted in a serum resveratrol concentration of 2.00 μM, while treatment with EGCG resulted in a serum EGCG concentration of 31.06 nM. 17β-Estradiol, progesterone, and prolactin concentrations in the serum were not significantly affected by resveratrol or EGCG. Neither polyphenol treatment resulted in toxicity as tested by alterations in body weights, diet and drink consumptions, and day to vaginal opening. We conclude that resveratrol in the diet can reduce susceptibility to mammary cancer, while EGCG in the drinking water at the dose used was not effective.
New dimensions in the pharmacologic treatment of schizophrenia and related psychoses

During the past 5 years unprecedented advances have taken place in the psychopharmacology of schizophrenia and related psychoses. Clozapine and risperidone, two prototypic novel antipsychotic drugs, have had a significant impact on the treatment of psychotic disorders. Additionally, they have ushered in another generation of antipsychotic drugs with complex pharmacologic profiles, potentially enhanced efficacy, and more benign side-effect profiles than previously associated with conventional antipsychotic medications. This review highlights these developments, implications for the management of psychotic disorders, and the use of novel antipsychotic drugs in specific clinical subgroups.
Cold-induced glycerol accumulation by Ostrinia nubilalis larvae is developmentally regulated

Abstract Ostrinia nubilalis larvae reared under both nondiapause and diapause-inducing conditions were chilled at 5°C for various periods and their haemolymph glycerol concentrations were measured enzymatically. The ability of fifth (final) instars to accumulate glycerol was dependent upon cold stress but not the diapause state. Furthermore this response was independent of any cold-induced release of cephalic or thoracic hormones. The capacity of O. nubilalis larvae to express cold-induced glycerol accumulation was found to require ecdysis from the fourth to fifth instar. Eggs as well as second, third and fourth instars were completely incompetent. These results indicate that, at the biochemical level, a specific developmental programme or sequence is required for O. nubilalis to demonstrate this response to cold stress.
Enlargement of the left atrium is associated with increased infiltration of immune cells in patients with atrial fibrillation who had undergone surgery

Background Enlargement of the left atrium (LA) is a risk factor of atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions for AF. However, structural changes associated with LA enlargement have not been fully elucidated.
EVIDENCE FOR AN ULTRAVIOLET SUNSCREEN ROLE OF THE EXTRACELLULAR PIGMENT SCYTONEMIN IN THE TERRESTRIAL CYANOBACTERIUM Chiorogloeopsis sp.

The proposed photoprotective role of the UV-A absorbing, extracellular pigment scytonemin was studied in the terrestrial cyanobacterium Chlorogloeopsis sp. strain O-89-Cgs(1). UV-A (315-400 nm) caused growth delay, cell growth restarting only when scytonemin had accumulated in the extracellular envelopes. Cultures with scytonemin were more resistant to photoinhibition of photosynthesis than cultures without scytonemin, the differential resistance being much greater to UV-A-caused photoinhibition than to photoinhibition caused by visible light. The presence of scytonemin in the extracellular envelopes was correlated with the inability of UV-A radiation to induce strong photopigment fluorescence (685 nm emission), regardless of the specific content os photosynthetic pigments. The physical removal of the scytonemin containing extracellular envelopes brought about the loss of UV-A resistance as measured by photobleaching rates of chlorophyll a under conditions of physiological inactivity (desiccation). These observations provide strong evidence for the proposed protective role of scytonemin, as a passive UV-A sunscreen, in cyanobacteria.
Comments on selected aspects of nucleic acid electrostatics.

Recent experimental, theoretical, and computational developments in the field of nucleic acid electrostatics have brought interesting concepts to the fore. The phosphate charge on the double helix apparently influences its structure. When the charge is neutralized asymmetrically, the resulting force imbalance drives bending toward the neutralized side. When the charge is uniformly neutralized, the force imbalance acts to buckle the helical axis, resulting in a compact tertiary conformation. Sharing of condensed counterions by single strands is a stabilizing factor for formation of the double helix. Sharing of condensed counterions by two double helices causes clustering of DNA and may be a factor in RNA folding. Support for these statements is reviewed.
Measuring the effectiveness of city and state takeover as a school reform strategy

n increasing number of states and cities are allowing fortakeovers of school districts,either by a state authority orby the mayor.Twenty-four states allow state takeovers oflocal school districts, permitting state officials to exert authorityover a district in the case of “academic bankruptcy” or woefullylow-performing schools.School district takeovers have occurred in18 states and the District of Columbia.Even in states without takeover laws, school district takeoversare becoming a high-profile issue. In Missouri, for instance, statelawmakers have considered a bill allowing for the immediatetakeover of the Kansas City school district. On the other side ofthe state,mayoral takeover of the school district became an impor-tant campaign issue during the 2001 St.Louis mayoral campaign,when five of the six candidates said “they wouldn’t hesitate to pushfor a takeover if the city’s schools lose their accreditation.” Even-tual winner Francis Slay warned that although he doesn’t want toimplement a takeover,“if partnership and cooperation don’t work,[he] won’t be afraid to take drastic action.”
The role and challenges of computational chemistry in industrial problems

To remain competitive, the US chemical industry needs to use all available tools to increase productivity. Computational chemistry can help design new materials and improve manufacturing efficiency. However, it needs to focus on method development at all length and time scales. The article illustrates the challenges and opportunities with two specific examples of industrial problems.
Diagnostic utility of a direct immunofluorescence test to detect feline coronavirus antigen in macrophages in effusive feline infectious peritonitis

The antemortem diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) remains challenging in clinical practice, since current testing methods have suboptimal diagnostic accuracy. Immunohistochemical testing of biopsy specimens and postmortem examination are the standard diagnostic methods, although direct immunofluorescence (DIF) testing to detect feline coronavirus in macrophages in effusion specimens has been reported to have 100% specificity and has been recommended as an antemortem confirmatory test. The aim of this study was to compare the results of DIF testing in antemortem feline effusions with postmortem results using field samples. Effusion specimens were collected antemortem from 17 cats and tested by DIF, followed by postmortem examination. Histopathological examination of specimens collected at postmortem confirmed FIP in 10/17 cases and ruled out FIP out in 7/17 cases. Antemortem DIF testing was positive in all 10 cases confirmed as FIP at postmortem examination. In the seven cats where FIP was ruled out at postmortem examination, DIF was negative in five cases and positive in the remaining two cases. The calculated sensitivity of DIF testing was 100% and the specificity was 71.4%. Duplicate effusion specimens from eight cats that were initially DIF positive were stored refrigerated (4 °C) or at room temperature (22-25 °C) and subjected to serial DIF testing to determine the duration of positive results. DIF-positive specimens stored at both temperatures retained their positive status for at least 2 days.
Stimulatory and inhibitory effects of inorganic lead on calcineurin

Calcineurin is a phosphatase with activity dependent on both Ca(2+)/calmodulin binding to the catalytic A subunit and Ca(2+) binding to the regulatory B subunit. We have previously shown that Pb(2+) activates calmodulin with a threshold of about 100 pM free Pb(2+), and that Pb(2+) and Ca(2+) are roughly additive in calmodulin activation (Kern et al., NeuroToxicology 21, 353-364 (2000)). In the present study, we evaluated the effects of Pb(2+), with and without Ca(2+) and calmodulin, on calcineurin activity. In calmodulin-containing, Ca(2+)-free solutions, Pb(2+) activated calcineurin with a threshold of about 100 pM free Pb(2+). Maximum calcineurin activity (comparable to that induced by 10 microM Ca(2+)) was reached at about 200 pM free Pb(2+). Higher Pb(2+) concentrations reduced activity, although some activity remained even at 2000 pM free Pb(2+). Combined with subsaturating Ca(2+) concentrations, as little as 20 pM free Pb(2+) enhanced calcineurin activity, but free Pb(2+) concentrations greater than 200 pM still reduced activity below maximum. Extremely high Ca(2+) concentrations (10 microM) completely reversed the inhibition of activity by 2000 pM free Pb(2+). In the absence of calmodulin, Ca(2+) slightly stimulated calcineurin activity. Pb(2+) did not substitute for Ca(2+) in calmodulin-free activation; in fact, high concentrations of Pb(2+) inhibited Ca(2+)-mediated activation. We tentatively conclude that low concentrations of free Pb(2+) activate calcineurin by activating calmodulin. Higher concentrations reduce calcineurin activity, perhaps by binding to the B subunit.
EH-suprema of tournaments with no nontrivial homogeneous sets

A celebrated unresolved conjecture of Erdos and Hajnal states that for every undirected graph H there exists ? ( H ) 0 such that every undirected graph on n vertices that does not contain H as an induced subgraph contains a clique or stable set of size at least n ? ( H ) .The conjecture has directed equivalent version stating that for every tournament H there exists ? ( H ) 0 such that every H-free n-vertex tournament T contains a transitive subtournament of order at least n ? ( H ) . For a fixed tournament H, define ? ( H ) to be the supremum of all ? for which the following holds: for some n 0 and every n n 0 every tournament with n ? n 0 vertices not containing H as a subtournament has a transitive subtournament of size at least n ? . We call ? ( H ) the EH-supremum of H. The Erdos-Hajnal conjecture is true if and only if ? ( H ) 0 for every H. If the conjecture is false then the smallest counterexample has no nontrivial so-called homogeneous sets (to be defined below). Therefore of interest are EH-suprema of those tournaments. In 5] it was proven that there exists a constant ? 0 such that ? ( H ) ? 4 h ( 1 + ? log ? ( h ) h ) for almost every h-vertex tournament H. However this result does not say anything about ? ( H ) for an arbitrarily chosen tournament with no nontrivial homogeneous sets. We address that problem in this paper, proving that there exists C 0 such that every h-vertex tournament H with no nontrivial homogeneous sets satisfies ? ( H ) ? C log ? ( h ) h . We will also give upper bounds on sizes of families of h-vertex tournaments with big EH-suprema. In 1] Alon, Pach and Solymosi proposed a procedure that produces bigger graphs satisfying the conjecture from smaller ones. All graphs obtained in such a way have nontrivial homogeneous sets. For a long time that was the only method to obtain infinite families of graphs satisfying the conjecture. Recently Berger, the author and Chudnovsky (see 2]) constructed a new infinite family of tournaments (so-called galaxies, to be defined below) that satisfies the conjecture and with no nontrivial homogeneous sets. Therefore it cannot be obtained by the procedure described in 1]. In this paper we construct a new infinite family of tournaments satisfying the conjecture - the family of so-called constellations (to be defined below). These results extend the results of 2] since every galaxy is a constellation.