cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The nature of the alkylation lesion in mammalian cells.

Methylating agents may produce as many as nine alkylated purine and pyrimidine adducts in DNA, as well as forming phosphotriesters and inducing apurinic sites and strand breaks. Although some of these products are formed in proportionately small amounts, there are sufficient sites affected in the DNA of a mammalian cell to make even the most minor product of potential biological significance. It is not possible to specify the exact reaction sites resulting in biological damage, but it is possible to quantitate the excision-repair of such damage both in the bulk of the DNA and at DNA growing points. Excision-repair can be measured in the bulk of the DNA by determining the specific activity of the NaC1 eluate of a benzoylated naphthoylated DEAE-cellulose column of extracts of cells after treatment and incubation in the presence of hydroxyurea and labeled thymidine. The average number of nucleotides inserted per methyl methanesulfonate-induced methyl group is 0.1, per apurinic site is 9. Repair in growing-point regions after methyl methanesulfonate treatment occurs to approximately the same extent as in the bulk of the DNA.
Oxygen in cancer and neovascularization

Oxygen acts as a potent upstream signaling molecule to control a plethora of cell functions and cell fates. In three-dimensional (3D) tissues, the oxygen concentration is not uniformly distributed, but rather a gradient that depends on distance from oxygen-carrying blood vessels. During tissue regeneration, development or uncontrolled growth (i.e. tumor), restricted oxygen transport leads to severe hypoxic gradients. In these same tissues, the extracellular matrix (ECM) provides critical support for cell adhesion, proliferation, migration, and morphogenesis. In this talk I will present our recent efforts to study how hypoxic signaling induce a myriad of cellular and systemic adaptations. Examples will include interface along stem cell differentiation, vascular assembly and sarcoma metastasis.
Sugammadex: Efficacy and Practicality in the Dental Office

Sugammadex is a novel drug capable of reversing paralysis induced by the common steroidal nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking drugs, rocuronium and vecuronium. Reversal is complete at any depth of blockade dependent on the dose of sugammadex administered. This allows rocuronium to be used as a rescue agent in scenarios where succinylcholine is contraindicated. Sugammadex is considered a safe drug with minimal side effects compared with traditional reversal with neostigmine and glycopyrrolate. This article features a case report where succinylcholine was undesirable and rapid reversal of paralysis with sugammadex was used during general anesthesia for dentistry.
Structured Crowding and Its Effects on Enzyme Catalysis

Macromolecular crowding decreases the diffusion rate, shifts the equilibrium of protein–protein and protein–substrate interactions, and changes protein conformational dynamics. Collectively, these effects contribute to enzyme catalysis. Here we describe how crowding may bias the conformational change and dynamics of enzyme populations and in this way affect catalysis. Crowding effects have been studied using artificial crowding agents and in vivo-like environments. These studies revealed a correlation between protein dynamics and function in the crowded environment. We suggest that crowded environments be classified into uniform crowding and structured crowding. Uniform crowding represents random crowding conditions created by synthetic particles with a narrow size distribution. Structured crowding refers to the highly coordinated cellular environment, where proteins and other macromolecules are clustered and organized. In structured crowded environments the perturbation of protein thermal stability may be lower; however, it may still be able to modulate functions effectively and dynamically. Dynamic, allosteric enzymes could be more sensitive to cellular perturbations if their free energy landscape is flatter around the native state; on the other hand, if their free energy landscape is rougher, with high kinetic barriers separating deep minima, they could be more robust. Above all, cells are structured; and this holds both for the cytosol and for the membrane environment. The crowded environment is organized, which limits the search, and the crowders are not necessarily inert. More likely, they too transmit allosteric effects, and as such play important functional roles. Overall, structured cellular crowding may lead to higher enzyme efficiency and specificity.
Diagnosis and Treatment of the Navicular Syndrome in Horses

Navicular syndrome can be treated in a variety of ways. This is related to the fact that it has a variety of causes. Prognostically, most horses will improve with treatment. One can expect about 50 per cent of the horses to become useably sound for 1 year, no matter what treatment is used. The disease is progressive, and affected horses eventually will need to be retired because of lameness. The author's therapeutic approach is to utilize shoeing as the primary therapy. Shoeing is performed to correct structural problems and to ensure that shoeing is physiologically sound. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are not used unless radical changes have been made in the shoeing. In cases of confirmed distal interphalangeal joint synovitis, either sodium hyaluronate or polysulfated glycosaminoglycans will be used in conjunction with shoeing. In cases where decreased circulation is documented, isoxsuprine hydrochloride will be administered if shoeing alone has not improved the horse within 6 weeks. If therapy does not improve the horse within 6 to 12 weeks, palmar digital neurectomy is recommended.
Lymphoma and lymphoid leukemia incidence in Florida children: ethnic and racial distribution.

BACKGROUND Incidence reports for pediatric lymphoma and lymphoid leukemia in Hispanic subpopulations in the United States are rare. The authors hypothesized that Florida's Hispanic children would have higher risks of lymphoma and lymphoid leukemia compared with non-Hispanic white children. METHODS All cases of lymphoid leukemia, Hodgkin, non-Hodgkin, and Burkitt lymphoma (SEER International Classification of Diseases for Oncology codes) in children (< 15 years) in the Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS) from 1985 to 1997 were studied. Cases were classified as: 1) white, 2) Hispanic, or 3) black, and stratified by age. Age-adjusted rates for the three race-ethnic groups were calculated. Rates for Hispanics and blacks were compared with whites as standardized rate ratios (SRR) with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS Seven hundred thirty-one incident cases of pediatric lymphoma and 1231 cases of lymphoid leukemia were identified during the study period. For children with lymphoma, the SRR for Hispanics was 1.32 (95% CI, 1.20–1.44), and for blacks, the SRR was 0.68 (95% CI, 0.63–0.72. For lymphoid leukemia, the SRR for Hispanics was 1.29 (95% CI, 1.28–1.30), and for blacks, the SRR was 0.55 (95% CI, 0.54–0.56). Similar rates were found for the Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin subgroups. CONCLUSIONS Incidences of Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma were significantly higher in Florida's Hispanic children, with 30% increased relative risks, compared with whites. Black children had significantly decreased incidences and risk. Results for lymphoid leukemia were similar. Incidence of lymphoma in Florida's Hispanic children (primarily Cuban and Central American origin) differed from similar reports from Texas and California, where Hispanics are primarily of Mexican origin. Cancer 2001;91:1402–8. © 2001 American Cancer Society.
Context-Aware Mobile Edge Computing in Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks

Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks (VANETs) are an integral part of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and provide a means for vehicles to communicate with one another as well as to the Cloud and Internet. The recent push toward 5G networking has laid the foundation for a VANET architecture that can accommodate the high bandwidth, high speed, and high availability expected by consumers. Next-Generation technologies will support future autonomous vehicle applications and define the infrastructure necessary to facilitate ubiquitous communications. With future networking technologies set to support much higher bandwidth and high numbers of users, our focus shifts to management of the compute resources that will support the back-end computations required for autonomous vehicle applications. The numerous on-board sensors expected to be available on autonomous vehicles, makes each vehicle an invaluable source of data. Gathering large amounts of data in real-time will incur a significant cost on networking infrastructure as well as the compute resources which process the data. In this paper, we introduce an architecture which seeks to execute computational tasks on the most logical and feasible resource. In our proposed technique, resource allocation takes into account the context of the job and the real-time availability of resources.
Partial Order Semantics and Weak Fairness

Causality-based partial order semantics allows an easy formulation of weak fairness. It is demonstrated that this is true also for other partial order semantics, namely for partial words and interval semiwords.
Sicca Syndrome Associated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy.

Background The objective of this study was to characterize the clinicopathologic features of sicca syndrome associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. Subjects, materials, and methods Consecutive patients with new or worsening xerostomia in the setting of ICI treatment for benign or malignant neoplastic disease were evaluated, including labial salivary gland biopsy (LSGB). Results Twenty patients (14 male; median age 57 years) had metastatic melanoma (n = 10), metastatic carcinoma (n = 6), or recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (n = 4) and were being treated with avelumab (n = 8), nivolumab (n = 5), pembrolizumab (n = 4), nivolumab/ipilimumab (n = 2), and M7824, a biologic targeting programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and transforming growth factor s (n = 1). Four had pre-existing autoimmune disease. Nineteen had very low whole unstimulated saliva flow; six had new dry eye symptoms. The median interval between ICI initiation and dry mouth onset was 70 days. Rheumatoid factor and anti-Sjogren's Syndrome-related Antigen A (Anti-SSA) were both positive in two subjects. LSGB showed mild-to-severe sialadenitis with diffuse lymphocytic infiltration and architectural distortion. There were lymphocytic aggregates in eight patients, composed mainly of CD3+ T cells with a slight predominance of CD4+ over CD8+ T cells. ICI targets (e.g., programmed cell death 1 and PD-L1) were variably positive. In direct response to the advent of the sicca immune-related adverse event, the ICI was held in 12 patients and corticosteroids were initiated in 10. Subjective improvement in symptoms was achieved in the majority; however, salivary secretion remained very low. Conclusion ICI therapy is associated with an autoimmune-induced sicca syndrome distinct from Sjogren's syndrome, often abrupt in onset, usually developing within the first 3 months of treatment, and associated with sialadenitis and glandular injury. Improvement can be achieved with a graded approach depending on severity, including withholding the ICI and initiating corticosteroids. However, profound salivary flow deficits may be long term. Implications for practice Sicca syndrome has been reported as an immune-related adverse event (irAE) of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy (ICI) for neoplastic diseases. Severe dry mouth (interfering with eating or sleeping) developed abruptly, typically within 90 days, after initiation of ICI therapy. Salivary gland biopsies demonstrated mild-to-severe sialadenitis distinct from Sjogren's syndrome, with diffuse T-cell lymphocytic infiltration and acinar injury. Recognition of the cardinal features of ICI-induced sicca will spur appropriate clinical evaluation and management, including withholding of the ICI and corticosteroid, initiation. This characterization should help oncologists, rheumatologists, and oral medicine specialists better identify patients that develop ICI-induced sicca to initiate appropriate clinical evaluation and therapy to reduce the likelihood of permanent salivary gland dysfunction.
No evidence for a bilingual executive function advantage in the nationally representative ABCD study

Learning a second language in childhood is inherently advantageous for communication. However, parents, educators and scientists have been interested in determining whether there are additional cognitive advantages. One of the most exciting yet controversial1 findings about bilinguals is a reported advantage for executive function. That is, several studies suggest that bilinguals perform better than monolinguals on tasks assessing cognitive abilities that are central to the voluntary control of thoughts and behaviours—the so-called ‘executive functions’ (for example, attention, inhibitory control, task switching and resolving conflict). Although a number of small-2–4 and large-sample5,6 studies have reported a bilingual executive function advantage (see refs. 7–9 for a review), there have been several failures to replicate these findings10–15, and recent meta-analyses have called into question the reliability of the original empirical claims8,9. Here we show, in a very large sample (n = 4,524) of 9- to 10-year-olds across the United States, that there is little evidence for a bilingual advantage for inhibitory control, attention and task switching, or cognitive flexibility, which are key aspects of executive function. We also replicate previously reported disadvantages in English vocabulary in bilinguals7,16,17. However, these English vocabulary differences are substantially mitigated when we account for individual differences in socioeconomic status or intelligence. In summary, notwithstanding the inherently positive benefits of learning a second language in childhood18, we found little evidence that it engenders additional benefits to executive function development. By analysing data from more than 4,500 9- to 10-year-olds, Dick et al. found no evidence that bilingual children have an advantage in executive functions, the cognitive abilities that are central to the voluntary control of thoughts and behaviours.
DIRECT INVERSE ESTIMATION FOR A FLUCTUATING SHALLOW WATER ENVIRONMENT

Consider a shallow, strongly stratified ocean with sediment modelled by a fluid half space bottom. In the radially symmetric case, P.A. Deift and D.C. Stickler in [1] proposed a direct, non-perturbative inverse method for finding a sound speed profile in perfect stratification. They restrict themselves to cases without propagating modes and require that the sound speed in the half space converge rapidly to some constant. Their model uses a continuous wave point source. The method first makes integral transforms of information from horizontal acoustic data. Then techniques arising from one dimensional inverse quantum scattering are used to find depth dependence. The data needed for recovery is the normal derivative of the pressure in the entire top surface. Even in a perfectly stratified environment, this type of data is likely to be contaminated or to be available only from estimates. Thus one needs to look at inversion data arising from averages of actual propagation with environmental fluctuation that is dominated by stratification. Since this type of averaged information may not satisfy the appropriate technical conditions of non-averaged data, it must be related the allowable inversion data. The inversion technique can then be applied, and the resulting sound speed profile can then be compared in numerical experiment to the profile ensembles which gave rise to it. The reintroduction of several propagating modes can be explored through methods of P.A. Deift and E. Trubowitz [2], if good estimates of the vertical eigenvalues can be made. The direct inversion method and inverse quantum scattering methods also allow ensembles of sounds speeds to provide a typical or averaged sound speed profile that will have some of the characteristics of the average propagation.
APOBEC3s: DNA-editing human cytidine deaminases

Nucleic acid editing enzymes are essential components of the human immune system that lethally mutate viral pathogens and somatically mutate immunoglobulins. Among these enzymes are cytidine deaminases of the apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like (APOBEC) super family, each with unique target sequence specificity and subcellular localization. We focus on the DNA-editing APOBEC3 enzymes that have recently attracted attention because of their involvement in cancer and potential in gene-editing applications. We review and compare the crystal structures of APOBEC3 (A3) domains, binding interactions with DNA, substrate specificity, and activity. Recent crystal structures of A3A and A3G bound to ssDNA have provided insights into substrate binding and specificity determinants of these enzymes. Still many unknowns remain regarding potential cooperativity, nucleic acid interactions, and systematic quantification of substrate preference of many APOBEC3s, which are needed to better characterize the biological functions and consequences of misregulation of these gene editors.
Design Rules Volume 2: Chapter 14 Open Platforms and the Vertical-to-Horizontal Transition of the Computer Industry

The purpose of this chapter is to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive theoretical investigation of open digital platform systems. To do this, we must first recognize that, although there is a strong family resemblance among all platform systems, there are different types of platforms, each with its own set of technological requirements and challenges. I first develop a taxonomy of open digital platforms. I go on to argue that the success of open platforms and ecosystems in competition with vertically integrated firms gave rise to the “vertical-to-horizontal” transition of the computer industry described by Andy Grove in 1996. In effect, the technology of open platforms not only shaped individual organizations but changed the structure of the entire computer industry.
Adverse Events (AEs): Are They Factored into Costs of Hemophilia Care?.

Much of the high cost of hemophilia treatment ignores the cost of care for potential AEs related to treatment. Data have been published regarding the thrombotic AEs associated with the use of therapeutic biologics in the management of hemophilia patients with inhibitors. One objective was to quantify the incremental costs of these thrombotic AEs associated with either the available plasma-derived or recombinant products used in managing these patients. Although these occur at low frequency, myocardial infarction, stroke, and pulmonary emboli are reported. Methods: A review of the literature revealed that no data exist for the cost of these events in hemophilia patients. Using the PharMetrics longitudinal database, it provided us with the frequency and charges associated with thrombotic AEs in hemophilia patients with and without inhibitors. These changes are not inclusive of total replacement product. Thrombotic complications of inhibitor therapy have been recognized for many years. Essentially, little data exist for the costs of these events and none for potential requirements for rehabilitation, loss of employment, and impact on the family. Data from clinical trials may well be a future key factor in determining reimbursement for therapeutics. There is a growing need for longitudinal data to assess the long-term safety as well as the associated costs of potential AEs. Knowledge of these costs will aid treaters in making therapeutic decisions. Coupled with the incidence of these events, incremental costs will aid health care planners to better understand the costs of care associated with hemophilia patients with inhibitors.
Practice patterns in imaging guidance for ECMO cannulation: A survey of the American Pediatric Surgical Association.

Abstract Background Surgeon-specific variations in pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) cannulation technique are not well characterized. Advances in technology have led to changing techniques with no formal consensus statement for reference. Methods A survey was e-mailed to 1301 members of the American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA). Categorical data was compared with Chi-squared and Kendall's tau-β tests, and multiple column comparisons were performed with the Bonferroni correction. Results Response rate was 19%, with 248 pediatric general surgeons responding to the survey. 89.4% of respondents stated that cannulation was typically performed in the ICU. Venoarterial (VA) ECMO cannulation was more often performed open (88.6%) than venovenous (VV) ECMO (42.2%). Surgeons cannulate for VA ECMO and VV ECMO without imaging guidance 44% and 21.5% of the time, respectively. There was no difference in estimated rate of cannula repositioning by cannulation strategy. For venous and arterial cannulation in VA ECMO, surgeons were more likely to use the femoral as opposed to the neck when children were older than 13 years and weighed more than 35 kg regardless of the presence or absence of preexisting femoral arterial or venous access. Conclusion Practice patterns for ECMO cannulation are variable among pediatric surgeons. Standardization could reduce the occurrence of unsafe practices and potentially decrease complications and improve patient outcomes. Level of evidence Level IV.
Numerical Simulations of Two-Layer Flow past Topography. Part II: Lee Vortices

AbstractThis study considers a two-layer fluid with constant density in each layer connected by a layer of continuously varying density for flows past topography in which hydraulic jumps with lee v...
Virulent infection of outbred Hartley guinea pigs with recombinant Pichinde virus as a surrogate small animal model for human Lassa fever

Arenaviruses, such as Lassa virus (LASV), can cause severe and fatal hemorrhagic fevers (e.g., Lassa fever, LF) in humans with no vaccines or therapeutics. Research on arenavirus-induced hemorrhagi...
Factors Affecting Microbial Inactivation during High Pressure Processing in Juices and Beverages: A Review.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to review and discuss the factors affecting high pressure processing (HPP) in juices and beverages. The inactivation of microorganisms by HPP depends on numerous factors, including the magnitude of the pressure and the holding time, process temperature, compression and decompression rates, the microbiota, and the intrinsic properties of juices and beverages. Although extensive HPP research has been performed to characterize many of these factors, a number of issues, such as the rates of compression and decompression, still remain unresolved and need further investigation. In addition, some published results are conflicting and do not provide enough evidence to develop juice HPP "safe-harbor" parameters to achieve a minimum 5-log reduction of the pertinent microorganism and produce safe fruit juices and beverages. HIGHLIGHTS
Benign Osseous Tumors and Tumor-Like Conditions

We will provide an imaging-focused discussion of 3 benign bone tumors that do not fit in the categories of cartilaginous tumors or osteoid tumors. We have chosen giant cell tumor of bone, unicameral bone cyst, and fibrous dysplasia. All 3 of these entities are common enough that one does not have to be a musculoskeletal radiologist in a cancer hospital to encounter them occasionally, but none of them should be seen frequently.
Ohio's Energy Efficiency Resource Standard: Where are the Real Savings?

Ohio's energy efficiency resource standard (EERS) requires regulated utilities to meet a schedule of reductions (above federal requirements) in customer energy consumption that cumulate to 22 percent by 2025. Utilities are to comply with these purely political requirements by devising programs whose costs are recoverable in rates. All utilities have been in compliance since 2009, but that compliance means little because nearly all the savings have come from utility-offered discounts on energy-saving light bulbs. Available data show that the majority of claimed savings come from transfers by other ratepayers to "free riders" who did not require subsidies to induce purchases. Data indicate that energy use reductions net of free ridership are already falling short of EERS requirements. The shortfalls will probably grow in the future as cost-effective savings opportunities (that must exceed federal standards) diminish while the costs of compliance rise.
Investigating User Experiences with Data Abstractions on High Performance Computing Systems

Author(s): Paine, Drew; Poon, Sarah; Ramakrishnan, Lavanya | Abstract: Scientiﬁc exploration generates expanding volumes of data that commonly require High Performance Computing (HPC) systems to facilitate research. HPC systems are complex ecosystems of hardware and software that frequently are not user friendly. The Usable Data Abstractions (UDA) project set out to build usable software for scientiﬁc workﬂows in HPC environments by undertaking multiple rounds of qualitative user research. Qualitative research investigates how individuals accomplish their work and our interview-based study surfaced a variety of insights about the experiences of working in and with HPC ecosystems. This report examines multiple facets to the experiences of scientists and developers using and supporting HPC systems. We discuss how stakeholders grasp the design and conﬁguration of these systems, the impacts of abstraction layers on their ability to successfully do work, and the varied perceptions of time that shape this work. Examining the adoption of the Cori HPC at NERSC we explore the anticipations and lived experiences of users interacting with this system’s novel storage feature, the Burst Buﬀer. We present lessons learned from across these insights to illustrate just some of the challenges HPC facilities and their stakeholders need to account for when procuring and supporting these essential scientiﬁc resources to ensure their usability and utility to a variety of scientiﬁc practices.
Beyond Agreement: Exploring Rater Effects in Large-Scale Mixed Format Assessments

Scoring procedures for the constructed-response (CR) items in large-scale mixed-format educational assessments often involve checks for rater agreement or rater reliability. Although these analyses...
Perspectives of three Black students attending a predominantly white summer music camp in the United States

The purpose of this case study was to examine the perspectives of three Black instrumental music students related to their experiences attending a predominantly white summer music camp for high sch...
Exploring phosphonium and ammonium chitosan polymers and their PEGylated analogs for high performance gene delivery

Abstract Among cationic polymers, chitosan (CS) is a promising non-viral vector due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability and safety profile. However, its application for gene delivery is hindered by its poor solubility at physiological pH. In this study, novel water-soluble chitosan derivatives containing triethylphosphonium chloride ((N-(1-carboxybutyl-4-triethylphosphonium chloride) chitosan = TEPB-CS)) or triethylammonium chloride ((N-(1-carboxybutyl-4-triethylammonium chloride) chitosan = TEAB-CS)) with 4-carbon spacers separating the cationic units from the chitosan backbone were synthesized by carbodiimide mediated coupling reactions. Two different degrees of substitution of quaternary phosphonium (43% and 21%) and ammonium (40.6% and 26%) were synthesized. The polymers with higher degrees of substitutions displayed higher solubility in aqueous media and were further grafted with mPEG (TEAB-CS-g-mPEG and TEPB-CS-g-mPEG) and used for DNA complexation, cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and gene transfection studies. Chemical characterization of the above polymers was performed by FTIR, 1H NMR, and 31P NMR, and the degree of substitution of the grafted phosphonium and ammonium and mPEG was calculated by 1H NMR. The polymers efficiently bound pDNA at weight ratio of polymer:pDNA of 2.8:1. From dynamic light scattering experiments, the mean diameters of the calf thymus DNA complexes with the polymers, in water and phosphate buffer (pH 7.4), were in the range of 140 – 330 nm. Zeta potential of these complexes in water became positive as the weight ratios of the polymers/DNA exceeded 2:1. Most of these polymers mildly affect the viability of HeLa cells with a final concentration of 10 µg/mL or higher. Cell viability was only modestly compromised in the presence of 100 µg/mL of TEPB-CS-g-mPEG, and this derivative was also found to display the highest transfection efficiencies among all four polymers. Apoptosis measurements by flow cytometry indicated that both TEAB-CS-g-mPEG and TEPB-CS-g-mPEG induce no perceptible and mild apoptosis with their concentration at 100 µg/mL, respectively. Together, the present study provides evidence that these PEGylated TEPB-CS and TEAB-CS are safe and effective vectors for efficient nucleic acid delivery.
Romance, Diaspora, and Black Atlantic Literature

Acknowledgements Introduction: the romance of diaspora 1. From domestic allegory to imperial romance: Pauline Hopkins and racial mixture 2. From double consciousness to diaspora: W. E. B. Du Bois and black internationalism 3. From nativism to nationalism: Joseph Casely Hayford, Chinua Achebe and colonial modernity 4. From romance to realism: Richard Wright and nation time 5. From revolution to arrested decolonization: Ama Ata Aidoo and the long view of history 6. From return to redemption: Caryl Phillips and postcolonial hybridity Notes.
Conducting Playback Experiments and Interpreting their Results

The aim of this chapter is to discuss factors to be considered in the design, execution and interpretation of playback experiments. Most of these factors will be of general concern, even though my examples will be drawn heavily from two-speaker designs with frogs and toads as subjects. I recognise at the outset that many researchers will consider some of these concerns trivial, taking for granted that every researcher will have taken this or that precaution in designing and executing the experiment. My response is that every factor under consideration has detracted from some recent study that I have done myself, that has recently appeared in the literature, or that I have reviewed in manuscript form. More significantly, the precautions that one laboratory routinely takes into consideration are often not even mentioned in the Methods and Materials section of a paper. However, this does not mean that every researcher is aware of the pitfalls, nor does it mean that every laboratory routinely adopts procedures to avoid such pitfalls. I strongly recommend that we adopt the policy of adding enough information to our papers (probably only a few sentences) so that readers are not required to make any assumptions about methodology.
Behavior of O-glycosyl and O-phosphoryl proteins in alkaline solution.

0-Glycosyl and 0-phosphoryl groups, as well as disulfide bonds, are rapidly removed from proteins in alkaline solution primarily via β-elimination. The reaction is initiated by abstraction of the α-hydrogen of an amino acid residue by hydroxide ion. The carbanion undergoes rearrangement expelling the glyco- or phosphoryl group resulting in formation of a dehydroalanyl (from serine) or β-methyldehy-droalanyl (from threonine) residue. The unsaturated derivatives are reactive with internal protein nucleophilic groups and with external nucleophiles. These addition reactions, some leading to crosslinking, result in changed properties of the protein. Several factors may affect rates of β-elimination and addition. For these studies, we used two unique proteins: phosvitin, a well-characterized protein with 120 0-phosphoryl groups and no cystine or 0-glycosyl groups; and a glycopeptide related to the antifreeze protein from Antarctic fish, a well-characterized protein consisting of (Ala-Ala-Thr)n in which all of the threonyl residues are glycosylated. At the dilute concentrations of proteins used, rates of β-elimination and addition were independent of protein concentration but directly dependent upon the hydroxide ion concentration. With phosvitin, rates of β-elimination and addition were quite dependent on ionic strength and the rate of β-elimination was increased 20-fold in the presence of Ca2+. Activation energies for both β-elimination and addition were near 20 kcal/mole. Implications of these reactions for protein chemistry and protein processing will be discussed.
Aftershocks of the 2010 Mw 7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake reveal complex faulting in the Yuha Desert, California

[1] We detect and precisely locate over 9500 aftershocks that occurred in the Yuha Desert region during a 2 month period following the 4 April 2010 Mw 7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah (EMC) earthquake. Events are relocated using a series of absolute and relative relocation procedures that include Hypoinverse, Velest, and hypoDD. Location errors are reduced to ∼40 m horizontally and ∼120 m vertically. Aftershock locations reveal a complex pattern of faulting with en echelon fault segments trending toward the northwest, approximately parallel to the North American-Pacific plate boundary and en echelon, conjugate features trending to the northeast. The relocated seismicity is highly correlated with published surface mapping of faults that experienced triggered surface slip in response to the EMC main shock. Aftershocks occurred between 2 km and 11 km depths, consistent with previous studies of seismogenic thickness in the region. Three-dimensional analysis reveals individual and intersecting fault planes that are limited in their along-strike length. These fault planes remain distinct structures at depth, indicative of conjugate faulting, and do not appear to coalesce onto a throughgoing fault segment. We observe a complex spatiotemporal migration of aftershocks, with seismicity that jumps between individual fault segments that are active for only a few days to weeks. Aftershock rates are roughly consistent with the expected earthquake production rates of Dieterich (1994). The conjugate pattern of faulting and nonuniform aftershock migration patterns suggest that strain in the Yuha Desert is being accommodated in a complex manner.
Recent Trends In Offshoring Relationships

The nature and type of IT work being offshored is expanding as more sophisticated vendors and technologies make it feasible for new, often more complicated IT work to be offshored. Information Technology (IT) is continually improving, transforming formerly non-offshorable, personal tasks into offshorable, impersonal tasks. The relationships between clients and their offshore vendors have been changing, most obviously in the sheer volume of offshoring being undertaken. This study uses social exchange theory to examine the relationship between clients and vendors as partners in offshoring.
Cognitive processes underlying reading and writing and their neural substrates.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on impairments in reading—alexia (also called acquired dyslexia) and writing—agraphia (also called acquired dysgraphia) that result from neurological disorders. Although alexia and agraphia are not always identified in the traditional neurological examination, they are frequent, disabling, and dehumanizing consequences of stroke. In fact, alexia and agraphia are among the most common residual deficits after partial recovery of language after stroke. Alexia can be the only clinically important manifestation of strokes involving the left posterior cerebral artery (PCA) territory or posterior watershed area between the left PCA and left middle cerebral artery (MCA) and agraphia may be the only manifestation of strokes in the territory of the superior division of the left MCA. Reading and writing deficits may also be the earliest manifestations of dementias, such as Alzheimer's disease. The focus of this chapter is on alexia and agraphia that occur as a result of brain damage, assuming previous proficiency of reading and writing. The emphasis is on the location of injury within the brain that results in impairment of particular cognitive processes underlying reading and/or spelling. Evidence from functional imaging of normal subjects regarding the neural regions engaged in reading and spelling, which complement evidence from lesion/ deficit association studies, are also briefly reviewed in the chapter.
The period gene controls courtship song cycles in Drosophila melanogaster

We developed a technique that assists in objective identification of pulse and sine components in the Drosophila melanogaster courtship song. The song was recorded digitally and subjected to wavelet analysis, which decomposed the signal into a series of bands of decreasing frequency in which acoustic power appeared as a function of time. This time-frequency analysis expresses characteristic 'fingerprints' of the pulses, which appear in all frequency bands, and characteristic 'fingerprints' of the sine song, which appear only in the band containing its frequency. Means of the interpulse intervals (IPIs) for each second of 10-min recordings of song in which pulse singing occurred constituted an irregularly sampled time series, intractable to common spectral analysis techniques. Therefore, we took the discrete Fourier transform of this series, which retained all the spectral information in the Fourier coefficients, and used the inverse Fourier transform of these coefficients to yield a new series that was regularly spaced, with an estimate of IPI for each second in the interval. We observed an IPI period of 67.9 s in wild type, 31.1 s in per0, 45.9 s in pers, and 72.0 s in perL. Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Nontyphoidal Salmonella infection in children: relation to bacteremia, age, and infecting serotype.

AbstractBackground: Salmonella gastroenteritis, usually self- limited, can result in bacteremia and focal disease. This study was undertaken to determine the role of age and infecting Salmonella serotype on the risk of bacteremia in children. Methods: This was a review of medical records of children with positive nontyphoidal Salmonella cultures seen in an urban setting at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit between July 1993 and December 2007. Results: Isolates recovered from 633 patients, representing 50 serotypes, included 594 positive stool cultures and 72 (11.4% of all patients) positive blood cultures. Salmonella serotype Typhimurium was the most common serotype, accounting for 29.4% (186/633) of isolates, of which only 3 (1.6%) were recovered from blood. The most common serotype recovered from blood was serotype Heidelberg (40/120 of patients with Heidelberg serotype) accounting for 55.5% (40/72) of positive blood cultures. The patients’ age range was 2 weeks to 20 years, with a median o...
An uncertain life: Demography in random environments

This paper concisely reviews the demography of populations with random vital rates, highlights examples and techniques which yield insight into population dynamics, summarizes the state of significant applications of the theory, and points to open problems. The central picture in this theory is of a time-varying but statistically stationary equilibrium for population, sharply distinct from the notions of classical demography. The deepest biological insights from the theory reveal the temporal structure of life histories to be a rich arena for natural selection.
Confirmation of Babinski-like response in periodic movements in sleep (nocturnal myoclonus)

Periodic movements in sleep (PMS), also called nocturnal myoclonus, is a disorder of unknown etiology (Coleman 1982). It has been reported in association with many sleep disorders and has also been observed in asymptomatic persons (Bixler et al. 1978; Coleman et al. 1980). It is of importance clinically because it is responsible for 12% of all cases of insomnia (Coleman et al. 1982). The foot and leg movements in PMS are characterized by dorsiflexion of the ankle, extension of the great toe, extension and fanning of the small toes, and partial flexion of the knee and hip (Guilleminauh et al. 1975; Coleman et al. 1980; Smith 198.5); clonic movements about the ankle and toes have also been described (Lugaresi et al. 1968; Smith 1985). As these movements closely resemble the clinical Babinski response (Smith 198.5) and as PMS (Coleman 1982) and the normally occurring nocturnal Babinski response (Fujiki et al. 1971) are phenomena of NREM sleep, the author recently proposed that the foot and leg movements of PMS are Babinski-like responses due to changes in the pyramidal tracts during NREM sleep (Smith 1985). The conclusion that these foot and leg move-
Social–environmental factors related to prenatal smoking

Abstract Introduction Cigarette smoking during pregnancy is a significant public health issue that has profound effects on maternal and fetal health. Although many women stop smoking upon pregnancy recognition, a large number continue. Given the higher burden of smoking among low-income women, the focus of this study is to examine the impact of pre-conception social–environmental influences on smoking cessation during the first trimester of pregnancy. Methods Pregnant women who presented for prenatal were asked to complete a screening form at their first prenatal appointment. Women who agreed to participate were scheduled for a total of four interviews; a prenatal interview at the end of each trimester and a postnatal interview at 2 months of infant age. The sample for the current report consisted of pregnant women (first trimester) with a partner (N = 316). Results After controlling for pre-conception heaviness of smoking, a number of social–environmental factors were associated with smoking during the first trimester. Women were more likely to smoke during the first trimester if their partner was a smoker; however, the presence of other household smokers was not associated with increased risk for smoking. Additionally, women with a greater proportion of friends (but not relatives) who smoked and more frequent exposure to environmental tobacco were more likely to smoke. Conclusions This work found differential impacts of the social network on smoking suggesting that understanding relationship type, not simply number of smokers, may be important for smoking cessation efforts. Understanding differences in social network influences on smoking can help to inform interventions.
Psychosocial Coping Strategies and Cardiac Capacity before and after Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

One hundred patients, eighty-nine men and eleven women, with chronic stable angina who were previously selected for aortocoronary bypass grafting gave informed consent for non-invasive and invasive testing of hemodynamic responses to symptom-limited maximal exercise before surgery. Psychosocial coping strategies were evaluated preoperatively by structured interviews and assessment of patients perceptions of symptoms (Cornell Medical Index) and life changes (Holmes and Rahe Schedule of Recent Experiences). Preoperatively forty-one patients were “compartmentalized,” forty-two “generalized” and seventeen “vacillated” according to Josten's classification of coping strategies. The Berle Index of social assets was lower and the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms (Cornell categories M to R) was greater in the vacillators preoperatively. Despite less ischemic ST depression in vacillators, no other significant physiological differences were noted between these categories preoperatively. Postoperatively more of the...
Chemiluminescence studies on the generation of oxygen radicals from the interaction of NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase with iron.

Abstract The ability of NADPH—cytochrome P -450 reductase to interact with iron and generate oxygen radicals was evaluated by assaying for low level chemiluminescence. The basic reaction system which contained the reductase, an NADPH-generating system, ferric-EDTA as an electron acceptor, and t -butyl hydroperoxide as the oxidant acceptor, resulted in the production of chemiluminescence. Omission of any of these components resulted in a complete loss of chemiluminescence. The light emission was completely sensitive to inhibition by glutathione and butylated hydroxytoluene, partially sensitive (about 60% decrease) to catalase and hydroxyl radical scavengers, and relatively insensitive (about 20% decrease) to superoxide dismutase. The ability of other ferric chelates to replace ferric-EDTA in catalyzing the reductase-dependent chemiluminescence was evaluated. Ferric-citrate, -ADP, -ATP, and ferric-ammonium sulfate were ineffective in promoting chemiluminescence, whereas ferric-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid was even more effective than ferric-EDTA. Thus, the ferric chelates, which catalyze reductase-dependent chemiluminescence, are those which are efficient electron acceptors from the reductase and were previously shown to be those capable of catalyzing hydroxyl radical production by microsomes and the reductase. It is suggested that chemiluminescence results from (a) the direct interaction of the reduced iron chelate with the hydroperoxide (Fenton-type of reaction) to generate alkoxyl and peroxyl radicals, and (b) the generation of hydroxyl radicals, which subsequently react with the hydroperoxide to generate secondary radicals. The latter, but not the former, would be sensitive to inhibition by catalase and competitive hydroxyl radical scavengers, whereas both would be sensitive to antioxidants such as butylated hydroxytoluene. Chemiluminescence appears to be a versatile tool for studying the reductase-dependent generation of oxygen radicals and for the interaction of reductase with iron.
Motor noise in outer hair cells

Outer hair cells in the mammalian ear has a membrane based motor which directly converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Such a motor is associated with the function of these cells in providing feedback to vibration in the inner ear. To obtain insights into the motor mechanism, we examined kinetics of charge transfer across the membrane in two different modes. One is to monitor charge transfer induced by changes in the membrane potential as an excess membrane capacitance. The other is to measure spontaneous flip-flops of charges across the membrane under voltage clamp condition as current noise. The noise spectrum of current was inverse Lorentzian and the capacitance was Lorentzian as theoretically expected. The characteristic frequency of the capacitance was about 10 kHz and that for current noise was about 30 kHz. This result is inconsistent with the prediction. The difference can be explained by a reciprocal effect of being a piezoelectric motor in that mechanical motion which is subjected to friction affects the frequency response.