cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Changes in cells, matrix and water of calcifying turkey leg tendons

Alterations in morphology and composition of ossifying turkey leg tendons were followed using biophysical and histochemical procedures in combination with improved methods of tissue preparation. The principal biophysical changes accompanying calcification were loss of water, increase in shrinkage temperature, shifts in form birefringence curves and increased resistance to the disrupting effects of potassium iodide. Fibroblasts of the tendon were modified to cuboidal cells; at the same time, intracellular lipid increased and presumptive secretion of glycoproteins and lipids into the contiguous matrix was observed. As the bony tendon matured, osteocytes appeared and the stainability of the matrix with the periodic acid-Schiff reagent and dinitrofluorobenzene was markedly diminished. The matrix changes were interpreted as representing increased cross-linking of a negatively charged biological polyelectrolyte. Concurrently, diminished binding of calcium, the formation of hydrophobic lipid-containing phases and the lowering of dielectric constant favor the precipitation of bone salts. During calcification, barriers to diffusion, including low vascularity, tend to create a closed, or partially closed, system in the tissue. Then, the mineral phases form with minimal transfer of electrolytes to the circulation. According to the phase rule, the formation of insoluble bone salts stabilizes the heterogeneous biological structure.
Blood flow affects light transmission but its impact on NIRS remains unclear.

Abstract While most investigators that use near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-based techniques do not believe that changes in light transmission are exclusively attributable to hemoglobin changes, most only consider the various hemoglobin moieties when decomposing the source signal. In their commentary, Tomita and colleagues challenge this assumption and speculate that the majority of the NIRS signal is due to flow effects rather than changes in hemoglobin. While the authors present convincing preliminary evidence that flow can affect light transmission, the authors stop short of providing conclusive evidence that the flow effect is indeed significant when using spectroscopic techniques. Nevertheless, the authors raise sufficient concern regarding the potential contribution of the “flow-effect” to warrant further investigations.
Calcium Dynamics and Generation of Propagating Waves in a Coupled Ensemble of Neurons with Random Connection Strengths

Recent experimental investigations of the brain show that excitatory α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazdepropionic acid (AMPA) secreting neurons, inhibitory γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) secreting neurons, and intracellular calcium play important roles in neural network activities. Specifically, they influence the synchronization and desynchronization of neural ensembles, calcium dynamics in neurons, the generation of waves which propagate along the network. To simulate these types of activities a neural network model is developed which takes into account AMPA and GABA synapses, intracellular calcium, and calcium stores. It is found that the neural network model produces different types of activities, synchronization and desynchronization of neural cells, and propagating waves which are observed in the experiments. The type of activity depends on the type of synapses, connection strengths, values of injected current, and calcium release rate from intracellular calcium store. A mechanism of propagating wave generation based on the reduced connectivity between neurons is proposed.
Studies on the activation of a model furan compound—toxicity and covalent binding of 2-(N-ethylcarbamoylhydroxymethyl)furan

Abstract 2-( N -ethylcarbamoylhydroxymethyl)furan was studied as a simple model for the entire class of toxic furans. This compound is toxic to both the lung and liver of the rat—covalent binding occurs predominantly in these target organs. The model was covalently bound to protein and nucleic acids throughout the cell; the enzymes responsible for activating the compound to a form(s) capable of covalently binding to these tissue macromolecules are localized in the microsomal and, to a much lesser extent, nuclear fractions of the cells of the target organs. Binding and toxicity appear to involve the furan moiety of the compound; this binding can be inhibited by added nucleophiles, but not by epoxide hydrase inhibitors. Studies utilizing both microsomes and highly purified reconstituted cytochrome P-450 systems for activation indicate that the reactive metabolite(s) possesses a certain amount of stability, in agreement with the observed distribution of the compound in vivo .
A constitutive model for transformation plasticity accompanying strain-induced martensitic transformations in metastable austenitic steels

Abstract We propose a constitutive model which describes the transformation plasticity accompanying strain-induced martensitic transformation in nonthermoelastic alloys. The model consists of two parts: a transformation kinetics law describing the evolution of the volume fraction of martensite and a constitutive law defining the flow strength of the evolving two-phase composite. The Olson-Cohen model for martensite volume fraction evolution is recast in a generalized rate form so that the extent of martensite nucleation is not only a function of plastic strain and temperature, but also of the stress state. A selfconsistent method is then used for predicting the resultant stress-strain behavior. The model describes both the hardening influence of the transformation product, and the softening influence of the transformation itself, as represented by a spontaneous transformation strain. The model is then implemented in a finite element program suitable for analysis of boundary value problems. Model predictions are compared with existing experimental data for austenitic steels. We present results from a few simple analyses, including tensile necking, illustrating the critical importance of stress state sensitivity in the evolution model.
Recent mating experience and olfactory preferences in androgenized female rats

Neonatally androgenized female rats display a behavioral preference for the odor of sexually receptive female rats. This preference is not seen under conditions of low sexual arousal, but is evident after a brief mating session. The results are discussed in regard to the “;masculinizing”; effects of early androgen treatment.
Solid-State NMR Studies of HIV-1 Capsid Protein Assemblies

In mature HIV-1 virions, the 26.6 kDa CA protein is assembled into a characteristic cone-shaped core (capsid) that encloses the RNA viral genome. The assembled capsid structure is best described by a fullerene cone model that is made up from a hexameric lattice containing a variable number of CA pentamers, thus allowing for closure of tubular or conical structures. In this paper, we present a solid-state NMR analysis of the wild-type HIV-1 CA protein, prepared as conical and spherical assemblies that are stable and are not affected by magic angle spinning of the samples at frequencies between 10 and 25 kHz. Multidimensional homo- and heteronuclear correlation spectra of CA assemblies of uniformly 13C,15N-labeled CA exhibit narrow lines, indicative of the conformational homogeneity of the protein in these assemblies. For the conical assemblies, partial residue-specific resonance assignments were obtained. Analysis of the NMR spectra recorded for the conical and spherical assemblies indicates that the CA pr...
Abstract 1678: Visualization of thymidine kinase 1 on the surface of cancer cell lines: A potential diagnostic marker and therapeutic target

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Thymidine Kinase 1(TK1) is a salvage pathway enzyme that has been shown to be elevated in many different cancer types, including breast, prostate, and colon. Previous research in our lab using plasma membrane separation has shown an increase in TK1 levels associated with the plasma membrane of cancer cells when compared to normal lymphocytes. After membrane separation the plasma membrane of normal lymphocytes showed a TK1 activity of 1,012 CPM/mg protein/hr(N=20) whereas those of cancer cells showed: Jurkat 34,096(N=28), Raji 70,195(N=20), HL60 46,217(N=34), and MDA-MB-435 50,359(N=24). In this study we sought to further investigate this association by visualizing the surface staining of fluorescently tagged antibodies to TK1. Using a primary rabbit anti-TK1 antibody and a secondary goat anti-rabbit antibody conjugated with a FITC fluorochrome we were able to stain the cells and identify TK1 bound to the cell surface. Using a fluorescent microscope we were able to visualize the fluorescent staining of TK1 in various cancer cell lines, including: Raji, Jurkat, HL60, MDA-MB-435, H358, and MCF-7. We compared these results to our control of stained normal lymphocytes, which showed significantly greater levels of staining in cancer cells. Our results further confirm the presence of membrane associated TK1, and provide further evidence of TK1's usefulness as a diagnostic marker and potential therapeutic target. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1678. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-1678
Varieties of Privacy in Charlotte Smith's Poetry

This essay proposes a reconsideration of the Romantic category of the private in the wake of the field’s recent wave of studies focusing on the public sphere and sociability. Charlotte Smith’s sustained treatment of private experience in her poetry provides the occasion for asking how the period’s long‐standing association with the private might be read differently in the aftermath of a new understanding of myriad Romantic publics, and in particular, the reading public. Across her long career, Smith developed varieties of privacy that are most starkly distinguished in works that begin and end her career, Elegiac Sonnets (1784) and the poem Beachy Head (1806). While the former strictly defines privacy as solitude and secrecy, the latter equates privacy with intimacy, a difference that may be gauged by her poet’s implied relationship with readers. Beachy Head thus shares with the contemporaneous genre of the familiar letter a notion of writing as conversation across time and distance and of the physical obj...
Trends in Indicators of Eutrophication in Western Long Island Sound and the Hudson-Raritan Estuary

Significant improvements in water quality have been observed for several decades throughout much of the Hudson-Raritan Estuary, primarily as a result of regional abatement of municipal and industrial discharges. These improvements include area-wide, order-of-magnitude reductions in ambient coliform concentrations and significant increases in dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations. In contrast to these improvements, DO in bottom waters of the western Long Island Sound (WLIS) appears to have decreased in the last two decades. Although there is no consensus as to why hypoxia in WLIS may have recently become more severe, several related hypotheses have been suggested, including an increase in eutrophication, increased density stratification, and changes in wastewater loads. To determine if eutrophication has increased in WLIS, trends in several indicators of eutrophication were examined from a long-term water quality data set. Since the mid-1980s surface DO supersaturation has increased, bottom minimum DO has decreased, and vertical DO stratification has increased in WLIS. Other areas of the Hudson-Raritan Estuary, such as Jamaica Bay and Raritan Bay, exhibit similar evidence of declining water quality and may be experiencing increasing eutrophication. Temporal changes in vertical density stratification indicate that surface to bottom temperature differences have increased to a greater extent and have had a more significant impact on bottom DO depletion in WLIS than in the shallower Jamaica Bay and Raritan Bay. Additional factors contributing to the observed decline in water quality include recent changes in wastewater loads and possible increases in upstream and nonpoint source loads.
Impact of scale on signed, unsigned, authentic and phantom zero crossings in a noisy environment

Scale-space description of an image refers to the descriptions of the same image at different resolutions. One popular scale-space representation, the topic of this research, is obtained by passing an image through a bank of smoothing filters (each tuned to a different scale) and detecting the zero crossings (z.c.s) of the second derivative (Laplacian) of the outputs. Any z.c. based algorithm will be affected by the corruption of the z.c.s due to the input noise. Statistical analysis of the z.c.s is used to determine the effect of scale change on the different types of z.c.s. We also study the computational and performance trade-offs involved in choosing scale. Statistical analysis of the z.c.s is nontrivial. The 2 main reasons are: (i) detection of z.c.s is a nonlinear operation, and (ii) the noise at different scales is correlated. In this paper we identify different types of z.c.s and compute the densities of their occurrence in the presence of white and colored noise. The formulae for computing the z.c. densities are applicable to any smoothing filter. The special case of Gaussian smoothing filters is investigated in depth. It is demonstrated how thea priori knowledge about the input image is reflected in the performance of an algorithm which uses the z.c.s as the primitives. Other applications of the statistical analysis of z.c.s include design of optimum smoothing filter, performance analysis and active multiscaling. It is quantitatively demonstrated how the performance of a scale-space system improves as more and morea priori knowledge about the scene is incorporated.
Reverse micelle synthesis and characterization of supported Pt/Ni bimetallic catalysts on γ-Al2O3

Abstract Reverse micelle synthesis was used to improve the nanoparticle size uniformity of bimetallic Pt/Ni nanoparticles supported on γ-Al 2 O 3 . Two impregnation methods were investigated to optimize the use of the micelle method: (1) step-impregnation, where Ni nanoparticles were chemically reduced in microemulsion and then supported, followed by Pt deposition using incipient wetness impregnation, and (2) co-impregnation, where Ni and Pt were chemically reduced simultaneously in microemulsion and then supported. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to characterize the particle size distribution. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) was used to perform elemental analysis of bimetallic catalysts. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements were utilized to confirm the formation of the Pt–Ni bimetallic bond in the step-impregnated catalyst. CO pulse chemisorption and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies of 1,3-butadiene hydrogenation in a batch reactor were performed to determine the catalytic activity. Step-impregnated Pt/Ni catalyst demonstrated enhanced hydrogenation activity over the parent monometallic Pt and Ni catalysts due to bimetallic bond formation. The catalyst synthesized using co-impregnation showed no enhanced activity, behaving similarly to monometallic Ni. Overall, our results indicate that reverse micelle synthesis combined with incipient wetness impregnation produced small, uniform nanoparticles with bimetallic bonds that enhanced hydrogenation activity.
Effective fuzzy logic approach to image enhancement

This paper presents a fuzzy enhancement algorithm for image enhancement based on a fuzzy membership function and a contrast intensification transformation function using the average fuzzy membership grade with neighbors. Our algorithm has the following features: (1) fully employs the information of neighbors and utilizes the two-step nonlinear transformations, (2) reduces noise by using a smoothing operator in fuzzy singletons, and (3) keeps the edges intact.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Tracking an aerodynamic model in a wind tunnel with a stereo high-speed imaging system

A method is presented to track the 3D motion of an aerodynamic model in wind tunnel tests with a stereo high-speed imaging system. The imaging system includes two high-speed cameras that work at 4,000 frames per second with a digital resolution of 1024×512 pixels. Stereo image recordings of tracking markers, which are precisely distributed on the model surface, are captured with a limited view angle difference between the two cameras. The stereo images are calibrated and 2D positions of tracking markers in the image frame are determined with a correlation-based algorithm. The camera positions and view angles are calibrated with a target shifting test. The determined 2D positions of both camera views in each stereo image recording are used to reconstruct instantaneous 3D coordinates of the tracking markers. A minimum quadratic difference approach is used to determine the center coordinates, roll angle, pitch angle and yaw angle of the aerodynamic model in the wind tunnel. Tests and simulations were conducted to verify the method.
Sublinear time approximate clustering

Clustering is of central importance in a number of disciplines including Machine Learning, Statistics, and Data Mining. This paper has two foci: (1) It describes how existing algorithms for clustering can benefit from simple sampling techniques arising from work in statistics [Pol84]. (2) It motivates and introduces a new model of clustering that is in the spirit of the “PAC (probably approximately correct)” learning model, and gives examples of efficient PAC-clustering algorithms.
Does a biological clock reside in the eye of quail

The site (intra- vs. extraocular) of the circadian clock driving an ocular melatonin rhythm in Japanese quail was investigated by alternately covering the left and right eyes of individual quail, otherwise held in constant light (LL), for 12-hr periods. This procedure exposed each eye to a light-dark (LD) 12:12 light cycle 180 degrees (12 hr) out of phase with the LD 12:12 light cycle experienced by the other eye. This protocol entrained the melatonin rhythm in the left eye of quail 180 degrees out of phase with the rhythm expressed in the right eye. These results are compatible with the hypothesis that an independent light-entrainable circadian pacemaker resides in each eye; they are incompatible with the hypothesis that a single (or functionally single) extraocular pacemaker drives the ocular melatonin rhythm in both eyes. However, the results are also compatible with a model in which two independent extraocular circadian pacemakers, each with an exclusive photic input from one eye, drive the ocular melatonin rhythm.
Decisions, Dynamics and the Japanese Particle yo

I provide an account of the Japanese sentence-final particle yo within a dynamic semantics framework. I argue that yo is used with one of two intonational morphemes, corresponding to sentence-final rising or falling tunes. These intonational morphemes modify a sentence's illocutionary force head, adding an addressee-directed update semantics to the utterance. The different intonational contours specify whether this update is monotonic or non-monotonic. The use of yo is then argued to contribute a pragmatic presupposition to the utterance saying that the post-update discourse context is one in which the addressee's contextual decision problem is resolved. This proposal is shown to account for a range of constraints on the felicitous use of yo, including its restriction to addressee-new and addressee-relevant information in assertions, as well as its behaviour in imperatives and interrogatives.
The influence of listener experience and academic training on ratings of nasality.

Abstract This study assessed listener agreement levels for nasality ratings, and the strength of relationship between nasality ratings and nasalance scores on one hand, and listener clinical experience and formal academic training in cleft palate speech on the other. The listeners were 12 adults who represented four levels of clinical experience and academic training in cleft palate speech. Three listeners were teachers with no clinical experience and no academic training (TR), three were graduate students in speech-language pathology (GS) with academic training but no clinical experience, three were craniofacial surgeons (MD) with extensive experience listening to cleft palate speech but with no academic training in speech disorders, and three were certified speech-language pathologists (SLP) with both extensive academic training and clinical experience. The speech samples were audio recordings from 20 persons representing a range of nasality from normal to severely hypernasal. Nasalance scores were obtained simultaneously with the audio recordings. Results revealed that agreement levels for nasality ratings were highest for the SLPs, followed by the MDs. Thus, the more experienced groups tended to be more reliable. Mean nasality ratings obtained for each of the rater groups revealed an inverse relationship with experience. That is, the two groups with clinical experience (SLP and MD) tended to rate nasality lower than the two groups without experience (GS and TR). Correlation coefficients between nasalance scores and nasality judgments were low to moderate for all groups and did not follow a pattern. Educational outcomes As a result of this activity, the reader will be able to (1) describe the influence of listener experience and academic training in cleft palate speech on perceptual ratings of nasality. (2) describe the influence of experience and training on the nasality/nasalance relationship and, (3) compare the present findings to previous findings reported in the literature.
The effects of domestic violence on children's behavior problems: Assessing the moderating roles of poverty and marital status

Abstract Using four waves across 5 years of a recent longitudinal dataset, this study examined whether the effects of domestic violence at Year 1 on children's behavior problems at Year 5 differed by poverty and marital status. Findings from multiple-group structural equation modeling revealed that children in poor families were less affected by domestic violence than those in non-poor families, for both externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. Children in unmarried-mother families were more affected by domestic violence for externalizing behavior problems, whereas they were less affected for internalizing behavior problems, compared to children in married-mother families. Findings from this study highlight that the effects of domestic violence on the behavior problems of children vary by socioeconomic categories, such as poverty and marital status, and, therefore, that children's and their mothers' needs in violent families may vary widely as well.
An intuitive approach to a generalized parton picture for high-energy lepton-hadron scattering

Abstract A generalized parton picture is developed, based on the impulse approximation. A parton is allowed to have non-point-like elastic form factors; inelastic current-parton scattering is taken into account explicitly. The amplitude of any exclusive channel of lepton-induced reactions is written down, with the parts containing the long-distance and the short-distance behavior of interaction dynamics clearly separated. Scaling violation is a natural feature of this picture. The inelastic structure functions, W 1 and νW 2 , are studied in this scheme using various different theories; perturbative QCD, the scale-invariant parton model, the hadron bootstrap picture, and a phenomenological stripped-down hadron-parton model. The application of this picture to elastic lepton-hadron scattering and the problem of the selection of an infinite momentum frame are also discussed.
A blue-green pigment isolated from blood plasma of the arctic sculpin ( Myoxocephalus scorpioides )

Aus dem Blutplasma und der Haut des arktischen SpinnenfischesMyoxocephalus scorpioides wurde ein blaugrunes Chromoprotein isoliert.
Open source software development: expectations and experience from a small development project

Open Source Software (OSS) is software that provides access to its source code in order to allow users to improve and redistribute the software. The emergence of OSS has introduced new ways to develop, test, and maintain software. While several success stories about large-scale OSS projects are reported, little research has been done on how small-scale OSS projects are managed by OSS developers. This paper reports preliminary findings from our experience with a small OSS project, while discussing differences between software processes in large- and small-scale OSS developments.
Radio frequency signal transmission on medium voltage power distribution lines

A series of tests measuring HF signal attenuation were performed on a de-energized 15 kV three-phase power distribution feeder. The feeder consisted of a U-shaped line measuring approximately 208 m in length with varying line geometry around the circuit. RF signals in the range of 2 to 30 MHz were injected in one phase of the feeder and the propagated responses were measured at two locations along the feeder. Tests were conducted with and without shunt power equipment (distribution transformers, arresters and capacitors) connected to the feeder. The characteristic line impedance of different line geometries was calculated by analytical means and found to be consistent with experimental results. Attenuation and characteristic impedance were found to be relatively constant at frequencies between 15 and 30 MHz with minimal influence from line geometry and power equipment placement.
The ‘Third Wave’ Of HIV Prevention: Filling Gaps In Integrated Interventions, Knowledge, And Funding

There is growing optimism in the global health community that the HIV epidemic can be halted. After decades of relying primarily on behavior change to prevent HIV transmission, a second generation of prevention efforts based on medical or biological interventions such as male circumcision and preexposure prophylaxis--the use of antiretroviral drugs to protect uninfected, at-risk individuals--has shown promising results. This article calls for a third generation of HIV prevention efforts that would integrate behavioral, biological, and structural interventions focused on the social, political, and environmental underpinnings of the epidemic, making use of local epidemiological evidence to target affected populations. In this third wave, global programs should deliver HIV prevention services together with cost-effective interventions for reproductive health and for tuberculosis, malaria, and other diseases. Additionally, new efforts are needed to address gaps in HIV prevention research, evaluation, and implementation. Increased and sustained funding, along with evidence-based allocation of funds, will be necessary to accelerate the decline in new HIV infections.
Synthesis, molecular modeling, and biology of the 1-benzyl derivative of APDC-AN apparent mGluR6 selective ligand

The synthesis of the 1-benzyl derivative of (2R,4R)-4-aminopyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid (1-benzyl-APDC) starting from cis-4-hydroxy-D-proline is disclosed together with a study of the activity of this compound at metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). The compound was found to display good mGluR6 selectivity, and may thus be a useful pharmacological research tool.
Fifteen Micrometer Microspheres Reflux Up the Pulmonary Veins during Pulmonary Artery Occlusion

Abstract The systemic arterial blood supply to the lung (bronchial blood flow, Q br ) is commonly measured using the reference flow technique by injecting radiolabeled microspheres into the left atrium (LA) and simultaneously collecting a reference blood sample from a large artery such as the aorta. These measurements are often done with the pulmonary artery occluded prior to the time of injection. We have reported previously that left atrial blood refluxes up the pulmonary veins following pulmonary artery (PA) occlusion. We designed this experiment to determine if 15μ microspheres reflux from the LA into the left lung (i) when the left PA is occluded prior to microsphere injection and (ii) when the left PA is open during the injection. We calculated Q br to the left lung after simultaneous left ventricular (LV) and LA injections of different radiolabeled microspheres in anesthetized, closed-chest, prone goats. When the PA was open (but occluded 5 sec after the microsphere injection), Q br calculated from an LA injection differed little from that calculated from an LV injection of microspheres. However, when the PA was occluded prior to injection of the microspheres, Q br calculated from an LA injection was significantly higher than that calculated from an LV injection suggesting that microspheres reflux from the LA to the lung.
Effects of Carborane-Containing Liquid Crystals on the Stability of Smectic Phases

The mesogenic properties of three structurally similar compounds containing 1,10-dicarbadecaborane, 1,12-dicarbadodecaborane (carboranes), or bicyclo[2.2.2]octane are investigated in pure states and binary mixtures. The carborane-containing compounds (BC10 and BC12) exhibit nematic and monotropic smectic C transitions at lower temperatures than the analogous bicyclo[2.2.2]octane compound (BO1). The thermal stabilities of the smectic phases for BO1 are generally reduced by addition of the carborane analogues except for the smectic C phase, the stability of which is enhanced for equimolar concentrations. The effects exerted by the carborane mesogens on mesophase stability are consistent with their relative molecular sizes.
Multinuclear NMR study of enzyme hydration in an organic solvent

Multinuclear NMR spectroscopy has been used to study water bound to subtilisin Carlsberg suspended in tetrahydrofuran (THF), with the water itself employed as a probe of the hydration layer's physicochemical and dynamic characteristics. The presence of the enzyme did not affect the intensity, chemical shift or linewidth of water (up to 8% v/v) added to THF, as measured by 17O- and 2H-NMR. This finding suggests that hydration of subtilisin can be described by a three-state model that includes tightly bound, loosely bound, and free water. Solid-state 2H-NMR spectra of enzyme-bound D2O support the existence of a non-exchanging population of tightly bound water. An important implication is that the loosely-bound water is the same as free water from an NMR viewpoint. This loosely bound water must also be the water responsible for the large increase in catalytic activity observed in previous hydration studies. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 57: 686–693, 1998
SUCCESSFUL MARROW RE-TRANSPLANTATION FOLLOWING FAILURE OF FIRST TRANSPLANT FOR APLASTIC ANEMIA

An 11 year old girl with aplastic anemia of unknown etiology was transplanted with MLC and HLA identical sibling marrow following 4 doses of Cyclophosphamide (CY) 50 mg/kg. She had received multiple blood transfusions before transplantation (TP). Three weeks following TP the marrow was repopulating, but 4 weeks later the marrow was again aplastic. Immunosuppression with Procarbazine, anti-thymocyte globulin, and a repeat course of CY were given followed by a second TP from the same donor. A take of donor marrow cells now occurred and has persisted to the present (140 days after TP). No evidence of graftversus-host disease was seen; PHA responsive peripheral blood lymphocytes have remained predominantly of host type. The patient has remained in excellent clinical health. Her B cell function is normalizing, but her T cell function is as yet depressed.
Uraniferous waters of the Arkansas River valley, Colorado, U.S.A.: A function of geology and land use

Abstract The effect of local geology and land-use practices on dissolved U was investigated by analysis of surface water and some springs in the Arkansas River valley of southeastern Colorado. Water samples were collected during a 2 week period in April, 1991. The rate of increase of U concentration with distance downriver increased markedly as the river flowed from predominantly undeveloped lands underlain by igneous and metamorphic rocks to agriculturally developed lands underlain by marine shale and limestone. An additional abrupt increase in dissolved U was observed along the section of river where discharge is often greatly reduced because of extensive diversions for irrigation and where remaining flow is largely composed of irrigation return water. Dissolved U in this last section of river and in most of its tributaries exceeded the proposed U.S. drinking water standard of 20 μ/L In water samples collected from agricultural areas dissolved U showed strong positive correlation with major dissolved constituents Na, Ca, Mg, and SO4 that increase as a result of sulfate mineral dissolution and clay mineral ion-exchange reactions in weathered shale bedrock and shaley soils. Highly soluble minor and trace elements Cl, Li, B, Sr, and Se that are not subject to strong sorptive uptake or precipitation in this setting also correlated positively with U. These combined observations indicate that natural leaching of U-bearing shale bedrock and derivative soils, additional leaching of rock and soil by irrigation water, and evaporative concentration in a semi-arid climate can produce concentrations of dissolved U in surface water and shallow ground water that may threaten nearby drinking water supplies. Other agriculturally developed areas of the semi-arid Western U.S. with similar geology are likely to contain high concentrations of U in irrigation drain water.
Comments on GaAs MESFET baseband-to-microwave passive switches

In two recent publications on broadband passive GaAS MESFET switches (ibid., vol.36, no.12, p.1604-13, Dec. 1988 and IEEE Trans. Electron. Devices, vol.ED-34, p.2595-602, Dec. 1987), M.J. Schindler et al. presented the low-power, low-frequency characteristics of these useful components. While complete characteristics were presented over the microwave spectrum, power-handling capability was not presented below 3 GHz. The commenters emphasize that the power-handling capability, as well as related nonlinearities such as total harmonic distortion, degrades significantly at lower frequencies in previously reported GaAs MESFET switches, and they expect similar characteristics in these recently reported switches as well. While this power-handling reduction is not significant for most RF and microwave users, there are negative implications for broadband, baseband applications such as instrumentation and signal processing. >
Comment on “Treatment of chronic prostatitis in Chinese men” by Liang CZ et al. in Asian Journal of Andrology

The manuscript by Liang et al. 1 entitled Treatment of chronic prostatitis in Chinese men appears to be an important and comprehensive analysis of the issue of chronic prostatitis (CP) as well as treatment avenues that are pursued within a Chinese population. The analyses of more than 12 000 men confirm other studies 2 which demonstrate that CP represents a large problem in adult male populations. Even the numbers that are seen in urology clinics may under represent the true magnitude of these symptom profiles that are observed. This study also confirms the fact that antibiotics, as commonly used, do not seem to have much efficacy within this group. As a number of investigators 3 have demonstrated, CP is more than just a bacterial infection and may not even be an infection at all. The unique aspects of this manuscript from my perspective are the large numbers of patients that were analyzed as well as the unique nature of this population. It reaffirms our desperate need to understand more about the disease of CP and its underlying mechanisms. This information is necessary in order to understand how to provide some relief to these large numbers of men presenting with this disease.
Should clinicians integrate medical and psychological interventions for the treatment of functional dyspepsia

Should clinicians integrate medical and psychological interventions for the treatment of functional dyspepsia?
A Caulobacter MreB mutant with irregular cell shape exhibits compensatory widening to maintain a preferred surface area to volume ratio

Summary Rod-shaped bacteria typically elongate at a uniform width. To investigate the genetic and physiological determinants involved in this process, we studied a mutation in the morphogenetic protein MreB in Caulobacter crescentus that gives rise to cells with a variable-width phenotype, where cells have regions that are both thinner and wider than wild-type. During growth, individual cells develop a balance of wide and thin regions, and mutant MreB dynamically localizes to poles and thin regions. Surprisingly, the surface area to volume ratio of these irregularly shaped cells is, on average, very similar to wild-type. We propose that, while mutant MreB localizes to thin regions and promotes rod-like growth there, wide regions develop as a compensatory mechanism, allowing cells to maintain a wild-type-like surface area to volume ratio. To support this model, we have shown that cell widening is abrogated in growth conditions that promote higher surface area to volume ratios, and we have observed individual cells with high ratios return to wild-type levels over several hours by developing wide regions, suggesting that compensation can take place at the level of individual cells.
The Saccharomyces SUN gene, UTH1, is involved in cell wall biogenesis

Deletion of the Saccharomyces gene, UTH1, a founding member of the SUN family of fungal genes, has pleiotropic effects. Several phenotypes of Deltauth1 cells including their decreased levels of mitochondrial proteins, their impaired autophagic degradation of mitochondria, and their increased viability in the presence of mammalian BAX, a proapoptotic regulator localized to the mitochondria, have prompted others to propose that the Uth1p functions primarily at the mitochondria. In this report, we show that cells lacking UTH1 have more robust cell walls with higher levels of beta-d-glucan that allows them to grow in the presence of calcofluor white or sodium dodecyl sulfate, two reagents known to perturb the yeast cell wall. Moreover, these Deltauth1 cells are also significantly more resistant to spheroplast formation induced by zymolyase treatment than their wild-type counterparts. Surprisingly, our data suggest that several of the enhanced growth phenotypes of Deltauth1 cells, including their resistance to BAX-mediated toxicity, arise from a strengthened cell wall. Therefore, we propose that Uth1p's role at the cell wall and not at the mitochondria may better explain many of its effects on yeast physiology and programmed cell death.
Measurements of neutral depletion effects and techniques for initiating low pressure, high power helicon plasmas

A flowing argon helicon plasma is formed in a 10 cm diameter, 1.5 m long Pyrex chamber with an axial magnetic field in nozzle or flat configuration, variable up to 1 kG in the source region. Experimental upgrades have allowed for operation at high, pulsed RF powers (up to 10 kW at 13.56 MHz) and low flow rates and pressures (as low as 1 sccm and 10−5 Torr). Neutral-collisional plasma exists upstream of the half-turn, double helix antenna and neutral-collisionless plasma exists downstream, leading to bulk plasma acceleration due to reduced neutral drag. Calculated variation of the RF frequency (from 12 MHz to 15 MHz) during the 5 ms pulse allows for low (≪3%) reflected powers during the gas breakdown and the approach to and formation of the steady state plasma. Microwave interferometry (105 GHz), collisional radiative spectroscopic codes and diamagnetic loops are used to measure electron density and temperature [1]. An initial transient high-density peak (≫1014/cc) is observed followed by the development of a neutrally depleted steady state plasma (≫1012/cc). Neutral depletion is observed along with substantial plasma acceleration. We also present results from AntenaII and MAXEB 1 and 2-D finite difference modeling of the helicon wave coupling from the antenna in collisional and collisionless wave regimes to determine the spatial absorption profile of the wave and compare with experimental observations.
Female genital mutilation. An issue on the doorstep of the American medical community.

After a brief introduction the first part of this article on female genital mutilation (FGM) opens by presenting a definition and history of FGM and describing the medical and health (physical and psychological) consequences of the procedure which can cause death (four girls have bled to death in England as a result of FGM since 1978). The next section reviews the international debate around FGM and the legislative efforts taken to address the problem. Legislative efforts to curb FGM have been more successful in European than in African countries where bans have largely been ignored. The third section briefly considers the fact that FGM was prescribed in the US as treatment to control certain behaviors throughout the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. This section looks at judicial and legislative action to eradicate FGM among refugees and immigrants to the US including the 1995 Federal Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act. The second part of the article presents an analysis of the criminalization of FGM in the US. The law has an obligation to intervene when a parents religious beliefs endanger the life and health of a child and immigrants to the US have no constitutional protection afforded to the practice of the cultural traditions of their homeland. The US by banning FGM and providing for educational and outreach activities to eradicate the practice has taken a stand against FGM and can help eradicate the practice worldwide.
Oral fluid cannabinoids in chronic frequent cannabis smokers during ad libitum cannabis smoking

Oral fluid (OF) offers a simple, non-invasive, directly observable sample collection for clinical and forensic drug testing. Given that chronic cannabis smokers often engage in drug administration multiple times daily, evaluating OF cannabinoid pharmacokinetics during ad libitum smoking is important for practical development of analytical methods and informed interpretation of test results. Eleven cannabis smokers resided in a closed research unit for 51 days, and underwent four, 5-day oral delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) treatments. Each medication period was separated by 9 days of ad libitum cannabis smoking from 12:00 to 23:00 h daily. Ten OF samples were collected from 9:00-22:00 h on each of the last ad libitum smoking days (Study Days 4, 18, 32, and 46). As the number of cannabis cigarettes smoked increased over the study days, OF THC, cannabinol (CBN), and 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC (THCCOOH) also increased with a significant effect of time since last smoking (Δtime; range, 0.0-17.4 h) and ≥88% detection rates; concentrations on Day 4 were significantly lower than those on Days 32 and 46 but not Day 18. Within 30 min of smoking, median THC, CBN, and THCCOOH concentrations were 689 µg/L, 116 µg/L, and 147 ng/L, respectively, decreasing to 19.4 µg/L, 2.4 µg/L, and 87.6 ng/L after 10 h. Cannabidiol and 11-hydroxy-THC showed overall lower detection rates of 29 and 8.6%, respectively. Cannabinoid disposition in OF was highly influenced by Δtime and composition of smoked cannabis. Furthermore, cannabinoid OF concentrations increased over ad libitum smoking days, in parallel with increased cannabis self-administration, possibly reflecting development of increased cannabis tolerance. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Language: en
Linear and nonlinear contributions to orientation tuning of simple cells in the cat's striate cortex

Orientation selectivity is one of the most conspicuous receptive-field (RF) properties that distinguishes neurons in the striate cortex from those in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). It has been suggested that orientation selectivity arises from an elongated array of feedforward LGN inputs (Hubel & Wiesel, 1962). Others have argued that cortical mechanisms underlie orientation selectivity (e.g. Sillito, 1975; Somers et al., 1995). However, isolation of each mechanism is experimentally difficult and no single study has analyzed both processes simultaneously to address their relative roles. An alternative approach, which we have employed in this study, is to examine the relative contributions of linear and nonlinear mechanisms in sharpening orientation tuning. Since the input stage of simple cells is remarkably linear, the nonlinear contribution can be attributed solely to cortical factors. Therefore, if the nonlinear component is substantial compared to the linear contribution, it can be concluded that cortical factors play a prominent role in sharpening orientation tuning. To obtain the linear contribution, we first measure RF profiles of simple cells in the cat's striate cortex using a binary m-sequence noise stimulus. Then, based on linear spatial summation of the RF profile, we obtain a predicted orientation-tuning curve, which represents the linear contribution. The nonlinear contribution is estimated as the difference between the predicted tuning curve and that measured with drifting sinusoidal gratings. We find that measured tuning curves are generally more sharply tuned for orientation than predicted curves, which indicates that the linear mechanism is not enough to account for the sharpness of orientation-tuning. Therefore, cortical factors must play an important role in sharpening orientation tuning of simple cells. We also examine the relationship of RF shape (subregion aspect ratio) and size (subregion length and width) to orientation-tuning halfwidth. As expected, predicted tuning halfwidths are found to depend strongly on both subregion length and subregion aspect ratio. However, we find that measured tuning halfwidths show only a weak correlation with subregion aspect ratio, and no significant correlation with RF length and width. These results suggest that cortical mechanisms not only serve to sharpen orientation tuning, but also serve to make orientation tuning less dependent on the size and shape of the RF. This ensures that orientation is represented equally well regardless of RF size and shape.
Benthic Algae Taxa (Exclusive of Diatoms) of the Little River Basin, Western Kentucky, 2000–2003

ABSTRACT The Little River is a highly disturbed system, heavily impacted by non-point source pollution from agricultural runoff in the form of excessive siltation, nitrogen and phosphorus, and organic pollution. Sixty-seven taxa of non-diatom benthic algae were documented for 16 sites in the Little River basin of western Kentucky during four sampling periods in 2000 and 2003. Algal taxa most often encountered included members of the Cyanophyta: Oscillatoria lutea (15 of 16 sites), O. subbrevis (13 of 16 sites), and Schizothrix calcicola (15 of 16 sites). Chlorophyta taxa most often encountered included Oedogonium sp. and Rhizoclonium hieroglyphicum, both at 10 of 16 sites. No trends were found between the algal taxa and areas of nutrient enrichment in the Little River basin. Because little is known of the benthic algal flora in the Little River, this report represents information complementary to that published previously on the benthic diatom taxa found at the same sites during the same study period.