cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EVIDENCE FOR THE DE NOVO SYNTHESIS OF THE ALPHA-AMYLASE OF PSEUDOMONAS SACCHAROPHILA

Eisenstadt, Jerome M. (Brandeis University, Waltham, Mass.) and Harold P. Klein. Evidence for the de novo synthesis of the alpha-amylase of Pseudomonas saccharophila . J. Bacteriol. 82: 798–807. 1961.—Chloramphenicol at a concentration of 20 μg per ml inhibited the appearance of the inducible α-amylase of Pseudomonas saccharophila . This inhibition was observed when induction was attempted in buffer or in a complete medium. Preinduced cells were also prevented from forming this enzyme under similar conditions. Under all the conditions tested, there was no lag in chloramphenicol inhibition, thus suggesting an absence of any protein precursor in amylase formation. Cells suspended in a complete medium without a nitrogen source lost their capacity to form this enzyme when subsequently induced in buffer. When cells were grown in the presence of radioactive sulfate and then subjected to starvation, the radioactivity of the amino acid pool diminished only slightly. However, examination of the free amino acid pool by paper chromatography showed that the loss of enzyme inducibility was accompanied by the disappearance of glutamine, aspartic acid, and a third, unidentified, compound. Enzyme-forming ability was restored by the addition, to starved cells of casein hydrolysate, glutamate, glutamine, or aspartate. Other amino acids tested were ineffective in this regard. When cells were induced in buffer in the presence of labeled methionine, amylase was formed at a linear rate over a 3-hr period. Furthermore, both the cellular proteins and the extracellular amylase became labeled at a linear rate. These observations are discussed in relation to the problem of protein turnover, and are interpreted as evidence for the de novo synthesis of α-amylase in this organism.
Commentary to Michna et al.: The elephant in the room: hydrocodone/acetaminophen combination compounds and the substitution effect.

Michna et al. present a compelling case for re-examining the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advisory Committee's recent recommendation to eliminate prescription acetaminophen combination products [1]. They outline the significant methodological limitations of the research presented to the Advisory Committee that likely influenced its recommendations. In addition, the authors offer alternative actions that the FDA could recommend, other than completely eliminating opioid/acetaminophen combination products from the market and describe consequences that could be expected if the Advisory Committee's recommendation to remove opioid/acetaminophen combination products from the market were implemented, such as limited availability of treatment alternatives to patients and more frequent adverse events due to increased use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). Michna et al. clearly argue for the best interest of patients, but they do not address essential regulatory, clinical, and marketing factors that often contribute to the overuse of opioid/acetaminophen combination products and the occurrence of acetaminophen-related adverse events. Despite the FDA Advisory Committee focus on acetaminophen as the objectionable agent in these combination products, it must be stressed that the opioid component is almost certainly a driving force for excessive acetaminophen use. Therefore, even though the FDA Advisory Committee's stated goal is to reduce acetaminophen toxicity, this topic and their recommendations must be viewed with consideration of the contribution of the opioid component, especially hydrocodone. In reviewing this topic, the question of why for many years the class of hydrocodone/acetaminophen combination products has been the most frequently prescribed of all controlled or non-controlled medications in the United States deserves consideration [2]. The “elephant in the room” refers to the central issue associated with hydrocodone/acetaminophen combination products that can put patients at risk—that of the “substitution effect”[3], whereby physicians prescribe such products instead of more optimal and possibly safer opioid compounds, because they are …
More than words in a text: learning to conduct qualitative research in the midst of a major life event

The process of becoming a qualitative researcher is fraught with challenges that are not always knowable prior to engaging in research. Coursework, reading, discussions, and writing about the process provide a foundation but cannot replace the experiential value of engaging in research. This autobiographical intrinsic case study describes the author’s first attempt conducting qualitative research as a doctoral student documenting additional challenges after the participant, my mother, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Using document analysis, I chronicled and made meaning of this first experience, especially how my relationship with the participant impacted my understanding and applying the concepts of rapport, reflexivity, subjectivity, and intersubjectivity.
Human face motion analysis

Motivated by model-based video compression, we are studying the modeling, analysis, and synthesis of human face motion. The geometrical shape of the face is modeled by a triangular mesh. Motion can be described at three levels. At the lowest level, motion is represented by the 3D displacements of the vertices of the triangles from one time instant to the next. At the intermediate level, one has the so-called “action units” (e.g., raising eye brows), each of which consists of the movements of several specific vertices. Finally, at the top level, one is concerned with the meaning of the motion. Restricting to the emotional aspect of face motion (not the speech aspect), one considers meanings such as: Happy, angry, anxious, etc.
Continuous mapreduce for In-DB stream analytics

Scaling-out data-intensive analytics is generally made by means of parallel computation for gaining CPU bandwidth, and incremental computation for balancing workload. Combining these two mechanisms is the key to support large scale stream analytics. Map-Reduce (M-R) is a programming model for supporting parallel computation over vast amounts of data on large clusters of commodity machines. Through a simple interface with two functions, map and reduce, this model facilitates parallel implementation of data intensive applications. In-DB M-R allows these functions to be embedded within standard queries to exploit the SQL expressive power, and allows them to be executed by the query engine with fast data access and reduced data move. However, when the data form infinite streams, the semantics and scale-out capability of M-R are challenged. To solve this problem, we propose to integrate M-R with the continuous query model characterized by Cut-Rewind (C-R), i.e. cut a query execution based on some granule of the stream data and then rewind the state of the query without shutting it down, for processing the next chunk of stream data. This approach allows an M-R query with full SQL expressive power to be applied to dynamic stream data chunk by chunk for continuous, window-based stream analytics. Our experience shows that integrating M-R and C-R can provide a powerful combination for parallelized and granulized stream processing. This combination enables us to scale-out stream analytics "horizontally" based on the MR model, and "vertically" based on the C-R model. The proposed approach has been prototyped on a commercial and proprietary parallel database engine. Our preliminary experiments reveal the merit of using query engine for near-real-time parallel and incremental stream analytics.
Robust tracking controller for time delay systems

Preliminary results on designing a tracking controller for linear time-invariant systems with time delays are presented. The given system is augmented by additional integrators, and a stabilizing controller is designed for the augmented system. One of the advantages of the augmentation-based controller is that it is quite robust with respect to system parameter variations. For the sake of simplicity, only single-input, single-output systems with two time delays are considered, and the reference input, which the system output is to follow, is assumed to be a first-order polynomial function of the time. >
A modified frailty index to assess morbidity and mortality after lobectomy

Abstract Background Frailty has yet to be explored as a risk factor for thoracic surgery. We hypothesized that our modified frailty index (mFI) may be a predictor of morbidity and mortality following lobectomy. Materials National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) participant use files were reviewed (2005–2010). Patients undergoing lobectomy were identified based on Current Procedural Terminology code 32480. We used an mFI with 11 variables, based on mapping the Canadian Study of Health and Aging Frailty Index to the NSQIP comorbidities. Data were analyzed using χ2 test, independent sample t-test, Jonckheere-Terpstra test, and logistic regression. Results Of 1940 open lobectomy patients identified, morbidity and mortality uniformly increased as the mFI increased; 14.9% of patients (75/504) with mFI of 0 had at least one complication, compared with 32% of patients (91/284) with mFI of 0.27 (P Conclusions This study demonstrates that the mFI may identify patients at higher risk for morbidity and mortality post-lobectomy. With the aging population, preoperative selection is important in minimizing morbidity and mortality and improving risk stratification for informed decision-making.
Long-term outcomes in patients with high-risk myeloid malignancies following matched related donor hematopoietic cell transplantation with myeloablative conditioning of BU, etoposide and CY

Patients with high-risk or advanced myeloid malignancies have limited effective treatment options. These include high-dose therapy followed by allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). We report a single-institution, long-term follow-up of 96 patients, median age 50 (range, 20–60) years, who received HLA-matched related HCT between 1992 and 2007. All patients were treated with a uniform preparatory regimen intended to enhance the widely used regimen of BU and CY that included: BU 16.0 mg/kg (days −8 to −5), etoposide 60 mg/kg (day −4), CY 60 mg/kg (day −2) with GVHD prophylaxis of CsA or FK506 and prednisone. Disease status at transplantation was high-risk AML (n=41), CML in second chronic phase or blast crisis (n=8), myelofibrosis and myeloproliferative disorders (n=8), and myelodysplasia (n=39). Thirty-six percent (n=35) of patients received BM whereas 64% (n=61) received G-CSF-mobilized PBPC. With a median follow-up of 5.6 years (range, 1.6–14.6 years) actuarial 5-year OS was 32% (95% CI 22–42) and 5-year EFS was 31% (95% CI 21–41). Relapse rate was 24% (95% CI 15–33) at 2 and 5 years. Nonrelapse mortality was 29% (95% CI 20–38) at day 100 and 38% (95% CI 29–47) at 1 year. Cumulative incidence of acute (grade II–IV) and extensive chronic GVHD was 27% (95% CI 18–36) and 29% (95% CI 18–40), respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in OS (31 vs 32%, P=0.89) or relapse rates (17 vs 28%, P=0.22) for recipients of BM vs PBPC, respectively. These results confirm that patients with high-risk or advanced myeloid malignancies can achieve long-term survival following myeloablative allogeneic HCT with aggressive conditioning.
Associations, Jurisdictional Battles, and the Development of Dual-Purpose Capabilities

Recently, Helfat and Winter (2011) proposed the existence of dual-purpose capabilities that can be used for both operational and dynamic purposes. This paper provides an empirical documentation of dual-purpose capabilities through the examination of how one such capability—production planning—developed. The historical analysis reveals that much of the learning involved in developing the capability occurred at the field level in a professional association and that the general efforts to professionalize also influenced its evolution. This analysis extends current learning-based models of capability development by showing how an external locus of learning shapes the content of what gets developed. It also highlights how the sociopolitical processes involved in the jurisdictional battles between groups influence the nature of the capabilities developed.
Hotel General Managers

General managers of large hotels believe the hotel business has changed the GM's career track—with a fading importance for F&B management.
Patterns of Sexual Arousal in Homosexual, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Men

The purpose of this study was to determine if self-identified bisexual, heterosexual, and homosexual men show differential genital and subjective arousal patterns to video presentations of bisexual, heterosexual, male homosexual, and lesbian sexual interactions. It was predicted that, relative to heterosexual and homosexual stimuli, bisexual men would show the highest levels of sexual arousal to bisexual erotic material, while this stimulus would induce relatively low levels of response in heterosexual and homosexual men. A sample of 59 men (19 homosexual, 13 bisexual, and 27 heterosexual) were presented with a series of 4-min sexual videos while their genital and subjective sexual responses were measured continuously. Bisexual men did not differ significantly in their responses to male homosexual stimuli (depicting men engaging in sex) from homosexual men, and they did not differ significantly in their responses to heterosexual (depicting two women, without same-sex contact, engaged in sex with a man) and lesbian (depicting women engaging in sex) stimuli from heterosexual men. However, bisexual men displayed significantly higher levels of both genital and subjective sexual arousal to a bisexual stimulus (depicting a man engaged in sex with both a man and a woman) than either homosexual or heterosexual men. The findings of this study indicate that bisexuality in men is associated with a unique and specific pattern of sexual arousal.
Non-isotropic turbulence effects on spray combustion

A numerical model for the prediction of local properties of statistically stationary spray-combusting flows is evaluated by comparison with experimental data. To appraise the relative performance of turbulence models, computations were carried out by the k-epsilon model and the algebraic stress model. The present numerical results show the qualitative agreement with experimental data. In terms of overall local flow properties, the algebraic stress model improves a degree of conformity to the experimental data due to its ability to introduce the nonisotropic turbulence effects. Two swirl numbers are considered to investigate the influence of swirl on the droplet evaporation and trajectories, and the effects of droplet/turbulence interactions in flow properties. It is found that the large swirl produces a higher evaporationn rate, and more intensive turbulent mixing and burning. The discrepancies observed in the results are attributed mainly to uncertainties in the initial spray size and velocity distributions, the droplet/wall impingement interaction, the combustion model with the fast chemistry and the turbulence models dealing with the strong streamline curvature and complex interactions between the dispersed droplets and the continuous gas-phase flows.
Analytic Fourier integral operators, Monge-Ampère equation and holomorphic factorization

We will show that the factorization condition for the Fourier integral operators \(I_\rho ^\mu (X,Y;\it\Lambda )\) leads to a parametrized parabolic Monge-Ampere equation. For an analytic operator, the fibration by the kernels of the Hessian of phase function is shown to be analytic in a number of cases, by considering a more general continuation problem for the level sets of a holomorphic mapping. The results are applied to obtain Lp-continuity for translation invariant operators in \({\Bbb R}^n\) with \(n\leq 4\) and for arbitrary \({\Bbb R}^n\) with \(d\pi _{X\times Y}|_\Lambda \leq n+2\).
Remark on Algorithm 751

The triangulation package TRIPACK has been revised to run more efficiently and to eliminate some potential errors. Also, a portable triangulation plotting routine was added.
A high-resolution acrylamide-gel electrophoresis technique for the analysis of collagen polymer components.

Abstract 1. 1.|A method of acrylamide-gel electrophoresis using a discontinuous gel system was devised for the analysis of collagen polymer components. 2. 2.|With this method, the α, β, and γ components are well resolved and separate into their distinct regions. A ‘pre α’ region and a ‘higher-polymer’ region can also be discerned in some samples. 3. 3.|Comparisons among the gel patterns of three bovine corium collagens (neutral-salt-soluble, acid-soluble, and an alcohol-water-coacervated fraction) have been made by running two samples on the same gel. Differences in the migration rates of similar components of these collagens indicate fundamental differences between the various soluble collagens. 4. 4.|By varying the gel column size and composition, and by making use of the apparent sharpening of boundaries as they pass gel concentration discontinuities, the resolution of this electrophoretic technique can be sufficiently improved so that the differences between both the high and low molecular weight components of similar collagens can be investigated.
Extraction of transcribing SV4O chromosomes in very low salt

Abstract SV40 chromosomes capable of continued RNA synthesis in vitro have been extracted from infected cells in solutions of very low ionic strength (5 mM HEPES, 0.25 mM MgCl2). The RNA made is of high molecular weight, and synthesis is sensitive to alpha-amanitin. More RNA is made than from previously described (high salt-extracted) transcription complexes. Transcribing SV40 chromosomes sediment at a rate intermediate between replicating and mature chromosomes, and have a higher ratio of protein to nucleic acid than either. They retain proteins that are lost during exposure to high salt, and might prove valuable in identifying proteins involved in SV40 transcription.
Flash Decaging of Tyrosine Sidechains in an Ion Channel

A nonsense codon suppression technique was employed to incorporate ortho-nitrobenzyl tyrosine, "caged tyrosine," in place of tyrosine at any of three positions (93, 127, or 198) in the alpha subunit of the muscle nicotinic ACh receptor (nAChR) expressed in Xenopus oocytes. The ortho-nitrobenzyl group was then removed by 1 ms flashes at 300-350 nm to yield tyrosine itself while macroscopic currents were recorded during steady ACh exposure. Responses to multiple flashes showed (1) that each flash decages up to 17% of the tyrosines and (2) that two tyrosines must be decaged per receptor for a response. The conductance relaxations showed multiple kinetic components; rate constants (<0.1 s(-1) to 10(3) s(-1)) depended on pH and the site of incorporation, and relative amplitudes depended on the number of prior flashes. This method, which is potentially quite general, (1) provides a time-resolved assay for the behavior of a protein when a mutant sidechain is abruptly changed to the wild-type residue and (2) will also allow for selective decaging of sidechains that are candidates for covalent modification (such as phosphorylation) in specific proteins in intact cells.
SU‐GG‐J‐169: Setup Errors Using Daily CT for Image Guided Extracranial Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

Purpose: To estimate setup errors using daily CT for image guided extracranial stereotactic body radiation therapy(SBRT).Method and Materials: Five patients undergoing SBRT of lungcancers were retrospectively considered. Prior to each treatment, patients were re‐scanned in the simulation room. These CTimages, named control CT (CCT), were registered with the planning CT to calculate daily offsets from the initial marker‐based setup. This was done in two steps: first, bony structure based rigid registration was performed, which mimicked patient setup using fiducial markers; second, deformable registration was performed which would capture daily tumor shifts with respect to bony structures. After registration tumor contours were mapped from the simulation CT to CCT using the translation fields obtained from both rigid and deformable registrations. The center of mass of both mapped contours was calculated. Their difference would be the offset to be applied to the patients after patients being aligned using fiducial markers. To estimate the accuracy of CCT based patient setup, after marker‐based patient setup in the treatment room, each patient was scanned again using CBCT. The CBCTimage was also registered to the planning CT using the same two step registration. Similarly, CBCT based patient offset was also calculated. Finally the difference between these two offsets was calculated for each patient. Results: The mean of the absolute offset difference was on average 1.8±1.5 mm, 1.0±0.8 mm and 2.3±1.8 mm in the left‐right (LR), anterior‐posterior (AP) and superior‐inferior (SI) directions respectively. The corresponding p‐values between these two alignment methods were 0.07, 0.76, and 0.89 in the LR, AP and SI directions respectively. Conclusion: Patient alignment using daily CT agreed well with the alignment using CBCT. The difference was statistically indistinguishable. Alignment using daily CT provides a solution for image guided radiation therapy on facilities without the on‐board imaging capability.
AIDS: the scientific story so far

A Strange Virus of Unknown Origin. By Jacques Leibowitch. Translated by Richard C. Howard. Available Press (Ballantine, New York): 1985. Pp.172. Pbk $4.95 (United States), $6.50 (Canada).
Abundances of stars in the galactic bulge obtained using the Keck Telescope

We report on the detailed abundances of giants in the Galactic bulge, measured with the HIRES echelle spectrograph on the 10-m Keck telescope. We also review other work on the bulge field population and globular clusters using Keck/HIRES. Our new spectra have 3 times the resolution and higher S/N than previous spectra obtained with 4m telescopes. We are able to derive log g from Fe II lines and excitation temperature from Fe I lines, and do not rely on photometric estimates for these parameters. We confirm that the iron abundance range extends from -1.6 to +0.55 dex. The improved resolution and S/N of the Keck spectra give (Fe/H) typically 0.1 to 0.2 dex higher than previous studies, for bulge stars more metal rich than the Sun. Alpha elements are enhanced even for stars at the Solar metallicity. We confirm our earlier abundance analysis of bulge giants and find that Mg and Ti are enhanced relative to Ca and Si even up to (Fe/H) equals +0.55. We also report the first reliable estimates the bulge oxygen abundance. Our element ratios confirm that bulge giants have a clearly identifiable chemical signature, and suggest a rapid formation timescale for the bulge.
How Soccer Explains Post‐War Germany

Germany, like much of the rest of the world, is a soccer‐crazy country. Each year, hundreds of thousands of fans flock to see Bundesliga games. During international competitions, the entire nation comes to a seeming standstill, as Germans focus their attention on the national team’s success. At a cursory glance, it is easy to see that football plays a large role in Germany’s culture. But an in‐depth view reveals more: football serves as an accurate metaphor for much of what Germany has endured since the end of World War II. This essay seeks to place the German soccer story after World War II in the wider context of Germany’s economic transition and political reunion.
Thermal stresses and displacements in finite, heat-generating circular cylinders☆

Abstract An exact solution is given for the thermal displacements and stresses in a finite, right circular cylinder of homogeneous, isotropic, elastric material having a known radial temperature distribution. The solution rigorously meets traction-free boundary conditions on both the lateral surface and plane ends of the cylinder and provides a graphic illustration of Saint-Venant's principle. Extensive numerical results for the stress field existing in various length cylinders having uniform internal heat generation show both the region of essentially plane-strain and the short, non-plane, transition region near the ends where an appreciable shear component exists. The displacement field at the cylinder surface is given and exhibits a noticeable increase in the radial displacement at the end surface. This extended edge implies, for example, that an initially perfect fuel pellet, just fitting its clad, will, even if clad and fuel have the same coefficient of thermal expansion, make preferential fuel-clad contact at the pellet end. This effect may, therefore, have some importance in explaining the “ridging” phenomena noted in fuel elements consisting of stacked pellets.
Chessboard graphs, related designs, and domination parameters

The graph-theoretic study of combinatorial chessboard problems can be extended to the study of line graphs of graphs of combinatorial designs. In particular, the determination of optimal placements of rooks on a chessboard corresponds to the determination of domination parameters of graphs of block designs. The determination of one such parameter, the independence number, is shown to follow directly from classical results in design theory. Additionally, the domination number of graphs of finite projective planes is discussed.
CLINICAL BLOOD VALUES OF THE NORTHERN FUR SEAL, Callorhinus ursinus. II. COMPARISON OF FRESH VERSUS STORED FROZEN SERUM

Analysis of 14 blood components in fresh and stored (107–166 days) frozen serum of the northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) revealed significant changes in the values of all but total protein, globulins, phosphorus and creatinine. While most values decreased during storage, cholesterol and bilirubin showed small but significant increases.
A General Method for the Spatially Defined Immobilization of Biomolecules on Glass Surfaces Using “Caged” Biotin

A method has been developed to spatially define the immobilization of proteins on surfaces using the classic avidin-biotin link, for which a wide variety of biochemical reagents are commercially available. A derivative of biotin bearing a photoremovable nitrobenzyl group (MeNPOC-biotin) has been prepared in a form suitable for simple linkage to biomolecules and surfaces. It has been used to functionalize bovine serum albumin (BSA) to form MeNPOC-biotin-BSA, which can then be coated onto glass. On photolithographic patterning of the surface, biotins are freed in the irradiated areas, permitting avidin to be localized at the irradiated sites. Subsequent addition of a biotinylated molecule permits its site-specific localization. Patterning of a biotinylated antibody and dye-labeled avidins or streptavidin using this reagent has been demonstrated by fluorescence microscopy.
Acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and disability. This review summarizes recent advances in the treatment of patients with STEMI. RECENT FINDINGS The best prehospital and interhospital transfer strategy for patients with STEMI is rapid transport to a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) center by Emergency Medical Services, with prehospital diagnosis and activation of the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Coronary angiography is now recommended for all patients with STEMI. Advances in adjunctive pharmacological and device therapy have improved primary PCI results. Thrombus aspiration, drug-eluting stents, systemic hypothermia for survivors of cardiac arrest with anoxic encephalopathy, and stem cells as reparative therapy have undergone recent evaluation. SUMMARY Primary PCI with stent implantation as soon as possible is the best treatment strategy for patients with STEMI. Aspirin, bivalirudin, and either prasugrel or ticagrelor are the best antithrombotic agents to support primary PCI. Thrombus aspiration and intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation are important device adjuncts. Systemic hypothermia appears to be an important advance for survivors of cardiac arrest with anoxic encephalopathy, but the benefits of stem cell therapy have yet to be proven.
Two photon decay widths of charmonium resonances

E835 studies resonant charmonium formation in the Fermilab Antiproton Accumulator. Preliminary measurements of the ground state ηc (11 S0) and the γγ partial width of the χ2 (3P2) are presented. Also reported are the preliminary results of the search for the ηc′ (21 S0) in the γγ decay channel.
Controlling type II error while constructing triple sampling fixed precision confidence intervals for the normal mean

The rationale and methodology for estimating a mean with a fixed width confidence interval through sampling in three stages are extended to cover the additional problem of testing hypotheses concerning shifts in the mean with controlled Type II error. The coverage probability and operating characteristic function of the confidence interval based on the integrated approach are derived and compared with those of the usual triple sampling confidence interval. The extended methodology leads to better coverage probability and uniformly better Type II error probabilities. Achieving the additional objective of controlling Type II error inevitably implies a two- to threefold increase in the required optimal sample size. Some suggestions for dealing with this apparent limitation are discussed from a practical viewpoint. It is recommended that an integrated approach to estimation and testing based on confidence intervals be incorporated in the design stage for credible inferences.
Neurotrophin channeling of neural progenitor cell differentiation.

The act of defining neuropoietic progenitor/stem cells is still in its early phases. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulates extended proliferation of aggregates of subventricular striatal cells, taken from E15 mouse striatum, termed neurospheres in liquid culture. We have shown here and in previous work, using either immunohistochemistry or RT-PCR, that neurosphere cells express 13 cytokines (32 tested) and 20 cytokine receptors (28 tested), with 11 potential paracrine and nine potential autocrine loops. The neurotrophin receptors, Trk A, B, and C, were all expressed. Using a newly developed FACS single cell deposition technique, we evaluated the capacity of single EGF stimulated neurosphere cells to respond to the ligands for Trk A and B, nerve growth factor (NGF), and brain-derived neurotrophin factor (BDNF). Addition of NGF or BDNF to EGF for 14 days had no effect, but removal of EGF at day 14 with subsequent addition of BDNF or NGF resulted in an increase in neuronal and astroglial, but not oligodendrocyte, colony cells at 21 and 28 days of culture for BDNF, and of both cell types at 28 days for NGF. Tri-lineage colonies increased at day 21 with BDNF and at day 28 for both NGF and BDNF. Gross colony morphology also showed changes with neurotrophin addition, forming multiple individual cell balls or filamentous spreads. When EGF was withdrawn, a threshold effect was observed, with small, but not large, colonies ceasing growth. BDNF and NGF showed no effects on cell proliferation when compared to EGF controls, as determined by 5′-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation and thus, they appear to affect differentiation of progenitor cells. These data indicate a sequential action of cytokines with EGF maintaining viability and proliferation and blocking differentiation. Removal of EGF is then permissive for the differentiating effects of BDNF and NGF. These data further indicate that the majority of EGF neurosphere clones have neurotrophin dependent tri-lineage potential. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 46: 265–280, 2001
Sulphonation of cholinergic receptor disulphide bond increases response to ACh

THE presence on the cholinergic receptor of a critical disulphide bond has been demonstrated and localised to within 10 A of the cholinergic receptor anionic binding subsite1–4. Reduction of this bond by dithiothreitol results in a reduced response of the nicotinic cholinergic receptor to acetylcholine (ACh) in many systems1,5–8. I report here that heterolytic cleavage of this disulphide bond is produced using sodium bisulphite, a reagent which shows a high degree of specificity, reactivity and reversibility of interaction with the disulphide bond9. The active agent is the bisulphite ion, the reaction being RSSR + HSO2−3⇄RSSO−3 + HSR and resulting in the addition of the strongly nucleophilic sulphonate group to the receptor. The addition of this group seems to modify the ACh receptor–ionophore complex in a unique manner which results in an increase in its response to ACh.
Warding off the dangers of data corruption with amulet

Occasional corruption of stored data is an unfortunate byproduct of the complexity of modern systems. Hardware errors, software bugs, and mistakes by human administrators can corrupt important sources of data. The dominant practice to deal with data corruption today involves administrators writing ad hoc scripts that run data-integrity tests at the application, database, file-system, and storage levels. This manual approach is tedious, error-prone, and provides no understanding of the potential system unavailability and data loss if a corruption were to occur. We introduce the Amulet system that addresses the problem of verifying the correctness of stored data proactively and continuously. To our knowledge, Amulet is the first system that: (i) gives administrators a declarative language to specify their objectives regarding the detection and repair of data corruption; (ii) contains optimization and execution algorithms to ensure that the administrator's objectives are met robustly and with least cost, e.g., using pay-as-you cloud resources; and (iii) provides timely notification when corruption is detected, allowing proactive repair of corruption before it impacts users and applications. We describe the implementation and a comprehensive evaluation of Amulet for a database software stack deployed on an infrastructure-as-a-service cloud provider.
Nutrient demand interacts with forage family to affect digestion responses in dairy cows

Abstract Effects of forage family on dry matter intake (DMI), milk production, ruminal pool sizes, digestion and passage kinetics, and chewing activity and the relationship of these effects with preliminary DMI (pDMI), an index of nutrient demand, were evaluated using 13 ruminally and duodenally cannulated Holstein cows in a crossover design with a 14-d preliminary period and two 18-d treatment periods. During the preliminary period, pDMI of individual cows ranged from 19.6 to 29.5kg/d (mean=25.9kg/d) and 3.5% fat-corrected milk yield ranged from 24.3 to 60.3kg/d (mean=42.1kg/d). Experimental treatments were diets containing either a) alfalfa silage (AL) or b) orchardgrass silage (OG) as the sole forage. Alfalfa and orchardgrass contained 42.3 and 58.2% neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and 22.5 and 11.4% crude protein, respectively. Forage:concentrate ratios were 60:40 and 43:57 for AL and OG, respectively; both diets contained approximately 25% forage NDF and 30% total NDF. Preliminary DMI was determined during the last 4 d of the preliminary period when cows were fed a common diet and used as a covariate. Main effects of forage family and their interaction with pDMI were tested by ANOVA. Forage family and its interaction with pDMI did not affect feed intake, milk yield, or milk composition. The AL diet increased indigestible NDF (iNDF) intake and decreased potentially digestible NDF (pdNDF) intake compared with OG. The AL diet increased ruminal pH, digestion rates of pdNDF and starch, and passage rates of pdNDF and iNDF compared with OG, which affected ruminal digestibility. Passage rate of iNDF was related to pDMI; AL increased iNDF passage rate and OG decreased it as pDMI increased. The AL diet decreased ruminal pool sizes of pdNDF, starch, organic matter, dry matter, and rumen digesta wet weight and volume compared with OG. The AL diet decreased ruminating time per unit of forage NDF consumed compared with OG, indicating that alfalfa provided less physically effective fiber than orchardgrass. The AL diet, but not OG, increased ammonia N, nonammonia nonmicrobial N, and nonammonia N fluxes as pDMI increased. Efficiency of microbial protein synthesis was positively related to pdNDF passage rate for OG, but not AL. The faster rates of digestion and passage for AL compared with OG decreased rumen pool size but did not increase feed intake for cows consuming AL. Digestion responses to forage family were affected by nutrient demand of cows.
Mummies and molecules: Molecular biology meets paleopathology

Abstract Paleopathology, the study of disease in antiquity, has traditionally relied on artistic representations, ancient texts, and the gross and microscopic analysis of human remains to provide information about ancient disease. These sources, however, can be vague and difficult to interpret. In the last decade, paleopathologists have begun to incorporate modern laboratory methods into their research with intriguing results. DNA analysis and immunochemical techniques have enabled definitive diagnosis and prevalent studies of infectious diseases in both mummified and skeletal remains, some as much as 4,000 years old. Tuberculosis, schistosomiasis, leprosy, malaria, and Chagas' disease have all been the subject of successful studies. This research has contributed to our knowledge of the natural history of disease and has opened the door to such potential new fields as paleogenetics, paleovirology, and paleoepidemiology. The use of laboratory techniques in paleopathology allows researchers to test their traditional methods and provides access to health information previously available only for living populations. Though limited somewhat by problems of contamination and molecular degradation, the results of research conducted thus far suggest a bright future for modern laboratory methods and the study of ancient health and disease.
Mechanisms of Nitrite Bioactivation

It is now accepted that the anion nitrite, once considered an inert oxidation product of nitric oxide (NO), contributes to hypoxic vasodilation, physiological blood pressure control, and redox signaling. As such, its application in therapeutics is being actively tested in pre-clinical models and in human phase I-II clinical trials. Major pathways for nitrite bioactivation involve its reduction to NO by members of the hemoglobin or molybdopterin family of proteins, or catalyzed dysproportionation. These conversions occur preferentially under hypoxic and acidic conditions. A number of enzymatic systems reduce nitrite to NO and their activity and importance are defined by oxygen tension, specific organ system and allosteric and redox effectors. In this work, we review different proposed mechanisms of nitrite bioactivation, focusing on analysis of kinetics and experimental evidence for the relevance of each mechanism under different conditions.
Species-specific analysis for nanogram quantities of arsenic in natural waters by arsine generation followed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

Abstract The determination of total arsenic as well as its speciation in natural waters has been carried out with excellent precision and accuracy and with nanogram sensitivity by flameless atomic absorption spectrometry. The various arsenic species in a water sample are reduced to the corresponding hydrides, collected in a liquid nitrogen cold trap from which they are selectively vaporized and then swept directly through the sample port into a graphite furnace for detection. The relative accuracy of the method is better than ±5% as determined by EPA reference samples. In order to test further the reliability of the method, total arsenic calculated from speciation analysis is compared to total arsenic determined by a procedure involving sample digestion.
A new social contract for research

Wilhelm von Humboldt, founder of the University of Berlin in 1809, did the most to spread the notion that universities are places of research. Their sole job had been to give students a broad education and to prepare them for careers in church or government. Humboldt argued that professors should be scholars and researchers as well as teachers. Over the next hundred years, Humboldt’s idea spread to universities everywhere. The world over, universities became centers of scientific advancement and intellectual ferment.
Serotonergic regulation of calcium-activated potassium currents in rodent prefrontal cortex

In spite of a growing understanding of the actions of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in the prefrontal cortex, the specific cellular mechanism used by 5-HT in this region remains poorly understood. Previous studies have shownthat 5-HT inhibits the afterhyperpolarization that follows a burst of spikes in pyramidal neurons. In the present study, we have used whole cell recordings in rat and mouse brain slices to re-examine this phenomenon with special emphasis on identifying the 5-HT receptor subtypes mediating this effect. Layer V pyramidal neurons display complex afterhyperpolarizations that are mediated predominantly by calcium-activated potassium channels and involve two distinct currents known as medium afterhyperpolarizating current and slow afterhyperpolarizating current (I s A H P ). Administration of 5-HT reduced the current underlying these afterhyperpolarizations by selectively inhibiting I s A H P . Pharmacological analysis of this response indicates that the main receptor responsible for this inhibition belongs to the 5-HT 2 A subtype. Thus, α-methyl-5-HT and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-bromoamphetamine (DOB) mimic the effect of 5-HT and the effect of these agonists is blocked by MDL 100 907. Similarly, administration of α-methyl-5-HT is without effect in slices derived from 5-HT 2 A receptor knockout mice. However, 5-HT 2 A receptor blockade only partially suppressed the ability of 5-HT to inhibit I s A H P . This suggests the involvement of at least one more receptor subtype in this response. Consistent with this idea, administration of 5-carboxyamido-tryptamine, an agonist exhibiting no detectable affinity for 5-HT 2 A receptors, was also capable of suppressing I s A H P . These results identify 5-HT 2 A receptors as being primarily involved in mediating the 5-HT-induced inhibition of I s A H P in prefrontal cortex, while also recognizing a contribution by an additional 5-HT receptor subtype.
Infrared Spectra-Structure Correlations for Substituted Cyclobutane Compounds

The ir spectra of 14 substituted cyclobutanes have been recorded over the range 4000 to 200 cm−1. Attempts have been made to find useful spectra-structure correlations which would serve for identification of the cyclobutane ring system. Six fairly narrow regions of absorption have been identified in which nearly all of the compounds absorb, but the correlation bands vary in intensity rather widely. Comparison of the data with that for simple cyclobutane derivatives which have undergone detailed spectral assignment shows that the correlation bands do not always arise from the same vibration. The consistencies of the absorptions nevertheless indicate some potential for their use in detecting, or confirming, the presence of the cyclobutane ring system.
Relaxation rate distribution and decay profile: two fracton relaxation

The probability distribution is calculated for the largest two fracton spin lattice relaxation rate, 1/T 1 , in a fractal network. The initial long-time return to equilibrium is governed by a stretched exponential time dependence, afterwards a crossover to a time dependence slower than exponential but faster than any power law is obtained. The average, 1/T 1 ave , is calculated and compared with previous estimates Calcul de la distribution de probabilite pour le taux de relaxation a deux fractons, 1/T 1 , d'un reseau de spins, pour un reseau fractal: variation temporelle exponentielle etendue, puis crossover avec une variation plus lente qu'une exponentielle puis variation plus rapide qu'une loi de puissance pour le temps de retour a l'equilibre
Synthetic DSP approach for novel FPGA-based measurement of error vector magnitude

A new implementation of EVM measurement has been developed in a production test environment using an FPGA-based DSP processor within an ATE test solution. The focus of interest is in identifying key areas of the DSP that affect measurement quality and optimizing their execution on an FPGA to increase measurement accuracy, precision, repeatability, and reduce test time. This approach defines a real-time processing methodology for signal demodulation and EVM calculation as opposed to traditional PC-based post processing and offline computation of EVM. The analysis of the DSP elements and their corresponding error artifacts are presented in a standard approach to EVM measurement. The experimental results of the digital demodulation system and EVM measurement in MATLAB/Simulink are compared against a bench-top Rohde&Schwarz complex signal generator and vector signal analyzer to qualify the results.
Lorentz and CPT Violation in Scalar-Mediated Potentials

In Lorentz- and $CPT$-violating effective field theories involving scalar and spinor fields, there exist forms of Lorentz violation that modify only the scalar-spinor Yukawa interaction vertices. These affect low-energy fermion and antifermion scattering processes through modifications to the nonrelativistic Yukawa potentials. The modified potentials involve novel combinations of momentum, spin, and Lorentz-violating background tensors.
Extreme Mechanical Stability In Polyglutamine Chains Identified Using Single Molecule Force-clamp Spectroscopy

Huntington's disease (HD) is a genetic neurological disorder linked to the insertion of repeats of glutamine (Q) in the protein huntingtin. The increase in the number of Q results in polyglutamine (polyQ) expansions which self-associate to form aggregates. Significantly, there is a strong correlation between the age of onset in HD and the length of polyQ expansions, with postmortem examinations of HD patients identifying large inclusions in the brain. While polyQ aggregation has been the subject of intense studies, very little is known about the structural architecture of individual polyQ chains. An understanding of the molecular properties of polyQ chains is a necessary first step in building a framework to characterize polyQ expansion diseases. Here we demonstrate a single molecule force-clamp technique that directly probes the properties of polyQ. We have constructed polyQ constructs of varying length, namely Q15, Q25, Q50, Q75. Importantly, this length range spans the region where normal polyQ and diseased polyQ expansions have been observed. Each polyQ construct is flanked by the I27 titin module, providing a clear mechanical fingerprint of the molecule being pulled. Remarkably, under the application of force no extension is observed for all lengths of polyQ. We show this is in direct contrast with the random coil protein PEVK of titin which readily extends under force. Our measurements suggest that polyQ form highly stable mechanical structures. We test this hypothesis by disrupting polyQ with insertions of proline residues. Strikingly, upon interruption with prolines the polyQ constructs readily extend under force. These novel experiments provide the first glimpse of the molecular architecture of polyQ expansions, suggesting these structures are mechanically very stable. Such strong structures would be difficult to unravel and degrade in vivo, resulting in polyQ build-up and subsequent aggregation.
On-the-job training and starting wages

Human capital theory predicts that training should reduce starting wages, yet this rela-tionship remains empirically undocumented. Estimation of how training affects wages must control heterogeneity bias. I do this by estimating firstdifference starting wage regressions on a sample of workers from the Employment Opportunities Pilot Project (EOPP) data. I find that on-the-job training has a statistically significant effect on starting wages.