cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Improved 4’-Aminomethyltroxsalen-Based DNA Crosslinker for Biotinylation of DNA

Abstract Nucleic acid crosslinkers that covalently join commentary strands have applications as both pharmaceuticals and biochemical probes. Psoralen is a popular crosslinker moiety that reacts with double stranded DNA and RNA upon irradiation with long wave UV light. A commercially available compound EZ-Link Psoralen-PEG3-Biotin has been used in many studies to crosslink DNA and double strand RNA for genome-wide investigations. Here we present a novel probe, AP3B, which uses a psoralen derivative, 4’-aminomethyltrioxsalen, to biotinylate nucleic acids. We show that this compound is 8-fold more effective at labeling DNA in cells and several hundred-fold more effective at crosslinking two strands of DNA in vitro than the commercially available compound EZ-Link Psoralen-PEG3-Biotin.
Opioid Misuse and the Availability of Medical Marijuana Through Dispensaries

Objective:In this study we assess whether changes in ZIP code–level density of medical marijuana facilities are related to changes in rates of opioid poisonings and opioid use disorder hospitalizat...
Feature Selection Using F-statistic Values for EEG Signal Analysis

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a highly complex and non-stationary signal that reflects the cortical electric activity. Feature selection and analysis of EEG for various purposes, such as epileptic seizure detection, are highly in demand. This paper presents an approach to enhance classification performance by selecting discriminative features from a combined feature set consisting of frequency domain and entropy based features. For each EEG channel, nine different features are extracted, including six sub-band spectral powers and three entropy values (sample, permutation and spectral entropy). Features are then ranked across all channels using F-statistic values and selected for SVM classification. Experimentation using CHB-MIT dataset shows that our method achieves average sensitivity, specificity and F-1 score of 92.63%, 99.72% and 91.21%, respectively.
Acute kidney injury during pregnancy leads to increased sFlt-1 and sEng and decreased renal T regulatory cells in pregnant rats with HELLP syndrome

The incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) during pregnancy precedes a high maternal mortality rate of 20–40%. AKI during pregnancy has multiple etiologies; however, the more common are maternal hypertensive disorders, which include preeclampsia and HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzyme, low platelet) syndrome. Therefore, we sought to assess the impact of AKI on blood pressure, kidney injury, and anti-angiogenic factors during pregnancies with and without HELLP syndrome. On gestational day (GD) 12, mini-osmotic pumps were inserted into a subset of normal pregnant (NP) rats infusing 4.7 μg/kg soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and 7 μg/kg soluble endoglin (sEng) to induce HELLP syndrome. On GD18, the renal pedicles were occluded for 45 min to induce AKI via bilateral ischemia reperfusion in a subset of NP (n = 18) or HELLP (n = 20) rats. Control NP (n = 20) and HELLP (n = 20) rats underwent a SHAM surgery on GD18. Plasma, urine, and maternal organs were saved for further analysis. Renal injury was assessed via renal histopathology, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), T cell infiltration, and assessment of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL). Data was measured via two-way analysis of variance with Tukey’s test for post hoc analysis. Blood pressures were increased in HELLP+AKI rats (p = 0.0001); both NP+AKI and HELLP+AKI rats had increased lactate dehydrogenase (p < 0.0001) and aspartate aminotransferase levels (p < 0.0001), and decreased platelet levels (p < 0.001) vs. NP rats. HELLP+AKI (p = 0.002) and HELLP rats (p = 0.0002) had evidence of renal fibrosis vs. NP rats. GFR was decreased in HELLP+AKI (p = 0.01) rats vs. NP rats. Urinary KIM-1 was increased in NP+AKI rats vs. NP (p = 0.003) and HELLP rats (p = 0.01). HELLP+AKI rats had increased urinary KIM-1 vs. NP (p = 0.0008) and HELLP rats (p = 0.004) and increased NGAL vs. HELLP rats (p = 0.002). HELLP+AKI rats had increased sFlt-1 (p = 0.009) vs. NP rats. NP+AKI (p = 0.02) and HELLP+AKI (p = 0.007) rats had increased sEng vs. NP rats. CD3+CD4+ T cells were significantly increased in HELLP+AKI rats vs. NP (p = 0.0002) and NP+AKI (p = 0.05) rats. T regulatory cells were significantly decreased in HELLP+AKI (p = 0.03) and NP+AKI (p = 0.02) rats vs. NP rats; there were no changes between groups in T helper 17 cells (p = 0.34). The findings in this study suggest that AKI during pregnancy contributes to increased blood pressure and biochemical markers for HELLP syndrome, creates an anti-angiogenic imbalance, and exacerbates kidney injury as shown on histopathology, GFR, and kidney injury markers.
New tools for theoretical comparison of rectangular and sine wave operation of ion traps, guides and mass filters

The first completely digital quadrupole mass filter was recently introduced. There is now a need to understand and demonstrate the benefits of digital operation and compare them to the commercial standards. Our work to date has demonstrated that sine and square wave operation are very similar because of their similar stability diagrams and because they use a direct current (DC) potential between the electrode pairs to narrow and limit the mass range. In contrast, rectangular wave-operated digital mass filters and ion traps narrow and limit the stable mass range with the waveform duty cycle without the need for a DC potential. To understand and compare the differences between rectangular and sinusoidal modes of operation, our group has developed new spreadsheet tools that permit calculation of the m/z versus frequency space stability diagrams with the application of a DC potential between the electrode sets for rectangular and sine waveforms, and plots of the pseudopotential well depth against the entire range of stable m/zs for rectangular and sine waveforms. Our spreadsheets were used to make comparisons between fixed-frequency variable-voltage and fixed-voltage variable-frequency modes of operation. They provide a comprehensive companion tool for operating in the laboratory frame and are tunable to the instrument. This manuscript introduces these tools as it compares sine and rectangular wave modes of operation and provides a basis for understanding the advantages and disadvantages of digital operation relative to conventional technology.
Village development program: The view of “askesiros” in social construction, a development reality of Local Papuan Residents in Manokwari Regency

This research purpose was to explore the knowledge and experience of local Papuan towards the village programs. Data was collected from three villages. This research gained the data by using the questionnaires, the focused group discussions (FGD), the observations, and the interviews. The view of life "askesiros" (progress) was an approach to village development that was subjective. Subsequently, it considered the development program as the domain and obligation of the government. Contradictory, the village elite felt that they had the right to enjoy the "askesiros" to accelerate program implementation. The development program needed to start from the village that was the idea from the government (Monuh). Its reason was in the past ten years when the programs destroyed vary profit, minimal participation, and assistance. They had shown a decline in the welfare of the needy population. Therefore, in the appreciating of the cultural value and the meaning of "Askesiros" as "Ororoisa" development (flowing down) needed the willingness and sincerity of the village elite, all program managers, and stakeholders.
Contemporary Management of Traumatic Duodenal Injuries.

BackgroundTraumatic duodenal injury is a rare, potentially devastating condition with challenging management decisions. Contemporary literature on operative management of duodenal injury is lacking...
Adaptive Neural Decoder for Prosthetic Hand Control.

The overarching goal was to resolve a major barrier to real-life prosthesis usability-the rapid degradation of prosthesis control systems, which require frequent recalibrations. Specifically, we sought to develop and test a motor decoder that provides (1) highly accurate, real-time movement response, and (2) unprecedented adaptability to dynamic changes in the amputee's biological state, thereby supporting long-term integrity of control performance with few recalibrations. To achieve that, an adaptive motor decoder was designed to auto-switch between algorithms in real-time. The decoder detects the initial aggregate motoneuron spiking activity from the motor pool, then engages the optimal parameter settings for decoding the motoneuron spiking activity in that particular state. "Clear-box" testing of decoder performance under varied physiological conditions and post-amputation complications was conducted by comparing the movement output of a simulated prosthetic hand as driven by the decoded signal vs. as driven by the actual signal. Pearson's correlation coefficient and Normalized Root Mean Square Error were used to quantify the accuracy of the decoder's output. Our results show that the decoder algorithm extracted the features of the intended movement and drove the simulated prosthetic hand accurately with real-time performance ( 0.98 to >0.99 and Normalized Root Mean Square Error <13-5%). Further, the decoder robustly decoded the spiking activity of multi-speed inputs, inputs generated from reversed motoneuron recruitment, and inputs reflecting substantial biological heterogeneity of motoneuron properties, also in real-time. As the amputee's neuromodulatory state changes throughout the day and the electrical properties and ratio of slower vs. faster motoneurons shift over time post-amputation, the motor decoder presented here adapts to such changes in real-time and is thus expected to greatly enhance and extend the usability of prostheses.
Not My Pandemic: Solution Aversion and the Polarized Public Perception of COVID-19

Applying the solution aversion model in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, we examine how ideology and support for free markets influence Americans’ assessment of COVID-19 risks and support for ...
Library involvement in health informatics education for health professions students and practitioners: a scoping review.

Objective: The purpose of this scoping review is to evaluate the extent of library or librarian involvement in informatics education in the health domain. Methods: We searched eight databases from their inception to 2019 for reports of informatics educational activities for health professionals or health professions students that involved library staff or resources. Two reviewers independently screened all titles/abstracts (n=2,247) and resolved inclusion decisions by consensus. From the full text of the 36 papers that met the inclusion criteria, we extracted data on 41 educational activities. Results: The most frequent coded purposes of activities were “teaching clinical tools” (n=19, 46.3%) and “technology” (n=17; 41.5%). Medical students were the most frequent primary audience (34.1%), though 41.5% of activities had multiple audiences. Evaluation was reported for 24 activities (58.5%), only a few of which assessed short or post-activity impact on attitudes, knowledge, or skills. The most common long-term outcome was applying skills in other courses or clinical experiences. Thematic analysis yielded three areas of outcomes and issues for the library and organizational partners: expanded opportunities, technology and resource issues, and value demonstration. Conclusions: Limited published examples of health informatics educational activities provide models for library roles in informatics education. More librarians should report on their informatics educational activities and provide sufficient details on the interventions and their evaluation. This would strengthen the evidence base about the potential impact of libraries within informatics education.
Differential Diagnosis of Transverse Myelitis (P2.274)

OBJECTIVE: To compile the spectrum of differential diagnoses in a patient cohort referred to a specialized center for evaluation of transverse myelitis (TM). BACKGROUND: TM is an inflammatory spinal cord disorder that presents with a variable clinical profile. TM can present as a monophasic disorder or it may be a manifestation of autoimmune disorders including multiple sclerosis (MS), neuromyelitis optica (NMO) or rheumatologic diseases. However, other myelopathic disorders may mimic TM and are occasionally misdiagnosed as TM. DESIGN/METHODS: We conducted a study of all new patients who presented to the Johns Hopkins Transverse Myelitis Center (JHTMC). We reviewed the clinical profile of patients evaluated for TM over a 36-month period. We confirmed the validity of the diagnosis of TM or established other diagnoses based on clinical, neuroimaging and laboratory criteria. RESULTS: We evaluated 519 patients, of which 346 (67%) were confirmed to have inflammatory conditions consistent with TM. Idiopathic TM accounted for the majority of cases (26%), followed by NMO (16%), MS/CIS (11%); the remaining 14% were caused by other CNS inflammatory diseases. One hundred and eighteen patients who were initially diagnosed with TM were instead diagnosed with a non-inflammatory myelopathy (23%), including compressive myelopathy (7%) and vascular abnormalities (5%). Twenty-two of these (4%) involved progressive myelopathies ruled out for inflammatory, infectious, or compressive etiologies. Twenty-eight cases (5%) had an inadequate evaluation at the time of presentation and could not be characterized. The remaining 27 cases (5%) had symptoms not attributable to the spinal cord or no objective neurologic findings. CONCLUSIONS: Although two-thirds of patients referred for TM were confirmed, 28% of patients initially diagnosed with TM were discovered to have another diagnosis and 5% presented with myelopathy that could not be characterized. Findings suggest that a subset of patients diagnosed with TM may have non-inflammatory causes of myelopathies that warrant a more detailed evaluation. Study Supported by: Johns Hopkins Project RESTORE, the Bart McLean Fund, & Transverse Myelitis Association. Disclosure: Dr. Mealy has received personal compensation for activities with Novartis as an advisory board member. Dr. Becker has nothing to disclose. Dr. Newsome has received personal compensation for activities with Biogen Idec and Genzyme Corp. Dr. Ratchford has received personal compensation for activities with Biogen Idec, Genzyme Corporation, GW Pharmaceuticals, and Diogenix. Dr. Ratchford has received research support from Novartis, Biogen Idec, and Sun Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Levy has received personal compensation for activities with ApoPharma Inc. as a speaker. Dr. Levy has received research support from ApoPharma Inc. Dr. Pardo-Villamizar has nothing to disclose.
Abstract P343: Using Semi-Parametric Models to Examine the Association Between Changes in Animal-Source and Fat Calories Over 18 Years With the Distribution of Hba1c in Chinese Adults

Background: Most researchers assume a homogeneous association between diet behaviors and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors like diabetes, despite the fact that individuals differ in susceptibility and unobserved characteristics. Objective: To assess whether distributional changes in dietary intake over time relate to current diabetes and whether initial diet status or changes in diet are comparatively more relevant for diabetes risk. Methods: With population-based data from 18,987 Chinese adults ages 18-75y seen up to 7 times between 1991 and 2009 in the China Health and Nutrition Survey, we derived diet components from three consecutive 24-hour recalls (linked to individualized recipes and Chinese nutrition facts panels) at each survey (% energy from fat [%fat] and % energy from animal-source foods [%animal-source]) in relation to HbA1c measured via fasting blood in 2009. We used sex-stratified, longitudinal growth mixture models with random effects and a skew-T distribution to model individual trajectories separately for each dietary component over 18 years, controlling for time-varying urbanization, age, income, and caloric intake. Then we used the intercepts and slopes from the diet trajectories to predict the distribution of HbA1c in 2009 in separate models. Results: Using longitudinal data and adjusting for time-varying covariates, the shape of the distributions of %animal-source calories and %fat calories became flatter and more positively skewed over 18 years of modernization, with an increasing proportion of the population at the higher ends of fat and animal-source food distributions over time. The slope of %fat calories over time was strongly associated with HbA1c (men: p Conclusions: Our novel, semi-parametric growth mixture models revealed that targeting %fat calories may be particularly relevant for diabetes prevention because there was a strong association between change in %fat and HbA1c, irrespective of initial %fat calorie levels. Addressing animal-source food consumption remains important for diabetes prevention.
IDS: The intent driven selection method for natural user interfaces

We present a new selection technique that facilitates the use of natural hand gestures for virtual object manipulation in 3D. Our method supports the use of 3D imaging techniques for tracking the user's body and therefore it does not require the use of any hand held devices that would restrict the manipulative capabilities of the user's hands. The key contribution of our work is the novel use of characteristic behavioral cues, which are representative for general goal directed movement, to infer the object targeted by the user during selection. The resulting technique enables us to select objects whose largest dimension is smaller than the sensing resolution of our system in spite of body tracking uncertainties and hand placement faults. Furthermore, by means of intention inference, our method automatically adapts to the user's subjective need for variable levels of tolerance to hand placement faults, jitter, or tracking noise.
Knowledge driven dimension reduction for clustering

As A.I. algorithms are applied to more complex domains that involve high dimensional data sets there is a need to more saliently represent the data. However, most dimension reduction approaches are driven by objective functions that may not or only partially suit the end users requirements. In this work, we show how to incorporate general-purpose domain expertise encoded as a graph into dimension reduction in way that lends itself to an elegant generalized eigenvalue problem. We call our approach Graph-Driven Constrained Dimension Reduction via Linear Projection (GCDR-LP) and show that it has several desirable properties.
Quasi-phase-matched second harmonic generation using 42/spl deg/ rotated Y-cut near-stoichiometric lithium tantalate

We have periodically poled 42/spl deg/ rotated Y-cut near-stoichiometric lithium tantalate crystals. These crystals enable QPM in surface-normal configurations for scaling to large apertures. Initial SHG results are consistent with theoretical expectations.
Differences in perinatal NaCl exposure alters blood pressure levels of adult rats

To determine the effect of differences in NaCl intake early in development on adult blood pressure levels, adult Sprague-Dawley female rats were maintained on diets containing either 0.12, 1.0, or 3.0% dietary NaCl throughout pregnancy and lactation. The offspring were continued on these same diets to 30 days postpartum. Thereafter, all offspring were maintained on the same stock diet containing 1% NaCl. Beginning at 60 days, systolic blood pressure and heart rate were measured weekly for the next 6 wk by tail-cuff plethysmography in lightly etherized rats. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart responses to the subcutaneous sequential administration of 100 micrograms/kg angiotensin II and 15 micrograms/kg isoproterenol were then obtained from the catheterized femoral or carotid artery in awake unrestrained rats. Rats raised on 3% NaCl diet had significantly higher base-line MAPS (127.1 mmHg) than rats raised on the 1% (117.4 mmHg) or 0.12% (115.8 mmHg) salt diets. The highest salt group was also significantly more responsive to the pressor effects of angiotensin II (+46.4 mmHg) and the depressor effects of isoproterenol (-41.4 mmHg) than the mid- (+35.6 and -32.2 mmHg) and low- (+26.9 and -32.5 mmHg) salt groups. Thus there is a sensitive period early in ontogenesis of the normotensive Sprague-Dawley rat during which blood pressure and blood pressure responsiveness to angiotensin II and isoproterenol may be influenced permanently by dietary NaCl.
Synthesis and Crystal Structure of Cd(H2O)2Ni(CN)4 · 4H2O

Abstract Single crystals of Cd(H 2 O) 2 Ni(CN) 4 · 4H 2 O have been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystallographic data are as follows: orthorhombic space group Pnma , a = 12.393(2) A, b = 14.278(5) A, c = 7.427(1) A, Z = 4; R = 0.033, wR = 0.042 for 949 reflections. This material is similar to the Hofmann-type clathrates; it is structurally composed of two-dimensional sheets of alternating square planar and octahedrally coordinated metal atoms bridged by cyanide ligands. However, unlike Hofmann-type clathrates for which structures have been reported, this material does not contain ammonia, amines, or a clathrated aromatic molecule between the metal tetracyanonickelate sheets. Instead, the interlayer regions are filled by a distorted hexagonal hydrogen-bonded net of water molecules.
Alpha-1-antitrypsin protease inhibitor (Pi) phenotypes in Down's syndrome patients and their parents

Alpha-1-antitrypsin was examined in the serum from 121 Down's syndrome families. Variant phenotypes (non-M) were increased in frequency in parents (15%) and in their affected children (19%) compared to frequencies of 8-10% in two control groups (p less than 0.001). Variant parental Pi phenotypes were found in 19 mothers and 10 fathers of Down's patients. Parental origin of the extra chromosome 21 was known in 34 families and was maternal in 26 instances. In seven families where parental origin of the extra chromosome was known, a variant Pi phenotype was inherited from the parent contributing the extra chromosome in four families and from the parent not contributing the extra chromosome in three families, indicating that there is no simple correlation between the Pi variant and nondisjunction. The increase in Pi variant in Down's syndrome families was independent of maternal age.
In situ Anti-Stokes Raman Monitoring of Gel-to-Anatase Phase Transformation of Titania

The phase transformation from a gel of titanium alkoxide to crystalline anatase was observed in situ by anti-Stokes Raman scattering. Utilization of anti-Stokes scattering eliminates interference from the fluorescence of decomposing organic residuals during the pyrolysis process. The anti-Stokes Raman spectra suggest a highly disordered structure during the pyrolysis process. The structure of the titania gel, which is characterized by broad Raman peaks around 440 and 620 cm -1, was transformed into the amorphous structure by increasing the temperature up to 200-300 C. This amorphous structure is supported by a flat Raman spectrum lacking specific features in the wavenumber region from 200 to 1000 cm -1. A partially crystallized gel also exhibits the further progress of amorphization during the pyrolysis process, which is explained by the disordering of the local structure of the gel due to the generation of pyrolyzed organic species.
The effect of 6-mercaptopurine on antibody production in atopic individuals

Abstract Recent interest in the use of the purine antimetabolites in the treatment of diseases of proved or postulated immune etiology prompted a study of the effect of 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) on antibody formation in atopic individuals. Six prison inmate volunteers with ragweed hay fever and/or asthma (treatment group) were matched according to age, sex, and race with six ragweed sensitive patients who served as untreated controls. Subjects in the treatment group were given 6MP, 1.5 mg. per kilogram per day by mouth for 21 to 42 days. As compared with the control group, subjects in the treatment group demonstrated the following: diminished antibody response following immunization with E. coli Vi antigen; no change in pre-existing titers of ragweed reagin as measured by direct skin test and passive transfer studies; no change in pre-existing hemagglutinin titers to diphtheria toxoid; and no change in pre-existing serum concentration of gamma-1A, gamma-1M, or gamma-2 globulin. Two subjects in the treatment group developed toxicity which necessitated discontinuance of the drug. Bone marrow examinations at the end of the study revealed macronormoblasts in four treated patients. The lack of suppression of pre-existing antibody titers, including reagin, suggests that when used under the conditions studied, and aside from possible nonimmunologic effects, 6MP would be of little value in treatment of the atopic diseases.
A Social Constructionist Approach to Counseling the Single Parent Family

Traditional models of therapy, based on modernist assumptions, embrace a position of certainty in that there is a model of normalcy, to which the therapist then compares the person/family in therapy. In so doing, s/he focuses on how different the family is from the norm, i.e., deficit focus, and decides which interventions are needed to bring the family closer to the norm. Solution focused therapy, arising in opposition to the deficit approaches, focuses on the competencies, resources, and strengths of the family. As such, both models represent a one sided view of the phenomena they study. Although there is much overlap, it is the contention of this paper to state that these models-the traditional psychotherapies and the solution focused therapies-operate from a position of certainty and thus are representative of an either/or perspective in that they tend to leave out the other half of the picture. This paper presents a four stage social constructionist therapeutic model which takes into account both the...
Examining patients’ trust in physicians and the VA healthcare system in a prospective cohort followed for six-months after an exacerbation of heart failure

NOTICE: This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Patient Education and Counseling. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Patient Education and Counseling, doi:10.1016/j.pec.2014.07.022
Energy release rate and crack kinking

Abstract A closed form solution is presented for the energy release rate at the onset of kinking of a straight crack in an infinite elastic medium subjected to a predominantly Mode I loading. The solution is accurate to the second order of kink angle and is carried out by the method which models the kink as a continuous distribution of infinitesimal edge dislocations. On the basis of the maximum energy release rate criterion, simple expressions are obtained for the critical kink angle and the critical applied stress. The examination of the results shows that the second order solutions are in very good agreement, up to fairly large kink angles, with numerical results reported by others. It is also analytically established that the Irwin formula for the energy release rate remains valid under the predominantly Mode I loading, provided that the stress intensity factors in the formula are appropriately interpreted.
POST-IRRADIATION INACTIVATION OF HORSERADISH PEROXIDASE

SUMMARY —Aqueous solutions of purified horseradish peroxidase lost enzymic activity not only during irradiation with gamma rays but also after irradiation. The higher the dose of irradiation, the greater the rate of post-irradiation inactivation. Enzyme activity loss after irradiation increased at higher temperatures of post-irradiation storage. Adjusting the pH of the irradiated enzyme solution to 9 resulted in greater inactivation than adjusting to pH 5 or 7. When the enzyme solution was diluted before irradiation the inactivation proceeded more rapidly after irradiation than in the more concentrated solution. When, however, the already irradiated enzyme was diluted, it was the concentrated enzyme solution that lost more activity. Glycerol added to irradiated enzyme diminished rate of inactivation. Irradiating a frozen enzyme solution resulted in very little or no loss of activity during post-irradiation storage. Neither irradiated water nor irradiated enzyme solution affected the activity of non-irradiated enzyme mixed with them. The following mechanism for the post-irradiation inactivation of HRPO is proposed: A portion of the enzyme which is not inactivated during irradiation is modified so as to result in subsequent inactivation by reacting with itself.
Current and future clinical applications of bone morphogenetic proteins in orthopaedic trauma surgery

Forty years after the discovery by Marshal R. Urist of a substance in bone matrix that has inductive properties for the development of bone and cartilage, there are now 15 individual human bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) that possess varying degrees of inductive activities. Two of these, BMP-2 and BMP-7, have become the subject of extensive research aimed at developing therapeutic strategies for the restoration and treatment of skeletal conditions. This has led to three different therapeutic preparations, each for a distinct clinical application. Non-union, open tibial fractures and spinal fusions are the three conditions for which there is clinical approval for use of BMPs. This article reviews the evidence supporting the therapeutic applications of BMPs as they are presently available and suggests future applications based on current research. Among the future directions discussed are percutaneous injections, protein carriers, advances in gene transfer technology and the use of BMPs to engineer the regeneration of skeletal parts.
Perspective: Recognizing resistance

The hepatitis C virus is endemic among injection drug users, who could harbour treatment-resistant viruses. We need to adapt to this reality, says Diana Sylvestre
Effects of Work and Family on Women's Later-Life Resources

This article reviews the current state of knowledge on how women's work and family experiences throughout the life course influence their economic and social resources. The article draws together literature on topics that usually have been treated as separate and distinct from one another. Although researchers increasingly are examining linkages between the "world of work" and the "world of family," most studies focus on one or the other. A broader picture is required to understand the separate and combined influences of work and family experiences on later-life resources.
Marriage and Other Prisoner's Dilemmas

The “prisoner dilemma” is distinguished for its characterization of the interaction engaged in by parties whose “fates are interdependent,” but whose “self‐interests are not perfectly consonant,” to use the phrasing of Stevel Salop (1986). Economists have devoted an extensive literature to situations that are in essence prisoner's dilemmas, such as competition in oligopolies. However, what is striking about the prisoner's dilemma is not so much its relevance to particular market structures as its pervasiveness in many areas of life. As economists have broadened the scope of their studies to include interactions beyond the marketplace, they have frequently alluded to the existence of the prisoner's dilemma. Nonetheless, scholars have not yet fully explored the connections between the prisoner's dilemma, the standard microeconomic model of utility maximization, and the social institutions that attempt to secure Pareto efficient outcomes. Using marriage as its primary example, this paper examines the conditions and institutions that made relationships work to facilitate cooperation, avoiding the typical outcome of a situation characterized by the prisoner's dilemma.
Chicken and Turkey Spermatozoal Superoxide Dismutase: A Comparative Study

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is one of several enzymes in aerobic cells which scavenge for toxic derivatives of oxygen. These derivatives cause lipid peroxidation, a type of cellular damage that may in part explain the loss of fertilizing capability of chicken and turkey spermatozoa stored in vitro. The objective of the present research was to extract SOD from chicken and turkey erythro- cytes and spermatozoa and to compare SOD activities between the two types of spermatozoa and between the spermatozoa and isogeneric erythrocytes, cells rich in SOD. Based upon activity of purified extracts, chicken spermatozoa contained 1.48 ± 0.08, while turkey spermatozoa contained 0.32 ± 0.01 activity units/109 cells. Chicken and turkey erythro- cytes had 2.65 ± 0.20 and 2.95 ± 0.39 units/109 cells, respectively. When SOD activity was ex- pressed as density, i.e., units/mm3 of cell volume, chicken spermatozoa had an activity density of 10.6 x 102 units/mm3, 4.6 times more than turkey spermatozoa, which had 2.3 X 102 units/ mm3. The activity density for erythrocytes from both species was “. 2.0 X 10 units/mm3. On the basis of cyanide inhibition, erythrocytes contained only cupro-zinc SOD, but spermatozoa con- tained both cupro-zinc and mangano superoxide dismutases. The lower SOD activity in turkey spermatozoa may result in a greater susceptibility to oxygen toxicity for turkey semen stored in Vitro.
Microcomputer Model of Artificial Recharge Using Glover's Solution

An interactive program written for an APPLE II+ 48K computer is presented which solves Glover's (1960) analytical solution for recharge from a rectangular basin. The program is capable of graphically displaying the rise and decline of the recharge mound for either an infinite homogeneous medium or for a stream aquifer system.
Leishmania donovani: isolation and characterization of sodium stibogluconate (Pentostam)-resistant cell lines.

Abstract Leishmania donovani promastigotes were generated by virtue of their reistance to incrementing concentrations of sodium stibogluconate (Pentostam) under completely defined growth conditions. The PENT0400 and PENT03200 cell lines were isolated after prolonged exposure to 0.4 mg/ml and 3.2 mg/ml Pentostam (Sb concentration), respectively. Whereas the effective concentration of Pentostam which inhibited the growth of wild type cells by 50% (EC 50 value) was 0.1-0.15 mg/ml, the EC 50 values for the PENT0400 and PENT03200 cells were approximately 1 and 4 mg/ml, respectively. The decreased sensitivities of both PENT0400 and PENT03200 cells to Pentostam were maintained after 6 months of continuous culture in the absence of selective pressure, indicating that the Pentostam resistance in the mutant organisms was a stable genetic trait. Interestingly, wild type and PENT03200 cells were equally sensitive to growth inhibition and cytotoxicity caused by SbCl 5 and SbCl 3 , as well as to a variety of other cations such as Cd, Zn, and As. Wild type and PENT03200 cells also displayed equivalent growth sensitivities to a spectrum of other antiprotozoal agents, including antimony potassium tartrate, melarsoprol, pyrimethamine, pentamidine, formycin B, and difluoromethylornithine. These results illustrate a potentially useful model system to study Pentostam resistance in Leishmania and suggest that Pentostam resistance in vitro may be independent of antimony toxicity
Similarity Searching and Scaffold Hopping in Synthetically Accessible Combinatorial Chemistry Spaces

Large collections of combinatorial libraries are an integral element in today’s pharmaceutical industry. It is of great interest to perform similarity searches against all virtual compounds that are synthetically accessible by any such library. Here we describe the successful application of a new software tool CoLibri on 358 combinatorial libraries based on validated reaction protocols to create a single chemistry space containing over 1012 possible products. Similarity searching with FTrees-FS allows the systematic exploration of this space without the need to enumerate all product structures. The search result is a set of virtual hits which are synthetically accessible by one or more of the existing reaction protocols. Grouping these virtual hits by their synthetic protocols allows the rapid design and synthesis of multiple follow-up libraries. Such library ideas support hit-to-lead design efforts for tasks like follow-up from high-throughput screening hits or scaffold hopping from one hit to another at...
Vitamin D and Its Role During Pregnancy in Attaining Optimal Health of Mother and Fetus

Despite its discovery a hundred years ago, vitamin D has emerged as one of the most controversial nutrients and prohormones of the 21st century. Its role in calcium metabolism and bone health is undisputed but its role in immune function and long-term health is debated. There are clear indicators from in vitro and animal in vivo studies that point to vitamin D’s indisputable role in both innate and adaptive immunity; however, the translation of these findings to clinical practice, including the care of the pregnant woman, has not occurred. Until recently, there has been a paucity of data from randomized controlled trials to establish clear cut beneficial effects of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy. An overview of vitamin metabolism, states of deficiency, and the results of recent clinical trials conducted in the U.S. are presented with an emphasis on what is known and what questions remain to be answered.
Central and peripheral components of the inhibitory actions of 5-HTP on ethanol consumption in the rat

When administered under a backward conditioning paradigm, 5-HTP administration resulted in a decrease in ethanol intake followed by a persistently decreased ethanol consumption. A central component to this inhibitory effect was suggested by the inability of xylamidine to significantly reduce the initial inhibitory effect of 5-HTP. The persistent rejection was prevented by xylamidine. Methysergide reduced the initial as well as the persistent effects of 5-HTP. In studies utilizing a forward conditioning paradigm, 5-HTP and lithium were each effective in developing CTAs to ethanol and saccharin. Only the ethanol-5-HTP pairing showed a persistent aversion. A peripheral component to the actions of 5-HTP was suggested by xylamidine blocking the CTAs induced by 5-HTP. Xylamidine also prevented the persistent ethanol avoidance induced by 5-HTP, but was ineffective in antagonizing lithium-induced CTAs. These results suggest central as well as peripheral components associated with the inhibitory effects of 5-HTP on ethanol consumption. Central actions appear to mediate the initial inhibitory effects while peripheral actions appear to be associated with persistent avoidance of ethanol following 5-HTP treatment.
Spectral Properties of Fricatives in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Spectral characteristics of word initial /s/and /∫/produced by individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and healthy controls were quantified using spectral moment analysis. Coefficients...
Synergistic activity of vancomycin and teicoplanin alone and in combination with streptomycin against Enterococcus faecalis strains with various vancomycin susceptibilities

The synergy between two glycopeptides, vancomycin (Vm) and teicoplanin (Tec) and streptomycin (Sm) was studied by time-kill method. Five clinical vanB resistant Enterococcus faecalis (ENC) isolates with variable Vm-susceptibility were used. Different concentrations of Vm, Tec and Sm representing therapeutic concentrations were combined. Antibacterial activity was related to the concentrations of Vm and Sm, and Vm susceptibility to ENC. For strains with Vm MIC up to 64 mg/l, synergy was achieved with higher concentrations of Vm and Sm, while all combinations of Tec and Sm were synergistic against all strains except ENC 29. For ENC 29 with Vm MIC of 512 mg/l and Tec MIC of <1 mg/l, none of the combinations was synergistic. The significance of these in vitro results needs further investigation in vivo.
Origin of non-zero-order H2O desorption kinetics from crystalline ice multilayers on Ru(001)

Recent studies have reported non-zero-order kinetics for H2O desorption from crystalline ice multilayers on Ru(001). To understand the origin of the observed non-zero-order kinetics, D2O desorption from ultrathin (15–135 BL; 55–490 A) crystalline D2O ice multilayers on Ru(001) was measured using a novel combination of laser-induced thermal desorption (LITD) spatial probing and isothermal desorption flux analysis. The ice multilayers were grown on a single-crystal Ru(001) metal substrate using either backfill D2O vapor deposition or multichannel capillary array dosing methods. The ice multilayers grown via backfill vapor deposition were smooth and highly uniform. The LITD and isothermal desorption flux studies demonstrated that D2O desorption from these uniform ice multilayers exactly followed zero-order kinetics. Slight deviations from zero-order desorption kinetics were observed only at low D2O coverages of ≤5 BL D2O and were attributed to enhanced D2O-Ru(001) substrate interactions or slight ice surface roughening. In contrast, the ice films prepared using capillary array dosing were spatially non-uniform and exhibited a decreasing multilayer coverage versus distance from the center of the substrate. This initial non-uniform D2O coverage distribution had a dramatic impact on the isothermal desorption flux measurements and produced non-zero-order desorption kinetics. The deviations from zero-order kinetics were directly related to changes in the ice film surface area as the non-uniform initial multilayer coverage was completely desorbed at various positions on the Ru(001) substrate at different times. The desorption kinetics of D2O from smooth and uniform D2O ice multilayers on Ru(001) are strictly zero-order. The previous reports of non-zero-order kinetics are assigned to a non-uniform initial D2O multilayer coverage distribution.
Jejunal adenocarcinoma presenting as a primary ovarian carcinoma.

Abstract Objective. The aim of this case report was to evaluate the impact of immunohistochemical markers in diagnosing the primary site of adenocarcinoma in the abdominopelvic region. Methods. Surgicopathologic data were obtained from laparotomy and necropsy. Paraffin-embedded tissue from the ovary and jejunum was stained with hematoxylin and eosin, as well as with immunohistochemical stains for cytokeratin 20 and cytokeratin 7. Results. A 53-year-old African American woman underwent an emergency laparotomy due to small bowel obstruction. During the operation, in addition to a complex adnexal mass as the cause of obstruction, a small solid jejunal tumor was also identified. Pathologic evaluation of the two sites demonstrated an infiltrating moderately to poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with mucinous features. The malignant cells from both intestinal and ovarian sites showed immunoreactivity for cytokeratin 20 and revealed negative staining for cytokeratin 7. These results confirmed the diagnosis of intestinal primary with ovarian metastasis, which was initially misdiagnosed as an ovarian primary. Conclusion. Given the potential difficulty in determining the primary site of these tumors, immunohistochemistry proved to be a useful tool in reaching the correct diagnosis.
Using remote sensing to monitor the influence of river discharge on watershed outlets and adjacent coral Reefs: Magdalena River and Rosario Islands, Colombia

a b s t r a c t Worldwide, coral reef ecosystems are being increasingly threatened by sediments loads from river dis- charges, which in turn are influenced by changing rainfall patterns due to climate change and by growing human activity in their watersheds. In this case study, we explored the applicability of using remote sensing (RS) technology to detect and monitor the relationship between water quality at the coral reefs around the Rosario Islands, in the Caribbean Sea and the rainfall patterns in the Magdalena River water- shed. From the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), this study used the water surface reflectance product (MOD09GQ) to estimate water surface reflectance as a proxy for sediment concentration and the land cover product (MCD12Q1 V51) to characterize land cover of the watershed. Rainfall was estimated by using the 3B43 V7 product from the Tropical Rainforest Measuring Mission (TRMM). For the first trimester of each year, we investigated the inter-annual temporal variation in water surface reflectance at the Rosario Islands and at the three main mouths of the Magdalena River water- shed. No increasing or decreasing trends of water surface reflectance were detected for any of the sites for the study period 2001-2014 (p > 0.05) but significant correlations were detected among the trends of each site at the watershed mouths (r = 0.57-0.90, p < 0.05) and between them and the inter-annual variation in rainfall on the watershed (r = 0.63-0.67, p < 0.05). Those trimesters with above-normal water surface reflectance at the mouths and above-normal rainfall at the watershed coincided with La Ni ˜ na conditions while the opposite was the case during El Niconditions. Although, a preliminary analysis of inter-annual land cover trends found only cropland cover in the watershed to be significantly correlated with water surface reflectance at two of the watershed mouths (r = 0.58 and 0.63, p < 0.05), the validation analysis draw only a 40.7% of accuracy in this land cover classification. This requires further analysis to confirm the impact of the cropland on the water quality at the watershed outlets. Spatial analysis with MOD09GQ imagery detected the overpass of river plumes from Barbacoas Bay over the Rosario Islands waters.
Electrophoretic Resolution of Tubulin and Tektin Subunits by Differential Interaction with Long-Chain Alkyl Sulfates

Abstract Tubulin dimers, formed from globular α and β subunits, and the tektins, three equimolar α-helical proteins that form filaments, mutually associate to form the junctional regions of doublet and triplet microtubules. When evaluated by SDS–PAGE, the apparent molecular weights of these proteins can deviate substantially from their sequence molecular weights in a manner sensitive to both the source of SDS and the species of origin. The electrophoretic mobility of sperm tail flagellar tubulins and tektins from an echinoderm and a mollusc were studied systematically using detergent-free stacking and resolving gels with a running buffer containing pure sodium dodecyl sulfate augmented with fixed amounts of C10, C14, C16, or C18alkyl sulfates. Although having no systematic effect on molecular weight standards, the presence of alkyl sulfates of increasing chain length progressively exaggerated the separation of tubulin subunits, similarly facilitated the separation of two normally comigrating tektins, yet minimally influenced the relative migration of adequately separated tektins. This phenomenon is most likely due to preferential binding of longer chain alkyl sulfates by specific hydrophobic regions of these otherwise similar proteins. The use of binary mixtures of pure alkyl sulfates, required in the running buffer alone, may prove useful for reproducibly separating other proteins that characteristically bind SDS anomalously.