cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of germ cells on Sertoli cell secretory activity in direct and indirect co-culture with Sertoli cells from rats of different ages ☆

Abstract We examined the effect of direct and indirect Sertoli-germ cell co-culture on androgen binding protein (ABP) and transferrin (TRF) secretion by Sertoli cells (Sc) from 10-, 18-, and 26-day-old rats. Addition of germ cells (Gc), mainly ( > 80%) pachytene spermatocytes, directly to Sc monolayers enhanced basal and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) + testosterone-stimulated ABP and TRF secretion at all three ages. When the Gc were co-cultured indirectly with Sc (separated by a Nucleopore filter), only 50% of the direct stimulatory effect was found at 18- and 26-day-old groups, whereas no difference between direct and indirect co-culture was noted with Sc from 10-day-old rats. With 18- and 26-day-old rat Sc, the Gc effect on ABP and TRF secretion declined after 6 days of Sc culture, reaching the level of Sc-only cultures after 10 days, whereas the direct effect was maintained throughout the entire culture period. With Sc from 10-day-old animals, both direct and indirect effect of Gc decreased after 6 days but the levels of ABP and TRF secretion remained above those of Sc-only cultures. The viability and number of Gc in indirect co-cultures were maintained significantly higher than in Gc-only control cultures. The direct and indirect Gc effect was completely reversed 48 h after the Gc were removed from Sc cultures of 18- and 26-day-old rats, whereas in Sc cultures from 10-day-old rats 40% of the stimulatory effect remained after 48 h of Gc removal. We conclude that Gc can influence Sc secretory activity through both direct contact and some released factor(s). These two pathways may have different relevance at different ages during sexual maturation.
Sources and deposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to Western U.S. national parks.

Seasonal snowpack, lichens, and lake sediment cores were collected from fourteen lake catchments in eight western U.S. National Parks and analyzed for sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to determine their current and historical deposition, as well as to identify their potential sources. Seasonal snowpack was measured to determine the current wintertime atmospheric PAH deposition; lichens were measured to determine the long-term, year around deposition; and the temporal PAH deposition trends were reconstructed using lake sediment cores dated using 210Pb and 137Cs. The fourteen remote lake catchments ranged from low-latitude catchments (36.6° N) at high elevation (2900 masl) in Sequoia National Park, CA to high-latitude catchments (68.4° N) at low elevation (427 masl) in the Alaskan Arctic. Over 75% of the catchments demonstrated statistically significant temporal trends in ΣPAH sediment flux, depending on catchment proximity to source regions and topographic barriers. The ΣPAH concentrations a...
Hemoglobinopathies: Slicing the Gordian Knot of Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Pathogenesis

Plasmodium falciparum malaria kills over 500,000 children every year and has been a scourge of humans for millennia. Owing to the co-evolution of humans and P. falciparum parasites, the human genome is imprinted with polymorphisms that not only confer innate resistance to falciparum malaria, but also cause hemoglobinopathies. These genetic traits—including hemoglobin S (HbS), hemoglobin C (HbC), and α-thalassemia—are the most common monogenic human disorders and can confer remarkable degrees of protection from severe, life-threatening falciparum malaria in African children: the risk is reduced 70% by homozygous HbC and 90% by heterozygous HbS (sickle-cell trait). Importantly, this protection is principally present for severe disease and largely absent for P. falciparum infection, suggesting that these hemoglobinopathies specifically neutralize the parasite's in vivo mechanisms of pathogenesis. These hemoglobin variants thus represent a “natural experiment” to identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which P. falciparum produces clinical morbidity, which remain partially obscured due to the complexity of interactions between this parasite and its human host. Multiple lines of evidence support a restriction of parasite growth by various hemoglobinopathies, and recent data suggest this phenomenon may result from host microRNA interference with parasite metabolism. Multiple hemoglobinopathies mitigate the pathogenic potential of parasites by interfering with the export of P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) to the surface of the host red blood cell. Few studies have investigated their effects upon the activation of the innate and adaptive immune systems, although recent murine studies suggest a role for heme oxygenase-1 in protection. Ultimately, the identification of mechanisms of protection and pathogenesis can inform future therapeutics and preventive measures. Hemoglobinopathies slice the “Gordian knot” of host and parasite interactions to confer malaria protection, and offer a translational model to identify the most critical mechanisms of P. falciparum pathogenesis.
Rapid stopping of A23187 action by phosphatidylcholine

Abstract The action on pigeon erythrocytes of the Ca2+ ionophore, A23187, can be nearly completely stopped within 30 s by treatment with a phosphatidylcholine dispersion at 39°C. A time-limited 45Ca2+ uptake pulse can be produced by treating cells sequentially with A23187 and lipid, and the time-course of expulsion of this 45Ca2+ uptake pulse can be easily determined.
Gelation of Turkey Breast and Thigh Myofibrils: Effects of pH, Salt and Temperature

Salt concentration >0.1 M and pH were important to the development of gel fracture properties. However, meat type and salt concentration (0.5-1.0 M) did not influence gel shear stress or shear strain. Isothermal heating temperature (55 o C or 70 o C) affected only gel shear strain. Rheological properties at fracture and nonfracfure did not respond alike to changes in gelation conditions. General similarities between breast and thigh myofibril gels implied that protein isoforms were not the main factor influencing gel structure formation
Small-Molecule Inhibitors of APE1 DNA Repair Function: An Overview

APE1 is a multifaceted protein that orchestrates multiple activities in the cell, one of which is the preservation of genomic integrity; a vital process that takes place in the context of the base excision repair (BER) pathway. Studies have implicated APE1 in rendering cancerous cells less vulnerable to the effects of DNA-damaging agents that are commonly used for the treatment of cancer. Furthermore, suppression of APE1 expression in cancer cell lines is accompanied by the potentiation of the activity of cytotoxic agents. As a result, major efforts have been directed towards the identification of small-molecule inhibitors of this DNA-repair enzyme. Herein, we review all patented small-molecule APE1 inhibitors reported prior to 2011. Unfortunately, the potency and selectivity of many of the reported inhibitors were not disclosed by the original authors, and at present it is unclear if APE1 is a bona fide target for many of the purported inhibitors. Moreover, cellular activity and toxicity of many inhibitors remain to be established. Since this is the first comprehensive review of small molecule APE1 inhibitors, we present all compounds reported to inhibit APE1 activity with an IC50 value ≤ 25 μM. Efforts towards a careful validation and optimization of these compounds are warranted. Furthermore, we explore potential allosteric drug-binding sites on the protein as an alternative approach for modulating the activity of this multifunctional protein. In addition, we give an overview of APE2, as well as other APE1 homologues in some disease-causing pathogens. Finally, given the universal importance of DNA repair, as well as the considerable conservation of repair proteins across all living organisms, we propose targeting the AP endonuclease activity of pathogens by the compounds discussed in this review, thereby expanding their therapeutic potential and application.
Copper hydrous oxide sols of uniform particle shape and size

Abstract Conditions which lead to the formation of copper (I) and copper (II) hydrous oxide dispersions of uniform size and shape are described. Reduction of copper (II) tartrate complex by glucose yields stable sols of copper(I) oxide whose particle size is strongly dependent on the concentration of the reactants. All particles show cubic crystal symmetry characteristic of Cu 2 O, although their habit changes from cubic, through cuboctahedral to octahedral as the average particle size increases. The sols can be prepared with size distributions sufficiently narrow to exhibit higher order Tyndall spectra (HOTS). For cuboctahedral particles, which quite closely resemble spheres light scattering leads to particle size distributions in fairly good agreement with electron microscope data. Copper (II) hydrous oxide dispersions were prepared by aging copper sulfate solutions at elevated temperatures and under controlled pH conditions. Sols of various particle shapes and uniformity were obtained depending on the experimental conditions.
Dilutional acidosis following hetastarch or albumin in healthy volunteers.

BackgroundThe intent of this study was to evaluate the impact of the commonly used colloids—hetastarch and albumin—on in vivo acid–base balance. From this evaluation, a better understanding of the mechanism of dilutional acidosis was expected.MethodsIn a prospective, randomized fashion, 11 healthy v
NMDA receptors and schizophrenia

The pathophysiology of schizophrenia is poorly understood but is likely to involve alterations in excitatory glutamatergic signaling molecules in several areas of the brain. Clinical and experimental evidence has shown that expression of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor and intracellular NMDA receptor-interacting proteins of the glutaminergic synapse appear to be dysregulated in schizophrenia. It has been suggested that schizophrenia involves molecular changes in the glutamatergic pathways that mediate excitatory communication between multiple brain regions. Recent data also implicate abnormalities in cellular functions such as receptor trafficking and synaptic targeting.
Adsorption of a ribonucleic acid bacteriophage of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The adsorption of a ribonucleic acid bacteriophage, PP7, of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was investigated using the following approaches: electron microscopic observation of the ultrastructure of phage-pili complexes, an adsorption technique employing chloroform and rapid dilution treatment which assays the number of phages remaining unadsorbed, the effect of shear treatment on the availability of the bacterial host's adsorption sites, and the effect of metabolic inhibition of the bacterial host on phage adsorption. The specific adsorption sites on the bacterial host were found to be the pili and only when attached to the bacterial cell. Adsorption is additionally dependent upon the metabolic integrity of the host cell. Variations in the morphology of P. aeruginosa pili were observed. The mechanism of adsorption of bacteriophage PP7 appears to be similar to that of the RNA phages of two other bacterial genera, Escherichia and Caulobacter.
Intracerebral hemorrhage secondary to a warfarin-metronidazole interaction

Background: It has been >25 years since the interaction between warfarin and metronidazole was last reported in the literature. The current case report represents the first documentation of this interaction associated with intracerebral hemorrhage. Case summary: We present a case of a 78-year-old white woman started on metronidazole (250 mg every 8 hours for 5 days) and levofloxacin (500 mg QD for 6 days) for an upper respiratory tract infection after visiting a walk-in clinic. The patient did not notify any of the health care professionals involved that she was on concomitant warfarin therapy, which had been stable over the last 3 months. Her warfarin dose was 7 mg daily, and her most recent international normalized ratio (INR) reading was 2.5. Nine days after her clinic visit, the patient was admitted to the hospital for a profuse nosebleed with an INR of 8.0 and was found to have an intraparenchymal hemorrhage of the left occipital lobe. The Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability scale indicated that the association with metronidazole was probable and the association with levofloxacin was possible (scores of 7 and 4, respectively). After a 1-week hospital stay, she was discharged. Conclusions: This adverse event is highly suggestive of a drug interaction caused primarily by metronidazole, which produces an increase in S-warfarin concentrations. Treatment provided by health care providers who were not familiar with the patient and the use of a different pharmacy (where the pharmacist was unaware of her current medications) likely contributed to the event.
Carbohydrates in Alfalfa Seed Developed for Salt Tolerance during Germination

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is an important forage crop in many areas of the world where salinity limits crop productivity. Alfalfa that is salt tolerant during the germination stage has been developed through eight cycles of recurrent selection starting with Mesa-Sirsa. We investigated physiological attributes that may have been affected by selection, recognizing that understanding the basis of tolerance could facilitate more precise techniques for identifying salt-tolerant plants in breeding programs. Free sugars in seed of Mesa-Sirsa and in Cycle 5 and Cycle 8 (C5 and C8) from the selection program were extracted with 95% (v/v) ethanol and the residue hydrolyzed with 4M H 2 SO 4 . All carbohydrates were quantified by HPLC [...]
Functional decline after incident wrist fractures—Study of Osteoporotic Fractures: prospective cohort study

Objective To study the effect of an incident wrist fracture on functional status in women enrolled in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Baltimore, Minneapolis, Portland, and the Monongahela valley in Pennsylvania, USA Participants 6107 women aged 65 years and older without previous wrist or hip fracture recruited from the community between September 1986 and October 1988. Main outcome measure Clinically important functional decline, defined as a functional deterioration of 5 points in five activities of daily living each scored from 0 to 3 (equivalent to one standard deviation decrease in functional ability). Results Over a mean follow-up of 7.6 years, 268 women had an incident wrist fracture and 41 (15%) of these developed clinically important functional decline. Compared with women without wrist fractures, those with incident wrist fractures had greater annual functional decline after adjustment for age, body mass index, and health status. Occurrence of a wrist fracture increased the odds of having a clinically important functional decline by 48% (odds ratio 1.48, 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 2.12), even after adjustment for age, body mass index, health status, baseline functional status, lifestyle factors, comorbidities, and neuromuscular function. Conclusions Wrist fractures contribute to clinically important functional decline in older women.
Cardiovascular Function in Turtles During Anoxia and Acidosis: In vivo and in vitro Studies

During prolonged experimental submergence, freshwater turtles become anoxic and develop a combined respiratory and non-respiratory acidosis. Anoxia and acidosis are known to depress cardiac function in turtles and other vertebrate species. In vitro studies of ventricular and atrial tissue of turtles indicate that increased extracellular Ca++ concentration can reverse these depressant actions. Intact turtlesutilize this compensatory mechanism during anoxia and other conditions leading to acidosis byincreasing plasma Ca++ concentration. In addition, cardiac cells may release Ca++ from cell organelles to compensate for induced respiratory acidosis. Both mechanisms presumably improve cardiac contractility by elevating the level of sarcoplasmicCa++.
Genomic sequencing of Highlands J virus: A comparison to western and eastern equine encephalitis viruses

Highlands J virus (HJV) is a member of the genus Alphavirus, family Togaviridae. HJV is the sole representative of the western equine encephalitis (WEE) serocomplex found in the eastern United States, and circulates in nature in an apparently identical transmission cycle as eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV). North American representatives of the WEE serocomplex [HJV, WEE virus (WEEV), and Fort Morgan virus (FMV)] are believed to be derived from a recombination event involving EEEV and a Sindbis (SIN)-like virus, such that the nonstructural polyprotein, the capsid, and the terminal end of the 3' UTR are derived from EEEV, while the surface glycoproteins (E1 and E2) and small peptides (E3 and 6K) encoded in the subgenomic RNA are derived from the SIN-like virus. In this report, the complete nucleotide sequence of HJV is described, along with a comparative analysis of the HJV nonstructural polyprotein to WEEV and EEEV.
Public information cues affect the scrounging decisions of starlings

The foraging decisions that individuals make within groups should depend on the information available to them. An aviary experiment was conducted to examine whether a starling's, Sturnus vulgaris, decisions either to approach and feed from (scrounge) or to avoid the patches exploited by a partner bird are influenced by the information the partner provides. Both the type of information a subject could recognize and the point at which this information became available during the partner's exploitation of a patch were manipulaed. Information concerning the quality of a patch was available in the form of a concealed colour cue and from the behaviour of the partner bird. The foraging environment was manipulated such that colour cues were either present or absent, and provided either correct or incorrect information concerning the presence of food. When cues corresponded with past foraging experience, test subjects responded selectively and profitably to the patch exploitations of the partner; they scrounged from a higher proportion of profitable patches than control birds, which lacked the ability to recognize colour cues. Test subjects also arrived more quickly at profitable patches that the partner bird discovered than did control birds; and consequently, were able to obtain more food at each food patch scrounged. Finally, test subjects avoided scrounging when the partner discovered empty patches and thus saved foraging time. Responding selectively to public information, therefore, allows an individual to compete more effectively for resources within a foraging group.
A relaxation theory of Stark broadening by ions

Abstract A theory of Stark broadening in plasmas is presented in which the effects of broadening by ion perturbers are treated in a manner similar to the relaxation theory or unified theory for electrons. An expression is derived for Fano's broadening operator M ( ω ) which does not contain the projection operators or cumulants of previous forms. To obtain a calculable expression for M ( ω ), an approximation is made in which small, second-order fluctuation terms are replaced by their adiabatic limits. Sample calculations are presented for the first two members of the Lyman and Balmer series of hydrogen which show reasonable agreement with experiment, although the “dip” of the β-lines is still too pronounced.
Computer Analysis of Buried Stormwater Chamber Structures

AbstractIn the last two decades, stormwater chamber products have become popular in the United States and other countries for managing stormwater. These products are typically arch-shaped and light-weight for efficient transportation, handling, and field installation. Despite the popularization of the products, currently there is a lack of rational analysis/design methods for these structures. Also, with little effort to establish industry standards, these chambers come with various raw materials, wall designs, and cross-sectional shapes. In this paper, a software package was used to perform a series of two-dimensional numerical simulations of both single and multiple chamber systems installed in the ground. Based on the simulation results, several key issues related to stormwater chamber structure were discussed, such as the optimum cross-sectional geometry, failure modes, and chamber spacing. Computer simulation results were also viewed in light of observations made during recent field loading tests. Ma...
Direct numerical calculation of acoustics: Solution evaluation through energy analysis

The propagation of acoustic energy from a sound source to the far field is a fundamental problem of acoustics. In this paper the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to directly calculate the acoustic field is investigated. The two-dimensional, compressible, inviscid flow about an accelerating circular cylinder is used as a model problem. The time evolution of the energy transfer from the cylinder surface to the fluid, as the cylinder is moved from rest to some non-negligible velocity, is shown. Energy is the quantity of interest in the calculations since various components of energy have physical meaning. By examining the temporal and spatial characteristics of the numerical solution, a distinction can be made between the propagating acoustic energy, the convecting energy associated with the entropy change in the fluid, and the energy following the body. In the calculations, entropy generation is due to a combination of physical mechanisms and numerical error. In the case of propagating acoustic waves, entropy generation seems to be a measure of numerical damping associated with the discrete flow solver.
A method for stability investigation of a periodic dynamic system with many degrees of freedom

Abstract A method for examining the stability of a linear periodic dynamic system with many degrees of freedom is discussed, i.e. a system governed by a set of n-coupled Hill's equations. It is assumed that the periodic terms contain a small parameter e. The method applies the idea of the perturbation method to determination of the characteristics exponents of Floquet's type solutions. An example is shown for the stability test of a spinning satellite in an elliptic orbit. The discussion is confined only to linear homogeneous systems.
An interdisciplinary undergraduate science informatics degree in a liberal arts context

In this paper, we describe a new interdisciplinary B.S. degree in Science Informatics at Montclair State University, a multipurpose public institution that includes a substantial General Education component. Beginning in the freshmen year, the Science Informatics curriculum contains 16 semester hours of interdisciplinary science informatics courses including a freshmen experience, internships, a research component, ethics, and a concentration currently in bioinformatics, cheminformatics, or computer science as well as core science and mathematics courses.
Anomaly in China's Dollar–RMB Forward Market

Newly-established data on onshore deliverable US dollar–RMB forwards and the Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate from October 2006 to April 2009 reveal significant violations of covered interest rate parity. This paper explains the cause of this anomaly. Deviations in the forward market are caused by an increase in US dollar-to-RMB conversion restrictions. Given that Chinese monetary authorities want to prevent market participants from taking advantage of the predictable appreciation of the RMB, China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange has to tighten up the control on US dollar-to-RMB conversions. Under the tightened conversion restrictions, similar deviations will resurface in the forward market whenever hot money inflow increases. One way to avoid covered interest rate parity violations in the forward market is to decrease hot money inflow into China by maintaining a stable and credible exchange rate policy.
Neurogenic peptides and the cardiomyopathy of magnesium-deficiency: Effects of substance P-receptor inhibition

Dietary deficiency of magnesium (Mg) in rodents results in cardiomyopathic lesion formation. In our rat model, these lesions develop after 3 weeks on the Mg-deficient diet; significant elevation of several cytokines, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF alpha also occurs. In probing the mechanisms of lesion formation, we obtained data supporting the participation of free radicals (Freedman AM et al.: Bioch Biophys Res Commun 1990; 170: 1102). Recently, we identified an early elevation of circulating substance P and proposed a role of neurogenic peptides during Mg-deficiency (Weglicki WB, Phillips TM: AM J Phys 1992;262:R734). The present study was designed to evaluate the contribution of neurogenic peptides to the pathogenesis of Mg-deficiency. In the blood, substance-P and calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) are elevated during the first week on the diet. During the second week, circulating histamine, PGE2 and TBAR-materials were elevated and red cell glutathione was reduced, all prior to the elevation of the inflammatory cytokines during the third week. When the rats were treated with the substance P-receptor blocker [CP-96,345], the levels of substance P and CGRP remained elevated; however, increases in histamine, PGE2, TBAR-materials, and the decrease in red cell glutathione were inhibited; also, the development of cardiac lesions was inhibited significantly. These data support a central role for neurogenic peptides, especially substance P, in the development of cardiomyopathic lesions during Mg-deficiency.
KIT Gene Mutations and Copy Number in Melanoma Subtypes

Purpose: We recently identified a KIT exon 11 mutation in an anorectal melanoma of a patient who had an excellent response to treatment with imatinib. To determine the frequency of KIT mutations across melanoma subtypes, we surveyed a large series of tumors. Experimental Design: One hundred eighty-nine melanomas were screened for mutations in KIT exons 11, 13, and 17. KIT copy number was assessed by quantitative PCR. A subset of cases was evaluated for BRAF and NRAS mutations. Immunohistochemistry was done to assess KIT (CD117) expression. Results: KIT mutations were detected in 23% (3 of 13) of acral melanomas, 15.6% (7 of 45) of mucosal melanomas, 7.7% (1 of 13) of conjunctival melanomas, 1.7% (1 of 58) of cutaneous melanomas, and 0% (0 of 60) of choroidal melanomas. Almost all the KIT mutations were of the type predicted to be imatinib sensitive. There was no overlap with NRAS mutations (11.1% of acral and 24.3% of mucosal tumors) or with BRAF mutations (absent in mucosal tumors). Increased KIT copy number was detected in 27.3% (3 of 11) of acral and 26.3% (10 of 38) of mucosal melanomas, but was less common among cutaneous (6.7%; 3 of 45), conjunctival (7.1%; 1 of 14), and choroidal melanomas (0 of 28). CD117 expression, present in 39% of 105 tumors representing all melanoma types, did not correlate with either KIT mutation status or KIT copy number. Conclusions: Our findings confirm that KIT mutations are most common in acral and mucosal melanomas but do not necessarily correlate with KIT copy number or CD117 expression. Screening for KIT mutations may open up new treatment options for melanoma patients.
Gravity and magnetic methods at the turn of the millennium

Innovation in the 1980s and 1990s has been dominated by new instrumentation. Only recently has processing and interpretation technology appeared which will extract the maximum value from the new instruments. In the following sections, the instrumentation advances are outlined. Processing and interpretation advances are sketched in the last section.
Simulated ENSO in a Global Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Model: Multidecadal Amplitude Modulation and CO2 Sensitivity

An analysis is presented of simulated ENSO phenomena occurring in three 1000-yr experiments with a lowresolution (R15) global coupled ocean‐atmosphere GCM. Although the model ENSO is much weaker than the observed one, the model ENSO’s life cycle is qualitatively similar to the ‘‘delayed oscillator’’ ENSO life cycle simulated using much higher resolution ocean models. Thus, the R15 coupled model appears to capture the essential physical mechanism of ENSO despite its coarse ocean model resolution. Several observational studies have shown that the amplitude of ENSO has varied substantially between different multidecadal periods during the past century. A wavelet analysis of a multicentury record of eastern tropical Pacific SST inferred from d18O measurements suggests that a similar multidecadal amplitude modulation of ENSO has occurred for at least the past three centuries. A similar multidecadal amplitude modulation occurs for the model ENSO (2‐7-yr band), which suggests that much of the past amplitude modulation of the observed ENSO could be attributable to internal variability of the coupled ocean‐atmosphere system. In two 1000-yr CO2 sensitivity experiments, the amplitude of the model ENSO decreases slightly relative to the control run in response to either a doubling or quadrupling of CO2. This decreased variability is due in part to CO 2-induced changes in the model’s time-mean basic state, including a reduced time-mean zonal SST gradient. In contrast to the weaker overall amplitude, the multidecadal amplitude modulations become more pronounced with increased CO2. The frequency of ENSO in the model does not appear to be strongly influenced by increased CO 2. Since the multidecadal fluctuations in the model ENSO’s amplitude are comparable in magnitude to the reduction in variability due to a quadrupling of CO2, the results suggest that the impact of increased CO2 on ENSO is unlikely to be clearly distinguishable from the climate system ‘‘noise’’ in the near future—unless ENSO is substantially more sensitive to increased CO2 than indicated in the present study.
Phosphorylation of Fanconi Anemia (FA) Complementation Group G Protein, FANCG, at Serine 7 Is Important for Function of the FA Pathway

Fanconi anemia (FA) is an autosomal recessive disease of cancer susceptibility. FA cells exhibit a characteristic hypersensitivity to DNA cross-linking agents. The molecular mechanism for the disease is unknown as few of the FA proteins have functional motifs. Several post-translational modifications of the proteins have been described. We and others (Qiao, F., Moss, A., and Kupfer, G. M. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 23391–23396 and Futaki, M., Watanabe, S., Kajigaya, S., and Liu, J. M. (2001) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 281, 347–351) have reported that the FANCG protein (Fanconi complementation group G) is phosphorylated. We show that in an in vitro kinase reaction FANCG is radioactively labeled. Mass spectrometry analysis detected a peptide containing phosphorylation of serine 7. Using PCR-mediated site-directed mutagenesis we mutated serine 7 to alanine. Only wild-type FANCG cDNA fully corrected FA-G mutant cells. We also tested the effect of human wild-type FANCG in Chinese hamster ovary cells in which the FANCG homologue is mutant. Human FANCG complemented these cells, whereas human FANCG(S7A) did not. Unexpectedly, FANCG(S7A) bound to and stabilized the endogenous forms of the FANCA and FANCC proteins in the FA-G cells. FANCG(S7A) aberrantly localized to globules in chromatin and did not abrogate the internuclear bridges seen in the FA-G mutant cells. Phosphorylation of serine 7 in FANCG is functionally important in the FA pathway.
Bar-built estuary as a buffer for riverine silicate discharge to the coastal ocean

Abstract River discharge is a primary source of silicates to the ocean. In this study, we show that a bar-built estuary can buffer this silicate input, which may influence the onset of the diatom spring bloom and have a leveling effect on coastal diatom production dynamics. Primary production in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico is strongly affected by the outflow of nutrient-rich water from the Apalachicola River that enters into the Apalachicola Bay. We compared the seasonal dynamics of dissolved silicate (DSi), dissolvable particulate biogenic silicate (BSi), and the total of dissolved and dissolvable silicate (DSi+BSi) in the water column and pore water at two sandy sublittoral sites located in Apalachicola Bay and the adjacent coastal Gulf of Mexico in order to determine the influence of the Bay on silicate transfer to the coastal Gulf. The one-year time series measurements in the Bay water column showed that DSi was strongly influenced by the riverine outflow, while the DSi concentrations in the nearby coastal Gulf water followed a different trend and appeared to be dominated by biological processes. The temporal changes in pore water DSi, BSi, and DSi+BSi were similar at both study sites suggesting that larger scale processes, i.e., increased sediment flushing by increased wave action in winter, controlled these changes. The sediments acted as a continuous source of DSi to the overlying water, and when the river discharge was lower during early winter, the magnitude of area-integrated DSi flux from the Bay sediments was similar to the riverine DSi input to the Bay. The Bay sediments thus functioned as a significant source of DSi for the Bay and the adjacent Gulf at the onset of the diatom spring bloom and before Apalachicola River discharge reached maximum discharge in late winter/early spring.
Seismic performance evaluation of high‐voltage disconnect switches using real‐time hybrid simulation: II. Parametric study

SUMMARY This paper presents the results of a parametric study that consists of real-time hybrid simulation tests of electrical insulator posts on a smart shaking table. A companion paper presents the details of the development and validation of the real-time hybrid simulation system used for conducting the tests of this parametric study. The purpose of the parametric study presented in this paper is to evaluate the effect of support structure damping and stiffness on the response of disconnect switches with two different insulator materials, namely porcelain and polymer insulator posts. Various global and local response parameters including accelerations, forces, displacements, and strains are considered in this evaluation. The data obtained from the conducted tests show that the maximum insulator response corresponds to the case where the support structure frequency is close to the insulator frequency. An incorporated evaluation of all the response parameters indicates that the stiff support structures constitute the most suitable configuration for both material types of the tested insulator posts. It is also observed that support structure damping has an effect on the response of both insulator types. However, this effect is secondary compared with the effect of support structure stiffness. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Barriers to the use of outpatient enoxaparin therapy in patients with deep venous thrombosis.

Abstract Objective To establish a clinical pathway for outpatient enoxaparin therapy in deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and then characterize its implementation and barriers to use. Procedure Single institution, prospective, observational study of consecutive adult emergency department patients (age ≥18 years) who had a diagnosis of DVT. A clinical pathway was created to facilitate outpatient therapy with enoxaparin, and then all patients with DVT were enrolled and studied. Results A total of 97/98 (99%) eligible patients were enrolled. Among 97 patients, 29 (30%) were successfully started on the outpatient enoxaparin therapy approach. Of the 68 (70%) patients not started on the outpatient therapy, 19 (20%) patients had contraindications to anticoagulant therapy, 33 (34%) had other indications for hospitalization, 6 (6%) were unable to reliably self-inject, and 10 (10%) patients had a primary care physician or emergency physician who rejected the outpatient approach. Conclusions The establishment of an organized DVT pathway for outpatient enoxaparin may facilitate home therapy; however, there will remain reasons that make hospital admission unavoidable in some patients.
Neurofibromatosis-associated pheochromocytoma.

43-year-old woman with a history of neurofibromaosis (NF) thought to have recurrence for breast cancer nderwent a PET scan that revealed mild asymmetric ptake in the region of the right adrenal gland (A, arow). Although the patient did not describe any flushing r paroxysmal hypertensive episodes suggestive of a heochromocytoma, she did report occasional dizziness nd recurrent headaches. The diagnosis of pheochromoytoma was confirmed by elevated 24-hour urine metaephrines of 391 g/24 h (normal 58 to 203 g/24 h) nd elevated serum metanephrines of 0.57 nmol/L (noral 0 to 0.49 nmol/L). Abdominal CT revealed a 0-mm nodule behind the IVC arising from the medial imb of the right adrenal gland (B, arrow). A MIBG tudy confirmed asymmetric abnormal uptake in the egion of the right adrenal gland corresponding with the bnormal findings on PET and CT scans, and no extradrenal uptake. The patient underwent a successful right laparoscopic drenalectomy. Pathology revealed a well-circumscribed heochromocytoma measuring 1.8 1.5 1.2 cm. ross section revealed a tan-yellow tumor with no areas f calcification, necrosis, or hemorrhage. Six months fter operation, the patient is well and her urine and lasma metanephrines are undetectable. The patient presented with classic clinical features of F also known as Von Recklinghausen’s disease. Several eurofibromas were identified on her trunk and extremties with cafe-au-lait macules measuring 1.5 cm in imension (C). The patient also presented with a left ptic glioma with several Lisch nodules (iris hamartoas). She reported no family history of NF, pheochroocytomas, or other endocrinopathies. The incidence of pheochromocytomas in families ith NF ranges from 0.1% to 5.7%. NF is clinically ivided into type 1 (NF1) without and type 2 (NF2) ith acoustic neuromas. NF1 has been localized to chroosome 17q11.1 and accounts for more than 90% of F patients. NF2 has been linked to chromosome 22 nd is not associated with pheochromocytomas. Up to 0% of patients with NF have no family history and
THE DISTRIBUTION OF MANUFACTURING IN TEXAS

N recent years the southwestern part of the United States has undergone a marked industrial growth.' Much of this expansion has taken place in Texas, where manufactural employment has increased at 3?/2 times the national average in the last sixteen years. It is the purpose of this study to outline the present distribution of manufacturing in that state, with an emphasis upon relative as well as absolute significance. Where is the Texas manufacturing located? What types of manufacturing are characteristic? How important is manufacturing in the several areas of concentration? What is the basis of the development in the principal areas?
A Speechless Grace: Karl Rahner on Religious Language

: The theological and pastoral goals of Karl Rahner's work require an accounting of the capacity of human language to speak meaningfully about God. This article argues that in his reflections on dogma, poetry, mysticism and ‘anonymous faith’, Rahner presents two conflicting perspectives on religious language: an ‘incarnational’ approach in which language is a necessary and constitutive dimension of revelation; and an ‘optional’ approach in which language is the subsequent and ultimately unnecessary embodiment of the ‘transcendental revelation’ of God. A way forward for Rahner's theology is proposed through a rejection of his identification of grace and revelation.
Impact of system design parameters on image figures of merit for a mouse PET scanner

In this study, an analytical simulation model was developed to investigate how system design parameters affect image figures of merit and task performance for small animal positron emission tomography (PET) scanners designed to image mice. For a very high resolution imaging system, important physical effects that may impact image quality are positron range, annihilation photon acollinearity, detector point-spread function (PSF) and coincident photon count levels (i.e., statistical noise). Modeling of these effects was included in an analytical simulation that generated multiple realizations of sinograms with varying levels of each effect. To evaluate image quality with respect to quantitation and detection task performance, four different figures of merit were measured: 1) root mean square error (RMSE); 2) a region of interest SNR (SNR/sub ROI/); 3) nonprewhitening matched filter SNR (SNR/sub NPW/); and 4) recovery coefficient. The results indicate that for very high resolution imaging systems, the increase in positron range of C-11 compared to F-18 radiolabeling causes a significant reduction of quantitation (SNR/sub ROI/) and detection (SNR/sub NPW/) accuracy for small regions. In addition, changing the shape of the detector PSF, which depends on crystal thickness, causes significant variations in quantitation and detection performance. However, while increasing noise levels significantly increase RMSE and decrease detectability (SNR/sub NPW/), the quantitation task performance (SNR/sub ROI/), is less sensitive to noise levels. These results imply that resolution is more important than sensitivity for quantitation task performance, while sensitivity is a more significant issue for detection. The analytical simulation model can be used for estimating task performance of small animal PET systems more rapidly than existing full Monte Carlo methods, although Monte Carlo methods are needed to estimate system parameters.
Aldo-keto reductase 1B7 is a target gene of FXR and regulates lipid and glucose homeostasis

Aldo-keto reductase 1B7 (AKR1B7) is proposed to play a role in detoxification of by-products of lipid peroxidation. In this article, we show that activation of the nuclear receptor farnesoid X receptor (FXR) induces AKR1B7 expression in the liver and intestine, and reduces the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), the end product of lipid peroxidation, in the intestine but not in the liver. To determine whether AKR1B7 regulates MDA levels in vivo, we overexpressed AKR1B7 in the liver. Overexpression of AKR1B7 in the liver had no effect on hepatic or plasma MDA levels. Interestingly, hepatic expression of AKR1B7 significantly lowered plasma glucose levels in both wild-type and diabetic db/db mice, which was associated with reduced hepatic gluconeogenesis. Hepatic expression of AKR1B7 also significantly lowered hepatic triglyceride and cholesterol levels in db/db mice. These data reveal a novel function for AKR1B7 in lipid and glucose metabolism and suggest that AKR1B7 may not play a role in detoxification of lipid peroxides in the liver. AKR1B7 may be a therapeutic target for treatment of fatty liver disease associated with diabetes mellitus.
Exclusive Rho Rho Production in Tagged Gamma-Gamma Interactions at LEP

Exclusive rho rho production in two-photon collisions between a quasi-real, gamma, and a virtual, gamma*, photons is studied at LEP at centre-of-mass energies 89 GeV rho rho processes are determined as a function of the photon virtuality, Q^2, and the two-photon centre-of-mass energy, Wgg, in the kinematic region: 0.2 GeV^2 < Q^2 < 30 GeV^2 and 1.1 GeV < Wgg < 3 GeV.
AFM and RHEED study of Ge islanding on Si(111) and Si(100)

Abstract Strain relaxation and clustering of Ge thin films grown on Si(111) and Si(100) by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) have been studied in situ with reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). At low temperature, growth is dominated by island nucleation and by strain relief through island formation. The cluster size distribution (measured by AFM) just after the 2D–3D growth mode transition is broader than that for ‘late-stage’ growth (when diffusion gradients dominate cluster growth) and is well fit by a model in which the surface diffusion of adatoms is described by a random walk. At high temperature, growth is dominated by dislocation formation and the aspect ratio of the islands changes. The barrier to dislocation formation is reduced at step bunches; thus, islands nucleate preferentially at the step bunches and grow along them. By understanding Ge island nucleation and evolution, we hope to grow a population of uniformly-sized nanocrystals exhibiting quantum confinement effects.
Echocardiographic predictors of candidacy for successful transcatheter atrial septal defect closure.

We reviewed pre-closure echocardiograms on all patients undergoing transcatheter atrial septal defect (ASD) closure with the Bard double-umbrella occluder device aided by simultaneous transesophageal echocardiography to determine precatheterization predictors of outcome. Transesophageal echocardiograms were performed on 28 of 132 patients (22%) undergoing device closure (age = 3–72 years, mean = 14 years; weight = 15–68 kg, mean = 35 kg). Three devices were removed because of unstable position. Of the remaining 25 patients, 21 had effective closure (residual flow diameter ≤ 3 mm) and 18 had favorable arm position (device arm on proper side of the septum and not in contact with an atrioventricular valve leaflet). Only ASD size predicted effective closure. All patients with a maximum defect size of < 13 mm had effective closure. Among the 17 patients with defects ≥ 13 mm, 10 had effective closure, 4 had significant residual flow, and 3 had devices removed for unstable position. Atrial dimensions and rim size did not predict effective closure. There were no pre-closure predictors of favorable arm position which was associated only with the size of the device implanted.
Secondhand smoke in combination with ambient air pollution exposure is associated with increasedx CpG methylation and decreased expression of IFN-γ in T effector cells and Foxp3 in T regulatory cells in children

Background Secondhand smoke (SHS) and ambient air pollution (AAP) exposures have been associated with increased prevalence and severity of asthma and DNA modifications of immune cells. In the current study, we examined the association between SHS and AAP with DNA methylation and expression of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and forkhead box protein 3 (Foxp3) in T cell populations.
A photochemical approach to the taxanes

Abstract The de Mayo sequence has been applied to the inter- and intramolecular photocycloaddition of various cycloalkenes with homocamphorquinone derivatives to generate a model for the A,B, and C rings of the Taxanes.
The Role of Citrobacter in Clinical Disease of Children: Review

Various species of Citrobacter may cause infections in neonates and immunocompromised hosts. Citrobacter koseri (formerly Citrobacter diversus) is best known as the cause of sepsis and meningitis leading to central nervous system (CNS) abscesses in neonates and young infants. Early onset and late-onset infections occur as for other neonatal bacterial infections. The majority of cases are sporadic, with no clear source of infection. A few have been confirmed to be vertically transmitted, and nosocomial outbreaks have occurred in neonatal care units. The pathophysiology is not well understood, but a surface protein has been identified as a possible virulence factor among strains that cause citrobacter brain abscesses in neonates. Despite improvements in diagnostic imaging techniques, surgery, and antibiotic therapy, approximately one-third of infants with abscesses die, and one-half sustain CNS damage. In this article, the taxonomy, epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of citrobacter disease in children are reviewed.
Blue/green Lasers Based On II-VI Semiconductor Heterostructures

Summary form only given, as follows. In June, 1991, scientists at 3M Company announced a blue/green laser diode based on wide-band-gap Il-VI semiconductor materials. Blue/green lasers have now been reported by at least nine research groups throughout the world, including NCSU. Work in this exciting new field will be reviewed, and recent NCSU results will be presented. Issues that must be addressed before these new short-wavelength light emitters can be commercialized will be described and possible solutions to these issues will be discussed. The potential market for blue/green/red/light emitters is expected to exceed $58 per year within five years.