cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Applications for mass spectrometry in the study of ion channel structure and function.

Ion channels are intrinsic membrane proteins that form gated ion permeable pores across biological membranes. Depending on the type, ion channels exhibit sensitivities to a diverse range of stimuli including changes in membrane potential, binding by diffusible ligands, changes in temperature and direct mechanical force. The purpose of these proteins is to facilitate the passive diffusion of ions down their respective electrochemical gradients into and out of the cell, and between intracellular compartments. In doing so, ion channels can affect transmembrane potentials and regulate the intracellular homeostasis of the important second messenger, Ca2+, modulating a multitude of cell signaling systems in the process. The ion channels of the plasma membrane are of particular clinical interest due to their regulation of cell excitability and cytosolic Ca2+ levels, and the fact that they are particularly amenable to manipulation by exogenously applied drugs and toxins. A critical step in improving the pharmacopeia of chemicals available that influence the activity of ion channels is understanding how their three-dimensional structure relates to their function. Historically, elucidation of the structure of membrane proteins has been slow relative to that for soluble proteins, due to limitations inherent in the most widely used methods, in particular X-ray crystallography. Over the course of the last decade, starting with significant advances in X-ray crystallography followed by the more recent, and profound, surge in the use of single particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), a slew of high resolution ion channel structures have been resolved. Overshadowed during this period have been the equally marked advances in mass spectrometry, pushing this method to the fore as an important complimentary approach to studying the structure and function of ion channels. In addition to revealing the subtle conformational changes in ion channel structure that accompany gating and permeation, mass spectrometry is already being used effectively for identifying tissue-specific posttranslational modifications and mRNA splice variants. Furthermore, the use of mass spectrometry for high throughput proteomics analysis, which has proven so successful for soluble proteins, is already providing valuable insight into the functional interactions of ion channels within the context of the macromolecular signaling complexes that they inhabit in vivo. In this chapter, the potential for mass spectrometry as a complementary approach to the study of ion channel structure and function will be reviewed with examples of its application.
Retention of Delta Ferrite in the Heat-Affected Zone of Grade 91 Steel Dissimilar Metal Welds

This study aimed to determine the mechanism of δ-ferrite retention in the coarse-grained HAZ (CGHAZ) of Grade 91 steel dissimilar metal welds (DMWs) with Ni-based filler metals. This phenomenon was investigated in four DMWs made with cold-wire gas tungsten arc process using Alloys 625, 617, 82, and P87 filler metals. A narrow band of δ-ferrite grains was identified in the CGHAZ in all welds. It was hypothesized that δ-ferrite retention was caused by local carbon depletion in the CGHAZ, which was validated through extensive thermodynamic and kinetic simulations and metallurgical characterization. Carbon diffusion across the fusion boundary was driven by the carbon chemical potential gradient between Grade 91 steel and the Ni-based filler metals, which was facilitated by long high-temperature dwell times resulting from a difference in heat capacity and thermal conductivity between the base and filler metals. A linear relationship was established between the amounts of retained δ ferrite and the predicted carbon depletion in the CGHAZ of each DMW. Alloy 625 filler metal generated the largest extent of carbon depletion and the most retained δ ferrite, followed by Alloys 617, 82, and P87. The carbon depletion resulted in local softening of the CGHAZ martensite.
Product theorem for K-stability

Abstract We prove a product formula for delta invariant and as an application, we show that product of K-(semi, poly)stable Fano varieties is also K-(semi, poly)stable.
The Relationship Between Adopting Mindfulness Practice and Reperceiving: a Qualitative Investigation of CARE for Teachers

This study qualitatively examined the relationship between home practice and reperceiving for teachers who participated in the CARE program. We used distress tolerance, mindfulness, burnout, efficacy, compassion, and self-care as proxies for (or direct representations of) underlying components of reperceiving—awareness, emotion regulation, and compassion. From a larger study of 224 elementary teachers in a large urban district, 16 teachers were purposively selected for semi-structured interviews. Selected teachers fit one of three profiles: no adopted mindfulness practice; no practice at baseline but practice at post and follow-up; practice at baseline, post, and follow-up. Four coders employed a directed content analysis to (1) investigate the outcomes discretely, examining their prevalence within the three practice groups; (2) analyze the relationships between outcomes and whether these differed across practice groups; and (3) examine teachers’ descriptions of how they used the practices. There were no differences between practice groups in teachers’ reported amounts of stress, but differences were found across outcomes, specifically mindfulness and efficacy. The no practice group engaged in more suppression and felt less capable of handling their stressors. Teachers who adopted practice described an emerging awareness of their negative emotions, more facility to let go of their stressors, and greater affirmation of the importance of self-care and use of strategies to promote it. Compassion lacked prevalence across practice groups. Adoption of mindfulness practice may impact teachers’ capacity to reperceive through emotional awareness and self-regulation, but additional research is required to examine the role of compassion.
Fully Inkjet-printed Tunable Hybrid n-Ripple Miura (n-RiM) Frequency Selective Surfaces

A first-of-its-kind fully inkjet-printed tunable hybrid n-ripple Miura (n-RiM) frequency selective surface (FSS) is presented that combines the advantages of n-RiM FSS structures (i.e. ultra wideband frequency & bandwidth tunability) and traditional Miura-FSS (i.e. ability to form multilayer FSS structures without mechanical support). They also feature high angle of incidence rejection, making them suitable for wide range of terrestrial and outer-space wireless communication applications.
SPOT: Selective Point Cloud Voting for Better Proposal in Point Cloud Object Detection

The sparsity of point clouds limits deep learning models on capturing long-range dependencies, which makes features extracted by the models ambiguous. In point cloud object detection, ambiguous features make it hard for detectors to locate object centers (Fig. 1) and finally lead to bad detection results. In this work, we propose Selective Point clOud voTing (SPOT) module, a simple effective component that can be easily trained end-to-end in point cloud object detectors to solve this problem. Inspired by probabilistic Hough voting, SPOT incorporates an attention mechanism that helps detectors focus on less ambiguous features and preserves their diversity of mapping to multiple object centers. For evaluating our module, we implement SPOT on advanced baseline detectors and test on two benchmark datasets of clutter indoor scenes, ScanNet and SUN RGB-D. Baselines enhanced by our module can stably improve results in agreement by a large margin and achieve new state-or-the-art detection, especially under more strict evaluation metric that adopts larger IoU threshold, implying our module is the key leading to high-quality object detection in point clouds.
The correlation of cost and schedule variance in satellite programs: level of effort versus discrete cost accounts

This research analyzes cost account-level detail from ten similar satellite programs to assess the relationship between cost and schedule variances. A model is defined to break activity into two types: level of effort (LOE), in which cost is directly proportional to the cost account’s duration and discrete, where the cost is independent of the schedule. Primary data collected by the authors from the ten satellite programs are split into these two categories and analyzed separately. Marginal distributions for schedule and cost for each of the two databases are built using the generalized two-sided power distribution (GTSP). Correlations between cost and schedule variance are calculated for the LOE and discrete cost accounts. Finally, joint distributions are created for each database using generalized diagonal band copulas. The results show that the GTSP effectively modeled the marginal distributions and the generalized diagonal band copula with a slope generating function successfully representing the observed joint distribution. The analysis, resulting from the correlation values, show that the cost and schedule variance for discrete cost accounts are not correlated. However, the LOE cost accounts show a correlation well below the projected perfect correlation. The models were validated by removing one program’s data from the database, regenerating the models, and assessing the accuracy of the model against the program excluded from the model. The model derived from nine programs successfully modeled the results from the tenth program. These results provide both a modeling method and guidance for modeling parameters for joint cost and schedule risk analysis.
Case 22. Infusion-related CD30-positive lymphomatoid drug eruption secondary to melphalan

The number of reactive CD30+ infiltrates is disproportionally higher than cases of CD30+ lymphomas in the practice of dermatologists and oncologists. It should be a rule to exclude all benign conditions first in case of CD30+ cells’ presence on biopsy since CD30 is not a marker of malignancy.
Risk-Induced Foraging Behavior in a Free-Living Small Mammal Depends on the Interactive Effects of Habitat, Refuge Availability, and Predator Type

Predators have a major influence on prey populations and broader ecosystem dynamics through both their consumptive and non-consumptive effects. Prey employ risk-induced trait responses such as shifts in habitat use or changes in foraging behavior in response to the presence of predators. Risk-induced changes in foraging depend upon both the predator community and the environmental context; however, the influence of these factors have rarely been concurrently examined in free-living animals. We investigated the interactive effects of habitat, refuge availability, and predator type on the foraging behavior of free-living white-footed mice, accounting for the abiotic factor moonlight. We used auditory calls of a local terrestrial cursorial predator and a local avian ambush predator to simulate predation risk in both a forest edge and a forest interior habitat, and measured the foraging of mice under different experimental refuge types. We found that, while mice generally had reduced foraging when exposed to predation risk, the degree of this response depended on an interaction among habitat, refuge use, and type of predator. Prey had the greatest reduction in foraging and used refuges the most when exposed to cursorial-hunting foxes at the open forest edge. The risk-induced reduction in foraging and the use of refuges was much weaker in the forest interior, but even here foxes elicited a greater response as compared to owls. Generally, foraging tended to decrease with increasing moonlight, but this was not significant. We suggest that it is the temporal nature of cursorial vs. ambush predators in our system that drives such effects as opposed to their hunting mode, and that prey responses to temporal hotspots of risk need further examination. Generally, our results show that wild small-mammal prey species have variable responses to predation risk depending on the environmental context.
Imbalanced EEG Analysis Using One-Shot Learning with Siamese Neural Network

Epilepsy is a socially-stigmatizing chronic neurological condition. Limited availability of seizure Electroencephalogram (EEG) data makes the application of machine learning techniques for epileptic seizure detection very challenging. In this work, an efficient algorithmic procedure is proposed to facilitate the learning and classification of epileptic seizures from imbalanced EEG data. We designed an end-to-end architecture by combining local binary pattern with Siamese convolutional neural network. We used local binary pattern due to its capability to capture distinguishable morphological characteristics in the EEG signal. Siamese convolutional neural network was used since it can learn a similarity metric using an extremely small number of training samples for seizure episodes. With availability of a very small amount of training (seizure) samples, the effectiveness of the proposed method was verified by comparing the Siamese convolutional neural network with a baseline convolutional neural network. The proposed architecture outperforms the baseline model and achieves an average of 11.66% increase in F1-measure.
Does Practice Make Perfect: An Empirical Analysis of Learning-by-Doing in Cardiac Surgery

This paper examines a mechanism through which workers acquire and maintain competence: task experience. I analyze whether cardiac surgeons who have performed more procedures in the recent past experience an improvement in performance. I use an instrumental variables method that considers exogenous shocks to the procedure volume of CABG surgeons in Florida caused by the exit of other surgeons from the same hospital. I find evidence indicating a strong learning-by-doing effect: performing an additional procedure reduces the probability of patient mortality by 0.14%. This benefit is lower for high volume surgeons, and is partly specific to firm and task settings.
[10] Comparative evaluation of quantitative PCR methods

Publisher Summary This chapter quantitatively evaluates interleukin 5 (IL-5) gene expressions in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells of patients with asthma. For this purpose, a method has been used that was sensitive, accurate, rapid, and easy to execute. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) following the transcription of messenger RNA (mRNA) to complementary DNA (cDNA) is a sensitive method for evaluating cytokine mRNA expression in cells. There are two general methods of quantitative PCR: competitive and noncompetitive. Considerable emphasis has been paid to the competitive method of quantitative PCR because this method is internally controlled and is thought to have the ability to reduce tube-to-tube variation of PCR products. In contrast to the competitive method, noncompetitive method is relatively simple and rapid. However, the accuracy of the noncompetitive method, relative to the competitive method (the gold standard method) is not known. The two methods of quantitative PCR utilizing three test molecules and two reference molecules are compared in the chapter. Experimental data indicate that the values obtained by the noncompetitive method of quantitating IL-5 cDNA levels are comparable to those of the competitive method of quantitative PCR.
Herpes simplex virus binding and entry modulate cell surface protein mobility.

Fluorescence photobleaching recovery measurements showed that herpes simplex virus type 1 attachment to target cells rapidly induced an anchorage modulation of cell surface protein mobility, an activity mediated by the cytoskeleton and associated with the multivalent attachment of other ligands (e.g., cells, lectins, or anti-immunoglobulin) to cell surfaces. The restriction in cell surface protein mobility was released concurrently with virus penetration. The effects of attachment and penetration on cell surface protein mobility and cytoskeletal function are some of the earliest cellular changes induced by herpes simplex virus infection.
Yield test structures and their use for process development

Describes yield test structure design and test methodology for high-density bipolar integrated circuits. The test structure design makes it possible not only to unlayer failure modes electronically for process development, but also to reassemble them for yield projection. The methodology of critical area computation and simulation that serves as the bridging between test structures and product is described. It is shown how test structures can be used to establish or adjust process windows for emitter to collector leakage, and emitter and collector contacts. >
Valuation of American call options on dividend-paying stocks: Empirical tests

Abstract This paper examines the pricing performance of the valuation equation for American call options on stocks with known dividends and compares it with two suggested approximation methods. The approximation obtained by substituting the stock price net of the present value of the escrowed dividends into the Black-Scholes model is shown to induce spurious correlation between prediction error and (1) the standard deviation of stock return, (2) the degree to which the option is in-the-money or out-of-the-money, (3) the probability of early exercise, (4) the time to expiration of the option, and (5) the dividend yield of the stock. A new method of examining option market efficiency is developed and tested.
On a Question of Igusa: Towards a Theory of Several Variable Asymptotic Expansions: I

A question of Igusa (from 1978) inquires about the singular behavior of the singular series, determined by a polynomial mapping \(P:K^n \to K^m ,m \leqslant n\), where K is a local field of characteristic zero. This paper describes in geometric terms the singularities of the singular series for two classes of polynomial maps \(P = \left( {P_2{1} ,P_2{2} } \right):K^n \to K^2{2} \). The main result, which makes possible this description, is a type of uniformization of \(P\) by finitely many monomial maps \(\mu \left( x \right) = \left( {x^{M_1 } , x^{M_2 } } \right)\), such that rank \(\left( {_{M_2 }^{M_1 } } \right) = 2{2}\). This is proved using resolution of singularities. Using this result, nontrivial estimates of oscillatory integrals with phase \(\lambda _{1} P_{1} + \lambda _{2} P_{2} \) are possible. These will be described elsewhere.
Self‐assessment of Thinking and Problem Solving

Presents an overview of studies of the brain revealing that the cerebral cortex is divided into two hemispheres along with emergent implications for teaching the two‐sided mind and career selection in an experiential exercise format. The exercise follows a heuristic pattern of user‐friendly self‐discovery allowing participants to compare their actual thinking and problem‐solving behaviour with their professed attitudes in terms of left, right, and mixed brain patterns. For participants the exercise helps to: identify styles along with factors affecting attitudes and behaviour; increase understanding of the relationship and complexity between attitudes and behaviour; and to become more aware of their own attitudes and behaviour in career choice, training, and diverse situations. For career planning, instructional design and training managers the instrumented feedback design provides a tool for educational research and a conceptual analytic framework for recognizing the contingent complexity and feasibility...
Focal left atrial tachycardias not associated with prior catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: clinical and electrophysiological characteristics.

Background: The clinical features and electrophysiological characteristics of patients with focal left atrial tachycardias (LATs) are not well characterized. This study reports the experience of a single center in catheter mapping and radiofrequency ablation of focal LAT not associated with prior atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, including in cardiac sarcoidosis and transplant patients. Methods: Patients with focal LAT without a history of AF ablation were included in this retrospective analysis. Results: A total of 24 focal LATs were documented in 20 patients. Two patients were subsequently diagnosed with cardiac sarcoidosis. Two patients were status post a thoracic transplant. The mean initial cycle length of the focal LATs was 347.4 ± 96.2 ms (range 190–510 ms). Patients with a pulmonary vein (PV) ostium focus (n = 6) demonstrated a shorter cycle length than patients with other LA foci (259.2 ± 56.4 ms vs 371.9 ± 91.1 ms, P = 0.02), as well as a trend for a history of AF (67% vs 21%, P = NS). Catheter ablation was immediately successful for 19 of 22 focal LATs. Conclusions: Focal LATs not associated with prior AF ablation can originate in a variety of LA locations and clinical settings. Focal LAT arising in the PV ostia is associated with a history of AF and demonstrates a faster tachycardia rate. We also report focal LAT in cardiac sarcoidosis patients and in the donor heart of an orthotopic heart transplant recipient. Radiofrequency ablation is a successful treatment for focal LAT not associated with prior ablation, including those refractory to medical therapy. (PACE 2012; 35:17–27)
Influence of apolipoprotein E polymorphism on serum lipids and lipoprotein changes from childhood to adulthood: the Bogalusa Heart Study.

Abstract The influence of apolipoprotein (apo) E polymorphism on serum lipoproteins from childhood to adulthood was examined in 1520 individuals, aged 5–14 years at baseline, followed over a 16-year period. At both times, the e2 allele associated with lower LDL cholesterol ( P P P P P =0.001). Longitudinal increases in the ponderal index (weight/height 3 ) lowered the adulthood HDL cholesterol to a larger extent in e2 carriers ( P =0.017). The interindividual variability in LDL cholesterol due to childhood and adulthood ponderal index was 1.8- to 2.3-fold greater in the apoE2 group versus the apoE3 group. Likewise, cigarette smoking, alcohol use and oral contraceptive use in adulthood explained greater variability in triglycerides (5.3-fold), VLDL cholesterol (7.8-fold) and HDL cholesterol (2.9-fold) in the apoE2 group versus the apoE3 group. Thus, the apoE locus influences not only the levels and tracking of certain lipoproteins from childhood to adulthood but also modulates the association between lifestyle-related factors and lipoproteins.
Differential Expression of Sodium Pump Catalytic Subunits in the Lens Epithelium and Fibers

NaK-ATPase in lens epithelium plays a key role in conducting sodium-potassium transport. The purpose of this study was to test whether epithelium or fiber cells can synthesize new NaK-ATPase protein in response to an increase of membrane permeability. Western blot methodology was used to identify NaK-ATPase α subunit polypeptides in membrane material isolated from lens cells. As judged by immunoblot density, epithelial cell membrane material isolated from porcine lenses cultured 24 h with 1 μM amphotericin B contained more NaK-ATPase α subunit polypeptide than epithelial material isolated from control lenses. This increase stemmed from the apparent synthesis of NaK-ATPase α2 isoform polypeptide by the epithelium; NaK-ATPase αi isoform polypeptide abundance was not detectably altered. The apparent amphotericin B-induced expression of NaK-ATPase α2 was seen in lens epithelial cells but not fiber cells. This study suggests that the epithelium of the adult porcine lens may be capable of expressing additional sodium pump molecules of the α2-subtype when membrane permeability is increased.
Evaluation of a Laboratory-Scale Bioreactive In Situ Sediment Cap for the Treatment of Organic Contaminants

The development of bioreactive sediment caps, in which microorganisms capable of contaminant transformation are placed within an in situ cap, provides a potential remedial design that can sustainably treat sediment and groundwater contaminants. The goal of this study was to evaluate the ability and limitations of a mixed, anaerobic dechlorinating consortium to treat chlorinated ethenes within a sand-based cap. Results of batch experiments demonstrate that a tetrachloroethene (PCE)-to-ethene mixed consortium was able to completely dechlorinate dissolved-phase PCE to ethene when supplied only with sediment porewater obtained from a sediment column. To simulate a bioreactive cap, laboratory-scale sand columns inoculated with the mixed culture were placed in series with an upflow sediment column and directly supplied sediment effluent and dissolved-phase chlorinated ethenes. The mixed consortium was not able to sustain dechlorination activity at a retention time of 0.5 days without delivery of amendments to the sediment effluent, evidenced by the loss of cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-DCE) dechlorination to vinyl chloride. When soluble electron donor was supplied to the sediment effluent, complete dechlorination of cis-DCE to ethene was observed at retention times of 0.5 days, suggesting that sediment effluent lacked sufficient electron donor to maintain active dechlorination within the sediment cap. Introduction of elevated contaminant concentrations also limited biotransformation performance of the dechlorinating consortium within the cap. These findings indicate that in situ bioreactive capping can be a feasible remedial approach, provided that residence times are adequate and that appropriate levels of electron donor and contaminant exist within the cap.
Emotional aspects of endometriosis: a physician's perspective.

In conclusion, different models of physician-patient interactions will be effective at certain times in any long-term relationship between a physician and a patient with chronic disease. Even the most involved patient under certain conditions may say, "I just don't know what to do, Doctor. Do what you think is right." In the emergency situation, the most understanding physician must be comfortable taking full responsibility for the decisions. However, the majority of the time, the patient can be helped to feel less powerless and more positive with a therapeutic relationship that encourages education about endometriosis and provides a "road map" of diagnostic procedures, therapies, and referral sources on which the patient can do the "driving."
A General Approach to Noble Metal−Metal Oxide Dumbbell Nanoparticles and Their Catalytic Application for CO Oxidation

Heterogeneous dumbbell-like nanoparticles represent an important type of composite nanomaterial that has attracted growing interest. Here we report a general approach to noble metal−metal oxide dumbbell nanoparticles based on seed-mediated growth. Metal oxides are grown over the presynthesized noble metal seeds by thermal decomposition of metal carbonyl followed by oxidation in air. The as-synthesized dumbbell nanoparticles have intrinsic epitaxial linkage between the metal and the oxide, providing enhanced heterojunction interactions. Moreover, the properties of one component are readily modified by the other in these nanoparticles, as demonstrated by the enhanced catalytic activity toward CO oxidation of such dumbbell nanoparticles in comparison with their counterparts prepared by conversional methods. The heterojunction effects provided in such nanostructures thus offer another degree of freedom for tailoring material properties. The developed synthetic strategy could also be generalized to other syste...
Multichannel electron-atom scattering calculations using local complex distortions of the energy spectrum

Abstract We outline a procedure for calculating elastic and inelastic electron scattering amplitudes using expansions in basis sets of square-integrable functions exclusively. The local complex distortion method is illustrated by application to coupled-channel calculations of e − -H and e − -Li scattering.
COMPLICATIONS OF URETEROSCOPY: ANALYSIS OF PREDICTIVE FACTORS

Purpose: Although overall and major complication rates of 10% to 20% and 0% to 6%, respectively, have been observed in large series of ureteroscopy, to our knowledge no systemic analysis to determine factors predictive of these complications has been reported.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all ureteroscopies performed at our institution for calculous disease from January 1997 through September 1999. A total of 322 procedures were performed by 5 attending surgeons. Intraoperative and immediate postoperative complications were identified. Bivariate and multivariate analysis was performed to identify associated factors with ureteral perforation and postoperative complications as the dependent variables.Results: Bivariate analysis showed a significant association of ureteral perforation with increased operative time (p = 0.0001). In addition, we noted a significant association of postoperative complications with stones in the kidney (p = 0.0004), operative time (p = 0.05) and decreased sur...
The future of a demographic overachiever: long-term implications of the demographic transition in China.

China has been an overachiever in the global process of demographic transition in the second half of the twentieth century. Its morality decline was unparalleled in human history among populations of significant size consequently setting the stage for rapid population growth. In turn rapid population growth laid the foundation for an unprecedented state intervention in birth control. China’s fertility decline in the closing decades of the twentieth century was perhaps even more extraordinary for its speed and especially for the measures taken and the authorities involved. With China’s fertility now well below replacement level what lies ahead for this demographic overachiever? In this chapter the author examines three issues related to China’s demographic transition. First he briefly reviews the demographic transition in China. Second he discusses the role of the Chinese state a particularly salient aspect of the demographic transition and one that has attracted much attention and caused a good deal of confusion. Third using population projections he highlights a few important features of China’s demographic future deriving in large part from its status as a demographic overachiever.
Selective Loss of Leptin Receptors in the Ventromedial Hypothalamic Nucleus Results in Increased Adiposity and a Metabolic Syndrome

Leptin, an adipocyte-derived hormone, has emerged as a critical regulator of energy homeostasis. The leptin receptor (Lepr) is expressed in discrete regions of the brain; among the sites of highest expression are several mediobasal hypothalamic nuclei known to play a role in energy homeostasis, including the arcuate nucleus, the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH), and the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus. Although most studies have focused on leptin's actions in the arcuate nucleus, the role of Lepr in these other sites has received less attention. To explore the role of leptin signaling in the VMH, we used bacterial artificial chromosome transgenesis to target Cre recombinase to VMH neurons expressing steroidogenic factor 1, thereby inactivating a conditional Lepr allele specifically in steroidogenic factor 1 neurons of the VMH. These knockout (KO) mice, designated Lepr KO(VMH), exhibited obesity, particularly when challenged with a high-fat diet. On a low-fat diet, Lepr KO(VMH) mice exhibited significantly increased adipose mass even when their weights were comparable to wild-type littermates. Furthermore, these mice exhibited a metabolic syndrome including hepatic steatosis, dyslipidemia, and hyperleptinemia. Lepr KO(VMH) mice were hyperinsulinemic from the age of weaning and eventually developed overt glucose intolerance. These data define nonredundant roles of the Lepr in VMH neurons in energy homeostasis and provide a model system for studying other actions of leptin in the VMH.
Characterization of complex mixtures in urban atmospheres for inhalation exposure studies

A real-world assessment of the source-to-receptor pathways for ambient particulate matter (PM), as opposed to in a laboratory environment, was crucial for gaining a better understanding of the types of particles to which people are actually exposed in their daily lives, and of the human-health risks for source-specific PM. However, obtaining scientific evidence linking specific source emissions to health responses was not an easy task; ambient PM possesses diverse chemical, physical and thermodynamic properties, and is subjected to numerous complex atmospheric processes in which source type, source strength, sinks, and meteorology interact continuously. Our collaborative PM health research studies utilized an integrated approach that employs detailed characterization of ambient PM concurrent with inhalation toxicology studies using animal models and concentrated fine air particulates (CAPs). Ambient PM2.5 (PM less than 2.5 microm in mean aerodynamic diameter) was concentrated with a Harvard fine particle concentrator housed in AirCARE1, a unique mobile air research laboratory which enables inhalation exposure studies in real-world settings. This paper discusses the importance of comprehensive characterization of ambient PM2.5, CAPs and their sources, and the associated challenges. In a southwest Detroit community where the pediatric asthma rate is about three times the national average, a detailed assessment was performed including: characterization of ambient PM2.5 and CAPs; identification of major emission sources of PM2.5; and quantification of trace elements in lung tissues of laboratory rats that were exposed to CAPs, all in an effort to define source-receptor pathways for ambient PM2.5. Our findings to date constitute evidence of the retention of ambient urban particulates from local combustion sources within animal tissues from short-term exposures, and possible associations between the observed health effects and source-specific PM2.5. However, a complete understanding of the effects of complex mixtures of air pollutants and their toxicological impacts still faces many challenges.
The Relationship between Criterion-Based Levels of Oral Proficiency and Norm-Referenced Scores of General Proficiency in English as a Second Language.

Abstract This paper presents data from a validation study of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI). The “distinctness” of OPI ratings from scores generated by Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and one other examination was assessed on the basis of comparisons among 70 sets of scores from students of English as a second language who took all three test. Results of correlational analyses provide evidence that the OPI measures an ability (or collection of abilities) distinct from the skills evaluated by the other testing instruments, and thus are supportive of the “construct validity” of this oral interview (cf. Bachman and Palmer, 1981; Dandonoli and Henning, 1990). Correlations involving the OPI were consistently lower than correlations among subscores from the other tests. Even the correlation between regression-based, “predicted” OPI ratings and actual OPI ratings was not significantly higher than the correlation between actual OPI ratings and the single best predictor among the raw test scores. However, employing one particular “cut-off” procedure rendered OPI ratings completely predictable from TOEFL scores, a finding which underlines the relevance of potential test uses to the validation process.
RHODIUM-CATALYZED HYDROGENATION OF ETHYL ANTHRANILATE.

Room temperature hydrogenation of ethyl anthranilate employing 5 per cent rhodium on alumina at both low and high pressures yields the 3,4,5,6-tetrahydro derivative. At elevated temperatures, ethyl cis -hexahydroanthranilate is formed in good yield. An unsaturated dicyclohexylamine diester appears to form in a side reaction in the room temperature hydrogenations.
Directional spread of an α-herpesvirus in the nervous system

Pseudorabies virus (PRV), an alpha-herpesvirus, is capable of spreading between synaptically connected neurons in diverse hosts. In this report, two lines of experimentation are summarized that provide insight into the mechanism of virus spread in neurons. First, techniques were developed to measure the transport dynamics of capsids in infected neurons. Individual viral capsids labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) were visualized and tracked as they moved in axons away from infected neuronal cell bodies in culture during egress. Second, the effects of three viral membrane proteins (gE, gI and Us9) on the localization of envelope, tegument, and capsid proteins in infected, cultured sympathetic neurons were determined. These three proteins are necessary for spread of infection from pre-synaptic neurons to post-synaptic neurons in vivo (anterograde spread). Us9 mutants apparently are defective in anterograde spread in neural circuits because essential viral membrane proteins such as gB are not transported to axon terminals to facilitate spread to the connected neuron. By contrast, gE and gI mutants manifest their phenotype because these proteins most likely function at the axon terminal of the infected neuron to promote spread. These two sets of experiments are consistent with a model for herpesvirus spread in neurons first suggested by Cunningham and colleagues where capsids and envelope proteins, but not whole virions, are transported separately into the axon.
Psychophysical mapping of reward system operating characteristics: Utility transforms of stimulation duration

Abstract By applying signal detection theory to the utility scaling of rewarding brain stimulation, we have obtained a psychophysical function which maps duration of medial forebrain bundle (MFB) stimulation to reward value. Six 120 day-old Charles River rats, implanted with bipolar electrodes directed at the MFB, were trained to discriminate between high and low frequency tones for brain stimulation durations which ranged from .2 sec to 8.5 sec. The ratios of manipulated reward durations formed between the two types of correct response produced changes in the animal's response bias, as measured by beta, which were used to derive utility transforms of brain stimulation duration. We propose an optimizing differential equation system, based on the derived utility function, which models the total utility of rewarding electrical stimulation as subject to its marginal utility. Our results suggest that the brain scales activity in the reward pathway as a stimulus falling on a prothetic continuum, thereby allowing fine distinctions to be made between motivational stimuli across a wide range of stimulation.
cis-Active Ras G2-like Sequence Implicated in the Heterotropic Activation of the Deoxyadenosine Kinase of Lactobacillus acidophilus R-26

Abstract Deoxyadenosine kinase (dAK) forms a heterodimer with either deoxyguanosine kinase (dGK) or deoxycytidine kinase (dCK), and is heterotropically activated 3-5 times by dGuo or dCyd. Expressed alone, dAK is inactive and exhibits no response to dGuo or dCyd; activity and heterotropic response are fully restored upon reassociation with dGK or dCK. However, turnover of independently expressed dGK or dCK is nearly maximal, being further activated only 50-100% upon reassociation with dAK. In neither case is the heterotropic activation due to ligand-induced heterodimer formation. A proline/alanine substitution within a dAK segment homologous to loop G2 of Ras proteins yielded a heterodimer with dAK permanently cis-activated 2-fold, with a corresponding reduction in heterotropic activation by dGuo. A chimeric dAK, with 25% of its C terminus substituted by the homologous sequence from dGK, was inactive alone, and its characteristics were unchanged in the reconstituted heterodimer. Superimposing the Pro/Ala substitution on this chimera also reduced heterotropic activation by half. Cross-linking the dimer by 1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene was inhibited by ATP, dATP, dGTP, and dAdo, suggesting the proximity of the active site(s) to the interface. These data suggest that dAK depends on dGK or dCK in a manner resembling the reliance of Ras upon GTPase activating protein.
Alternative diets for the pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei

Abstract Future use of animal protein sources in shrimp feeds is expected to be considerably reduced as a consequence of increasing economical, environmental and safety issues. Of main concern has been the use of expensive marine protein sources, such as fish meal. Hence, shrimp research has recently focused on the development of practical feeds with minimal levels of fish meal and alternative, lower cost protein sources. To determine shrimp capacity to use practical feeds with plant proteins as replacement ingredients to animal protein sources, an 81-day growth trial was conducted in an outdoor tanks system, using juvenile (0.74 g) Litopenaeus vannamei . Experimental treatments included four diets with varying levels of fish meal in the diet (9, 6, 3 and 0%) in combination with 16% poultry by-product meal, a plant based feed containing 1% squid meal, and a commercial reference feed. Feeds were commercially extruded and offered as sinking pellets designed to contain 35% crude protein and 8% lipids. Mean final weight, percent weight gain, final net yield, feed conversion ratio and survival were evaluated. Final values for these parameters ranged from 17.4 to 19.5 g, 2249–2465%, 564.4–639.0 g m − 3 , 1.07–1.20 and 83.3–89.2%, respectively. Evaluation of production parameters at the end of the study demonstrated no significant differences ( P ≥ 0.05) among any of the experimental treatments. These results indicate that fish meal can be replaced with plant protein sources in diets including 16% poultry by-product meal without affecting shrimp growth and production. In addition, results demonstrate that good performance can obtained by shrimp fed a plant protein based feed (solvent extracted soybean meal, corn gluten meal and corn fermented solubles) in combination with 1% squid meal. Although results with the primarily plant based diet are encouraging, further evaluations are recommended to allow the removal of the remaining marine ingredients.
Mapping of Stat3 Serine Phosphorylation to a Single Residue (727) and Evidence That Serine Phosphorylation Has No Influence on DNA Binding of Stat1 and Stat3

During their polypeptide ligand-induced activation Stats (signaltransducers andactivators oftranscription) 1 and 3 acquire, in addition to an obligatory tyrosine phosphorylation, phosphorylation on serine which boosts their transactivating potential [Wen, Z., Zhong, Z. and Darnell, J. E. Jr. (1995) Cell 82, 241-250]. By examining phosphopeptide maps of wild-type and mutant protein we show here that the Stat3 serine phosphorylation, like the Stat1 serine phosphorylation, occurs on a single residue, serine 727. Neither the DNA binding of Stat1 nor Stat3 is demonstrably affected by the presence or absence of the serine phosphorylation. Thus the earlier demonstration that transcription is enhanced by the presence of the serine 727 residue likely occurs after DNA binding. These findings do not agree with earlier claims of excess serine to tyrosine phosphorylation in activated Stats 1 and 3 or to claims of more stable DNA binding of serine phosphorylated Stat dimers.
Renal Transplantation: Older Recipients and Donors

The majority of patients receiving a renal allograft, including a kidney from an older donor, do well. Renal transplantation from a living donor is associated with distinct advantages, including prolonged allograft survival. When live donors are not available, however, deceased donor kidneys provide suitable renal function that frequently lasts the lifetime of elderly recipients. Elderly patients who receive a kidney transplant enjoy improved survival, better quality of life, and lower medical costs than those who remain on dialysis.
Non-horn clause logic programming without contrapositives

We present an extension of Prolog-style Horn clause logic programming to full first order logic. This extension has some advantages over other such extensions that have been proposed. We compare this method with the model elimination strategy which Stickel has recently implemented very efficiently, and with Loveland's extension of Prolog to near-Horn clauses. This new method is based on the author's “simplified problem reduction format” but permits a better control of the splitting rule than does the simplified problem reduction format. In contrast to model elimination, this new method does not require the use of contrapositives of clauses, permitting a better control of the search. This method has been implemented in C Prolog and has turned out to be a respectable and surprisingly compact first-order theorem prover. This implementation uses depth-first iterative deepening and caching of answers to avoid repeated solution of the same subgoal. We show that the time and space used by this method are polynomial functions of certain natural parameters of the search space, unlike other known methods. We discuss the relation of these upper bounds to Savitch's theorem relating nondeterministic time to deterministic space.
First- and second-order Freedericksz transitions in nematic liquid crystals subjected to static and optical-electromagnetic fields

The electric-field-induced Freedericksz transition in a nematic liquid crystal is always second order, with or without an additional electric or magnetic field. However, with an additional optical field, the transition can become first order and bistable in both planar parallel and homeotropic nematic cells. The first-order transition condition and criterion are obtained. There exists a critical optical intensity above which the first-order transition can be obtained from an otherwise second-order transition, and in general, the critical intensity is smaller for a parallel cell than for a homeotropic cell.
Ovule and suspension culture of a cotton fiber development mutant

Growth and development of cotton fibers in a developmental mutant, Ligon-lintless, and its near isogenic wild type, Texas Marker-1, were compared in ovule and cell suspension cultures. In both organ and cell cultures the pattern of growth of fiber cells from the two genotypes mimicked the pattern ofin vivo growth. The timing of fiber cell initiation soon after anthesis in Ligon-lintless suggests that the fiber cells on this mutant are analogous to the commercially important lint fibers. Length distributions of elongated cells from cell suspension culture of Ligon-lintless and Texas Marker-1 indicate that the length attained in culture is affected by the genotype of the explant tissue.
Expression and localization of rat NBC4c in liver and renal uroepithelium

Previous studies provided functional evidence for electrogenic Na+-HCO3− cotransport in hepatocytes and in intrahepatic bile duct cholangiocytes. The molecular identity of the transporters mediatin...