cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Hedgehog Signaling Pathway is Expressed in the Adult Mouse Hypothalamus and Modulated by Fasting.

The hedgehog signaling pathway is best known for its role in developmental patterning of the neural tube and limb bud. More recently, hedgehog signaling has been recognized for its roles in growth of adult tissues and maintenance of progenitor cell niches. However, the role of hedgehog signaling in fully differentiated cells like neurons in the adult brain is less clear. In mammals, coordination of hedgehog pathway activity relies on primary cilia and patients with ciliopathies such as Bardet-Biedl and Alstrom syndrome exhibit clinical features clearly attributable to errant hedgehog such as polydactyly. However, these ciliopathies also present with features not clearly associated with hedgehog signaling such as hyperphagia-associated obesity. How hedgehog signaling may contribute to feeding behavior is complex and unclear, but cilia are critical for proper energy homeostasis. Here, we provide a detailed analysis of the expression of core components of the hedgehog signaling pathway in the adult mouse hypothalamus with an emphasis on feeding centers. We show that hedgehog pathway genes continue to be expressed in differentiated neurons important for regulation of feeding behavior. Furthermore, we demonstrate for the first time that pathway activity is regulated at the transcriptional level by fasting. These data suggest that hedgehog signaling is involved in the proper functioning of brain regions which regulate feeding behavior and that hedgehog pathway dysfunction may play a role in the obesity observed in certain ciliopathies. Significance Statement Here we investigate the expression of hedgehog pathway components in the adult mouse hypothalamus. Using dual labeling in situ hybridization we show that core components of the signaling pathway are expressed in multiple neuronal cell types within the hypothalamic feeding centers. Our findings also support previous findings that astrocytes are responsive to hedgehog signaling, as determined by Gli1 and Ptch1 expression. Using qPCR analysis, we show that hypothalamic hedgehog pathway activity is upregulated in response to fasting and this response is nuclei specific. These data not only provide a more detailed understanding of hedgehog pathway expression in the adult mouse hypothalamus but also provide direct evidence of a novel role for hedgehog signaling in the physiological response to fasting.
Controllability and Observability Imply Exponential Decay of Sensitivity in Dynamic Optimization

Abstract We study a property of dynamic optimization (DO) problems (as those encountered in model predictive control and moving horizon estimation) that is known as exponential decay of sensitivity (EDS). This property indicates that the sensitivity of the solution at stage i against a data perturbation at stage j decays exponentially with |i-j|. Building upon our previous results, we show that EDS holds under uniform boundedness of the Lagrangian Hessian, a uniform second order sufficiency condition (uSOSC), and a uniform linear independence constraint qualification (uLICQ). Furthermore, we prove that uSOSC and uLICQ can be obtained under uniform controllability and observability. Hence, we have that uniform controllability and observability imply EDS. These results provide insights into how perturbations propagate along the horizon and enable the development of approximation and solution schemes. We illustrate the developments with numerical examples.
Recall and response: Relationship adjustments to adverse information shocks

Abstract How resilient are U.S. buyer–foreign supplier relationships to new information about product defects? We construct a novel dataset of U.S. consumer-product recalls sourced from foreign suppliers between 1995 and 2013. Using an event-study approach, we find that compared to control relationships, buyers that experience recalls temporarily reduce their probability of trading with the suppliers of the recalled products by 17%. The reduction is much larger for new than established buyer–supplier relationships. Buyers that experience a recall are more likely to add other suppliers to their portfolios, diversifying supplier-specific risk in the aftermath of a recall; this effect, too, is larger for buyers impacted by recalls in new relationships. There is a long lag – up to two years – before diversification, consistent with a high cost of establishing new relationships.
Endogenous inattention and risk-specific price underreaction in corporate bonds

Abstract Corporate bond prices are slow to respond to default risk and interest rate shocks, as proxied by firm-level stock returns and Treasury returns, respectively. Furthermore, the underreaction is risk-specific: bonds with better credit quality underreact more to default risk, while those with worse quality underreact more to interest rates. The underreactions imply substantial out-of-sample return predictability, and investors appear to be leaving too much money on the table. The results are consistent with behavioral inattention models in which investors endogenously allocate more attention to payoff-relevant (or salient) risks, and they are not explained by traditional trading friction mechanisms.
The Friedland–Hayman inequality and Caffarelli’s contraction theorem

The Friedland–Hayman inequality is a sharp inequality concerning the growth rates of homogeneous, harmonic functions with Dirichlet boundary conditions on complementary cones dividing Euclidean space into two parts. In this paper, we prove an analogous inequality in which one divides a convex cone into two parts, placing Neumann conditions on the boundary of the convex cone and Dirichlet conditions on the interface. This analogous inequality was already proved by us jointly with Sarah Raynor. Here, we present a new proof that permits us to characterize the case of equality. In keeping with the two-phase free boundary theory introduced by Alt, Caffarelli, and Friedman, such an improvement can be expected to yield further regularity in free boundary problems.
Community detection with dependent connectivity

In network analysis, within-community members are more likely to be connected than between-community members, which is reflected in that the edges within a community are intercorrelated. However, existing probabilistic models for community detection such as the stochastic block model (SBM) are not designed to capture the dependence among edges. In this paper, we propose a new community detection approach to incorporate intra-community dependence of connectivities through the Bahadur representation. The proposed method does not require specifying the likelihood function, which could be intractable for correlated binary connectivities. In addition, the proposed method allows for heterogeneity among edges between different communities. In theory, we show that incorporating correlation information can achieve a faster convergence rate compared to the independent SBM, and the proposed algorithm has a lower estimation bias and accelerated convergence compared to the variational EM. Our simulation studies show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing multinetwork community detection methods assuming conditional independence among edges. We also demonstrate the application of the proposed method to agricultural product trading networks from different countries and to brain fMRI imaging networks.
Some Quot schemes in tilted hearts and moduli spaces of stable pairs

For a smooth projective variety X, we study analogs of Quot schemes using hearts of non-standard t-structures of Db(Coh(X)). The technical framework uses families of t-structures as studied in A. B...
Identification of chromatin states during zebrafish gastrulation using CUT&RUN and CUT&Tag

Background Cell fate decisions are governed by interactions between sequence-specific transcription factors and a dynamic chromatin landscape. Zebrafish offer a powerful system for probing the mechanisms that drive these cell fate choices, especially in the context of early embryogenesis. However, technical challenges associated with conventional methods for chromatin profiling have slowed progress toward understanding the exact relationships between chromatin changes, transcription factor binding, and cellular differentiation during zebrafish embryogenesis. Results To overcome these challenges, we adapted the chromatin profiling methods CUT&RUN and CUT&Tag for use in zebrafish, and applied these methods to generate high resolution enrichment maps for H3K4me3, H3K27me3, H3K9me3, RNA polymerase II, and the histone variant H2A.Z using tissue isolated from whole, mid-gastrula stage embryos. Using this data, we identify a subset of genes that may be bivalently regulated during both zebrafish and mouse gastrulation, provide evidence for an evolving H2A.Z landscape during embryo development, and demonstrate the effectiveness of CUT&RUN for detecting H3K9me3 enrichment at repetitive sequences. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the power of combining CUT&RUN and CUT&Tag methods with the strengths of the zebrafish system to define emerging chromatin landscapes in the context of vertebrate embryogenesis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Biomaterials via peptide assembly: design, characterization, and application in tissue engineering.

A core challenge in biomaterials, with both fundamental significance and technological relevance, concerns the rational design of bioactive microenvironments. Designed properly, peptides can undergo supramolecular assembly into dynamic, physical hydrogels that mimic the mechanical, topological, and biochemical features of native tissue microenvironments. The relatively facile, inexpensive, and automatable preparation of peptides coupled with low batch-to-batch variability motivates the expanded use of assembling peptide hydrogels for biomedical applications. Integral to realizing dynamic peptide assemblies as functional biomaterials for tissue engineering is an understanding of the molecular and macroscopic features that govern assembly, morphology, and biological interactions. In this review, we first discuss the design of assembling peptides, including primary structure (sequence), secondary structure (e.g., α-helix and β-sheets), and molecular interactions that facilitate assembly into multiscale materials with desired properties. Next, we describe characterization tools for elucidating molecular structure and interactions, morphology, bulk properties, and biological functionality. Understanding of these characterization methods enables researchers to access a variety of approaches in this ever-expanding field. Finally, we discuss the biological properties and applications of peptide-based biomaterials for engineering several important tissues. By connecting molecular features and mechanisms of assembling peptides to the material and biological properties, we aim to guide the design and characterization of peptide-based biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Well-defined topological and mechanical properties of assembled peptides can be used to direct biological responses. Engineering peptide-based extracellular matrices offers immense opportunity for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Here we review the molecular-scale features of assembling peptides that result in useful extracellular matrix properties and desired cell interactions. Aiming to inspire researchers approaching this challenge from both the peptide biomaterial design and tissue engineering perspectives, we present characterization tools for understanding the connection between peptide structure and properties and highlight the use of peptide-based biomaterials in neural, orthopedic, cardiac, muscular, and immune engineering applications.
Decrypting Cryptic Crosswords: Semantically Complex Wordplay Puzzles as a Target for NLP

Cryptic crosswords, the dominant English-language crossword variety in the United Kingdom, can be solved by expert humans using flexible, creative intelligence and knowledge of language. Cryptic clues read like fluent natural language, but they are adversarially composed of two parts: a definition and a wordplay cipher requiring sub-word or character-level manipulations. As such, they are a promising target for evaluating and advancing NLP systems that seek to process language in more creative, human-like ways. We present a dataset of cryptic crossword clues from a major newspaper that can be used as a benchmark and train a sequence-to-sequence model to solve them. We also develop related benchmarks that can guide development of approaches to this challenging task. We show that performance can be substantially improved using a novel curriculum learning approach in which the model is pre-trained on related tasks involving, e.g, unscrambling words, before it is trained to solve cryptics. However, even this curricular approach does not generalize to novel clue types in the way that humans can, and so cryptic crosswords remain a challenge for NLP systems and a potential source of future innovation.
The Influence of the Social Environment on Health Behavior

Close personal relationships with friends, family, and romantic others represent one of the primary arenas in which health behaviors occur and in which acute health situations are navigated. Despite the important role of close relationships in a range of health behaviors and outcomes, much research to date has focused on either individual-level processes or the role of macro-level social influences such as public policy, culture, and characteristics of the built and physical environment. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a broad overview of the current evidence for the role of close relationships in supporting (or thwarting) health promoting behaviors and the role of close relationships in navigating acute health challenges. We conclude with a call for additional research that characterizes the dyad as a unit and more proximal forms of social influence.
Exchange vs Crystal Fields in Gd-Pr Single Crystal Alloys

We have measured the saturation magnetic moment of a hep single crystal of Gd0.91Pr0.09 and obtain a value of 6.63 Bohr magnetons per atom. If we assume a magnetic moment of 3.2 μ B per Pr atom and 7.55 μ B per Gd atom and normal spin exchange coupling so as to have antiparallel moments we obtain a theoretical value of 6.60 Bohr magnetons in excellent agreement with the observed value. This demonstrates that the exchange field dominates the hexagonal crystal field in this sample. The sample exhibited strong magnetic anisotropy which corroborates our interpretation of the results.
J'ACCUSE ! M. LECOMTE DE LAPLACE A PROHIBE LE RECRUTEMENT DES ALVEOLES DU POUMON

A recurrent concept throughout all the natural sciences is that of capacitance—"the extension or displacement of a loaded structure per unit load." The electrical engineer knows capacitance as the ratio of charge/voltage. Physicists (since Hooke, who first enunciated the concept) recognize strain/stress as compressibility (the inverse of the modulus). Pulmonary physiologists look at volume/pressure and call it compliance, while biochemists view the volume of molecules that can be liganded to a carrier and call it a binding curve. Clinicians recognize this form as the oxygen-dissociation curve, instantly identified by its sigmoid shape. This shape also describes the inflation curve of the gasless lung—in the following sequence of increasing transpulmonary pressure: (1) a flat portion with only a small increase in volume—this segment describes the discontinuous openings of the smaller airways and alveoli, once their interfacial tensions have been overcome;
Coordinating workflow allocation and execution in mobile environments

Workflows have been used successfully to model collaborative activities that have a well-defined structure. Workflow management systems today can execute workflows that range from a simple sequence of tasks to complex business processes, but have a common restriction in that they can only function in settings where the network is stable. This paper represents an initial investigation into the possibility of using workflows in a challenging new domain - that of an ad hoc mobile network - and for a wider purpose - that of supporting arbitary collaborations among groups of people. Moving to a mobile setting introduces many challenges, as the mobility of the participants in a workflow imposes constraints on the allocation of workflow tasks, coordination among participants, and the marshaling of results. We present an algorithm that heuristically allocates tasks to participants based on their capabilities and mobility, and a system that uses spatiotemporal coordination to control and manage workflow execution in a mobile environment.
A functional PtdIns(3)P-binding motif

Treating cells with the phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase (PI(3)K) inhibitor wortmannin causes the dissociation of the early-endosomal antigen EEA1 from early endosomes1. EEA1 from cytosolic extracts binds to liposomes containing phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PtdIns(3)P), the major product of PI(3)K in yeast and mammalian cells1,2. Here we show that a RING zinc-finger domain at the carboxy terminus of EEA1, previously identified and named the ‘FYVE’ domain3, binds directly and specifically to PtdIns(3)P. This indicates that proteins containing this motif may be downstream effectors of PI(3)K in yeast and mammalian cells.
REDUCTION STUDIES OF TRIVALENT CALIFORNIUM AND EINSTEINIUM

Abstract Binding energies of the 5f electrons are rapidly increasing as the end of the actinide series is approached as shown by the stability of the (II) oxidation state of Md and No. To determine if this stability extends to lower members of the actinides, experiments have been underway to prepare anhydrous compounds of divalent Cf and Es. Among the simple compounds, the diiodides are expected to be the most stable. The reduction of CfI3 with hydrogen at 550-650°C appears partially successful in producing CfI2. X-ray powder diffraction data show the major lines expected of a hexagonal CdI2-type structure in addition to the known lines belonging to CfI3. Experiments are continuing to prepare a pure divalent phase for positive identification. The observation of color changes also indicates that CfI3 is partially dissociated to CfI2 upon heating the triiodide above 550°C in a vacuum. The outcome of attempts to prepare Es(II) oxide by hydrogen reduction of the sesquioxide at high temperatures was inconclusive. The crystal structure was destroyed too rapidly by the α-radiation of 253Es to obtain X-ray diffraction data. No annealing of the radiation damage was noted in X-ray diffraction patterns taken at 600°C.
Rill erosion in natural and disturbed forests: 2. Modeling Approaches

[1] As forest management scenarios become more complex, the ability to more accurately predict erosion from those scenarios becomes more important. In this second part of a two-part study we report model parameters based on 66 simulated runoff experiments in two disturbed forests in the northwestern U.S. The 5 disturbance classes were natural, 10-month old and 2-week old low soil burn severity, high soil burn severity, and logging skid trails. In these environments the erosion rates were clearly detachment limited, and the rill erodibility parameters calculated from four hydraulic variables increased by orders of magnitude. The soil shear stress based erodibility parameter, Kr, was 1.5 × 10−6 s m−1in the natural plots, 2.0 × 10−4 s m−1 in the high soil burn severity plots, and 1.7 × 10−3 s m−1 in the skid trail plots; Kr values for the low soil burn severity plots had negative sign. The erodibility value for the skid trail plots fell within ranges reported for tilled agricultural fields and also for forest roads. The Kr values decreased as erosion occurred in the plots and therefore should not be a constant parameter. The stream power produced the largest R2 value (0.41) when hydraulic predictors and the sediment flux were log-transformed, but none of the four hydraulic variables (soil shear stress, stream power, unit stream power, and unit length shear force) explained much of the variability in sediment flux rates across the five levels of disturbance when evaluated in the linear form of the erosion models under consideration.
Process Evaluation of a Revised Nutrition Education Curriculum for Parents Targeting Obesogenic Behaviors

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is designed to reach low-income populations primarily through curricula addressing dietary intake. Including other target behaviors such as physical activity, screen time and child feeding practices may be beneficial to help curb the obesity epidemic. In Rhode Island (RI), a qualitative study found that parents who had previously participated in EFNEP wanted to learn about these topics. Three additional EFNEP modules were developed covering these areas. The purpose of this study was to conduct a process evaluation of these modules. Five RI-EFNEP classes taught by paraprofessionals to parents of children ages 2-12 years (n1⁄442) participated in this study. The process evaluation assessed fidelity, lesson observations, and participant feedback (surveys and focus groups). Analysis included frequencies and content analysis. Fidelity for all components of the modified curriculum was high (75-100%) except for goal setting, which occurred only 58.8% of the time. Observations show participants were attentive and open to discussion in 90-100% of the lessons. Participant feedback was positive for the new lessons and hands-on activities. However, participants expressed wanting more age specific information related to feeding together with hands-on activities, and information related to how food advertisements tailor to parents and children. Overall, the curriculum was successful and will be revised to modify goal setting and include more age appropriate information as well as focus on the effects of advertising. Future studies can benefit from participant feedback to improve interventions that target obesity-related health behaviors in low-income families.
Constructing Hybrid Control Systems from Robust Linear Control Agents

Hybrid control systems (HCS) arise when the plant, a continuous state system (CSS), is controlled by a discrete event system (DES) controller. It is assumed that there exists a specification on the plant's desired symbolic behaviour. This specification describes how various operational modes of the controlled plant should fit together. One design problem involves determining an HCS that “realizes” the specified behaviour in a “stable” manner. In this paper, a solution is posed which involves finding a sequence of subgoals and controllers achieving the specified behaviour in a “logically” stable manner. The solution can therefore be viewed as a “logically” stable extension of the previously given symbolic specification on the plant's behaviour. This paper shows how such an extension can be constructed using multiple H∞ control agents exhibiting robust stability. The problem formulation leads to a design problem which can be solved using existing H∞ control techniques.
Binary Frequency among Pre-Main Sequence Stars in Taurus and Ophiuchus

The lunar occultation technique applied in the IR offers a powerful means of identifying binaries among obscured young stars. Our program has revealed binaries with separations from 1 to 100 AU in the Taurus and Ophiuchus star forming regions to about K=9 mag. To date, 29 objects have been observed; 6 were discovered to be binaries. The observed binary frequency is about half that expected from the binary statistics of a comparable sample of field stars. The discrepancy is probably attributable to our insensitivity to binary systems with secondary mass much less than that of the primary.
Application of self-modeling nonlinear regression to ventricular pressure data.

This paper is concerned with the application of Self-Modeling Nonlinear Regression to pressure data from left ventricles of awake, intact baboons. The baboons were subjected to either an experimental (endotoxin) protocol or a control protocol. Pressure segments of the cardiac cycle from the QRS complex to the systolic plateau were the input data. Families of such segments were formed in several ways. A very good fit was obtained in the sense that both the individual residuals and their rms values were comparable with the noise in the data acquisition system. The model used was: p(t)=f(t, θ) + ϵ f(t, θ) = θo + θ1g((t−θ2θ3). Here p is pressure, t is time, the θ's are location and scale parameters, and the g is the “shape invariant model.” There were some variations of physiological interest in the θ parameters and in the time derivatives. We were unable to show variations in the shape function (g) from endotoxin to control or over time.
The fine structure of nerve endings in the nucleus of the trapezoid body and the ventral cochlear nucleus

Large, calyciform axonal endings, as well as typical terminal boutons, have been previously described in the ventral cochlear nucleus and the nucleus of the trapezoid body by light microscopists. In the present study, these endings were examined with the electron microscope in chinchillas, rats, and a cat after perfusion fixation with osmium tetroxide. The calyces were found to consist of elongated processes arising from myelinated axons and making multiple synaptic contacts with perikarya and dendrites. This finding suggests that an important property of calyces is the large amount of synaptic activity that they can bring to bear on a single post-synaptic structure. Adjacent to the calyciform endings were variable numbers of boutons that made synaptic contacts with the same perikarya and dendrites. The majority of boutons contained smaller synaptic vesicles than those present in the calyces, implying both anatomical and functional differences between these two types of ending. It is suggested that many of these boutons in the ventral cochlear nucleus are endings of centrifugal, inhibitory fibers described by previous workers.
The chemistry of protonated species in the martian ionosphere

Abstract The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) spacecraft entered orbit around Mars on 22 September 2014. The Neutral Gas Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS) instrument on this spacecraft will measure the ion densities with unprecedented sensitivity of ∼1 cm - 3 above the nominal periapsis altitude ∼150 km. The upper region of the martian ionosphere consists of a suite of ions that have been modeled many times, and several protonated species, for which there are fewer models. We model here the density profiles for 14 major ions that have been modeled previously and 10 additional protonated species, which include the most important 4 species, HCO+, OCOH+, OH+, and N2H+, with smaller densities of several minor species, including H 2 + , H 3 + , HO 2 + , HNO+, ArH+, and CH+. To the ∼220 reactions that were already in our ionospheric models, we add ∼75 reactions that are of relevance to protonated species, including ion–molecule reactions and dissociative recombination reactions. These reactions also largely complete the chemistry of thermospheric H and H2, which we also show. We first discuss the chemistry of protonated species in general, and then we justify our choices for the rate coefficients of the reactions that we add here. We then describe the major production and loss mechanisms for the four major protonated species. Finally we present density profiles for all 10 protonated species that we consider here for low and high solar activity models, and show that most of their peak densities are anticorrelated with solar activity. This will confer an advantage to the MAVEN mission, which will enter the ionosphere during a period of declining solar activity. We compare our model to two previous models, and show that there are significant differences between them. The results presented here will provide a guide for the mass settings on the NGIMS instrument.
Three-dimensional image reconstruction. II. Hamiltonian method for phase recovery

The problem of reconstructing a positive semidefinite three-dimensional (3D) image from the measurement of the magnitude of its 2D Fourier transform at a series of orientations is explored. The phase of the Fourier transform is not measured. The algorithm developed here utilizes a Hamiltonian, or cost function, that at its minimum provides the solution to the stated problem. The energy function includes both data and physical constraints on the charge distribution or image.
Release of aromatic amines from brain tissues of the rat in vitro.

— Radioactive β-hydroxylated phenylethylamines, DL-octopamine and DL-metara-minol, as well as DL-norepinephrine, were released from slices or minces of rat brain in vitro by electrical or ionic depolarizing stimuli. In contrast, labelled D-amphetamine and p-tyramine were poorly released and the release of urea was barely perceptible. Addition of unlabelled L-norepinephrine to an incubating medium led to displacement of previously bound [3H]octopamine and [3H]metaraminol from a synaptosomal preparation. Pretreat-ment of rats with intrathecal 6-hydroxydopamine markedly decreased the ability of slices of their brains to release [3H]norepinephrine and [3H]octopamine. We suggest that certain phenolic β-hydroxylated phenylethylamines may enter central, norepinephrine-containing nerveendings, may be stored in presynaptic vesicles and may be released by nerve stimulation. Under certain circumstances such compounds may act as neurotransmitters with unknown post-synaptic effects.
Brain structure changes in schizophrenics with high serum titers of antibodies to herpes virus.

We compared five indices of brain structure between two groups of schizophrenics, namely, those with high and normal levels of antibody in the serum to herpes virus. Eleven 'immuno-positive' and 21 'immuno-normal' subjects obtained from a concomitant study of serum IgG antibody to viruses underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) utilizing a 1 Tesla magnet and 8 mm thick slices. We measured ventricle-brain ratio (VBR), 3rd ventricle width, cortical atrophy, area of corpus callosum, and frontal lobe area. The differences between groups were assessed by t-test and chi-square analysis. Eight of 11 immuno-positives compared to 7 of 21 immuno-normals showed evidence of cortical atrophy (chi 2 = 4.49, p < 0.03). The immuno-positives had smaller left frontal area (mean + s.d = 125.69 + 21.30 versus 143.76 + 19.84, t = 2.07, p < 0.05) and larger 2nd quadrant of the corpus callosum (mean + s.d. = 1.58 + 0.39 versus 1.27 + 0.52, t = 2.68, p < 0.01). The right frontal area also was smaller in immuno-positives but not significant. VBR, 3rd ventricle and the 1st, 3rd and 4th callosal quadrants did not differ between the groups. We conclude that high antibody titers to herpes found in the sera of some schizophrenics might reflect an earlier pathogenetic process that affected brain development. Further studies of antibodies in CSF and brain structure in these or similar subjects and those suspected to be exposed to viral infections in utero should be vigorously pursued to obtain definitive evidence for this hypothesis.
Acoustic emission monitoring of externally bonded FRP-reinforced concrete

ABSTRACT Debonding of externally bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials used for repair of reinforced elements is commonly observed and is often the critical limit state for such systems. This paper presents an acoustic emission (AE) study performed during laboratory tests of concrete slab specimens strengthened with CFRP strips. Several specimens having different b f /s ratio (ratio of CFRP width-to-CFRP spacing) were monitored. An AE paradigm to monitor damage initiation, progression, and location in the test specimens is demonstrated. An algorithm to classify the cracks in concrete, the disbond of the CFRP strips from the soffit of the slab, and the eventual failure (debonding or concrete shear) is also presented. The proposed general approach can be applied to large scale CFRP-concrete systems. The results presented here are part of a broader study, conduc ted at the University of Pitts burgh, aiming at characterizing the structural response and the debonding behavior of reinforced concrete strengthened with CFRP. Keywords: Acoustic Emission, CFRP, reinforced concrete, Nondestructive Evaluation.
Remote Mass Spectrometric Sampling of Electrospray- and Desorption Electrospray-Generated Ions Using an Air Ejector

A commercial air ejector was coupled to an electrospray ionization linear ion trap mass spectrometer (LTQ) to transport remotely generated ions from both electrospray (ESI) and desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) sources. We demonstrate the remote analysis of a series of analyte ions that range from small molecules and polymers to polypeptides using the AE-LTQ interface. The details of the ESI-AE-LTQ and DESI-AE-LTQ experimental configurations are described and preliminary mass spectrometric data are presented.
The high-level tetraplegic: psychological survival and adjustment

From the date of injury tetraplegics with spinal cord lesions of C4 and above are faced with unparalleled social and psychological adjustment. The individual will be involved in a process of re-establishing his identity by learning to develop and adapt his only remaining resources, his mind and his ability to communicate. This patient population is absolutely dependent in all aspects of meeting basic needs during the initial stages of the injury. If we attempt to return the patient to an active role in society, the rehabilitation team must be aware of the dynamics by which the patient achieves control of both himself and his environment. He will undergo a marked regression of his physical and emotional being and will face the turmoil of realigning ego parameters. The focal point of patient, family and staff interaction is the months of rehabilitation, where the team deals with the problem of social reintegration. Family involvement is essential from the beginning and reaches a high point at discharge and home planning. The scope of the paper will be to trace the psycho-social development of the patient with cervical lesion of C4 and above through the initial, rehabilitation and discharge phases of the injury. Our aim is to develop sufficient insight to the problems facing our patient population that we may aid in their search for meaningful lives.
Sox1 marks an activated neural stem/progenitor cell in the hippocampus

The dentate gyrus of the hippocampus continues generating new neurons throughout life. These neurons originate from radial astrocytes within the subgranular zone (SGZ). Here, we find that Sox1, a member of the SoxB1 family of transcription factors, is expressed in a subset of radial astrocytes. Lineage tracing using Sox1-tTA;tetO-Cre;Rosa26 reporter mice shows that the Sox1-expressing cells represent an activated neural stem/progenitor population that gives rise to most if not all newly born granular neurons, as well as a small number of mature hilar astrocytes. Furthermore, a subpopulation of Sox1-marked cells have long-term neurogenic potential, producing new neurons 3 months after inactivation of tetracycline transactivator. Remarkably, after 8 weeks of labeling and a 12-week chase, as much as 44% of all granular neurons in the dentate gyrus were derived from Sox1 lineage-traced adult neural stem/progenitor cells. The fraction of Sox1-positive cells within the radial astrocyte population decreases with age, correlating with a decrease in neurogenesis. However, expression profiling shows that these cells are transcriptionally stable throughout the lifespan of the mouse. These results demonstrate that Sox1 is expressed in an activated stem/progenitor population whose numbers decrease with age while maintaining a stable molecular program.
Search for magnetic field induced aggregations of lysozyme molecules in dilute aqueous solutions

Abstract Our Tyndall scattering and microwave conductivity experiments detected no magnetic field induced aggregations of lysozyme molecules (⩾ 1015cm dia) with room temperature superconductive regions, suggested recently by Ahmed et al. to occur in dilute aqueous solutions of these molecules.
Transvaginal repair of vault prolapse: A review

Objective : To provide a critical assessment of the published literature on transvaginal reconstructive techniques used to suspend a prolapsed vaginal vault. Data Source : A Medline data base search and a bibliographic review of the relevant articles were conducted to identify all English-language articles on repair of vaginal vault prolapse. Methods of Study Selection : Our literature search identified 34 articles published in peer-review journals and one article reported in another format, describing five different techniques. Tabulation, Integration and Results : The size of each study population, modifications of the original surgical technique, complications, and results were tabulated and summarized for each surgical approach. Only sacrospinous ligament vaginal vault suspension and endopelvic fascia vaginal vault fixation had a sufficient number of cases to allow an informative evaluation of their effectiveness in managing vaginal vault prolapse. Of the 1229 patients who had undergone sacrospinous ligament suspension, 1062 were available for varying periods of follow-up; 193 (18%) of these developed recurrent pelvic relaxation—including 32 vaginal vault eversions, 81 anterior vaginal wall defects, 24 posterior vaginal wall prolapses, and 56 support defects at unspecified or multiple sites. Of the 367 patients who had undergone endopelvic fascia vaginal vault fixation, 322 were available for follow-up ranging from 1 to 12 years; 34 (11%) of these patients developed recurrent pelvic relaxation including nine vaginal vault prolapses, two anterior vaginal wall defects, 11 posterior vaginal wall relaxations, and 12 support defects at unspecified or multiple sites. Conclusions : Published experience suggests that sacrospinous ligament suspension and endopelvic fascia fixation are effective in managing vaginal vault prolapse. Because of study limitations—including an absence of standardized outcome evaluation, relatively short follow-up periods, a substantial number of patients lost to follow-up, concomitant surgical procedures, and failure to assess visceral and sexual functions—the true efficacy of these two procedures remains inconclusive.
Sense of Control and Career Adaptability Among Undergraduate Students

The current study examined the direct relation of sense of control to career adaptability, as well as its ability to function as a mediator for other established predictors, with a sample of 1,991 undergraduate students. Students endorsing a greater sense of personal control were more likely to view themselves as adaptable to the world of work. Additionally, the degree to which students’ supportive relationships, self-esteem, and positive outlook on their future career related to adaptability was partially mediated by students’ perceptions of control in their lives. In line with the theoretical work of Blustein (2006), it is suggested that the sense of personal control in an individual’s life may be an important construct to consider in career-related research and counseling.
'Going to where the action is' versus 'creating the action': a reply to Antaki.

My first reaction to Charles Antaki's commentary on Markman and Tetlock (2000) was one of surprise - surprise that our admittedly modest and rather circumscribed paper on the psychological links between accountability, forseeability, and counterfactual denials of responsibility could generate such criticism. Upon reflection, however, it appears that Antaki is only superficially concerned with the specifics of our experiment per se and, rather, is seeking to use the Markman and Tetlock piece as a springboard for advancing some more general notions about the value of a laboratory-based, experimental approach to social psychology. I believe that this is a useful and worthwhile debate, and I am pleased to participate in it. In his commentary, Antaki brings up two old arguments - (i) the generalizability question; and (ii) the value of experimentally testing hypotheses that, a priori, appear to be derivable on purely logical grounds — as well as one new argument - that one is on safer conceptual ground describing ‘real-world’ social discourse (i.e., where the ‘action’ is) than using results derived from artificial and contrived laboratory experiments to develop causal explanations for such real-world events. I will attempt to address each of these arguments in turn.
Thermal evaluation of uranium silicide miniplates irradiated at high heat flux

Abstract The Gas Test Loop (GTL)-1 irradiation experiment was conducted in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) to assess corrosion performance of proposed booster fuel at heat flux levels ∼30% above the design operating condition. Sixteen miniplates fabricated from 25% enriched, high-density (4.8 g U/cm3) U3Si2/Al dispersion fuel with 6061 aluminum cladding were subjected to peak beginning of cycle (BOC) heat fluxes ranging from 411 to 593 W/cm2. No adverse impacts to the miniplates were observed at these high heat flux levels. A detailed finite element model was constructed to calculate temperatures and heat flux for an as-run cycle average effective ATR south lobe power of 25.4 MW(t). Miniplate heat flux levels and fuel, cladding, hydroxide, and coolant–hydroxide interface temperatures were calculated using the average hydroxide thickness on each miniplate measured during post-irradiation examination. The purpose of this study was to obtain a best estimate of the as-run experiment temperatures to aid in establishing acceptable heat flux levels and designing fuel qualification experiments for this fuel type.
Entropy and cluster production in nuclear collisions

When nuclei collide at beam energies from several tens of MeV to several GeV per nucleon considerable disorder is generated. Nuclear fragments ranging from nucleons all the way up in mass to the target and projectile nuclei themselves have been observed experimentally. Theoretical models for the dynamics of the formation and emission of these clusters of nucleons are reviewed. Most of the models, but not all, are statistical in origin, following from the assumption that the phase space available for cluster formation and emission is the dominant factor. The entropy generated during the collision may be studied in diverse dynamical models, such as intranuclear cascade and nuclear fluid dynamics. The entropy of the system may be estimated from the measured abundances of nuclear clusters, thus providing information on the properties of hot and dense nuclear matter. Critical analysis of both conventional and exotic interpretations of the data are given.
Parasitism rates and sex ratios of a parasitoid wasp: effects of herbivore and plant quality

We studied interactions among collards, Brassica oleracea var. acephala, the diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) and its parasitoid Diadegma insulare (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) by manipulating plant nitrogen (N) concentrations in field and laboratory experiments. Parasitoid abundance strongly reflected DBM abundance and was related to total leaf N. Parasitism rates were high (70.7%) and density-independent. Wasp sex ratios varied markedly (3–93% female) in response to the herbivores, the plants, or both. Higher proportions of female wasps emerged from DBM larvae on plants with high leaf N than on unfertilized plants. More female wasps also emerged from larvae parasitized as larger instars. We suggest that wasps have the potential to control DBM populations through long-term numerical responses mediated by variable sex ratios.
Autoregulation of human thymidylate synthase messenger RNA translation by thymidylate synthase.

Abstract Thymidylate synthase (TS; 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate:dUMP C-methyltransferase, EC 2.1.1.45) is essential for the de novo synthesis of thymidylate, a precursor of DNA. Previous studies have shown that the cellular level of this protein is regulated at both the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. The regulation of human TS mRNA translation was studied in vitro with a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system. The addition of purified human recombinant TS protein to in vitro translation reactions inhibited translation of TS mRNA. This inhibition was specific in that recombinant TS protein had no effect on the in vitro translation of mRNA for human chromogranin A, human folate receptor, preplacental lactogen, or total yeast RNA. The inclusion of dUMP, 5-fluoro-dUMP, or 5,10-methylene-tetrahydrofolate in in vitro translation reactions completely relieved the inhibition of TS mRNA translation by TS protein. Gel retardation assays confirmed a specific interaction between TS protein and its corresponding mRNA but not with unrelated mRNAs, including human placenta, human beta-actin, and yeast tRNA. These studies suggest that translation of TS mRNA is controlled by its own protein end product, TS, in an autoregulatory manner.
Stenosis of the right main pulmonary artery. Clinical, angiocardiographic, and catheterization findings in ten patients.

Ten cases of isolated stenosis of the right main pulmonary artery are presented, 7 with associated anomalies. Although right heart catheterization and angiocardiography are usually necessary to demonstrate this malformation, a knowledge of the existence of this anomaly correlated with auscultatory and roentgenologic findings may often lead to a correct clinical diagnosis.
Skeletal defects in Osterix-Cre transgenic mice

Cre/loxP recombination is a powerful strategy widely used for in vivo conditional gene targeting. This technique has made possible many important discoveries of gene function in normal and disease biology. However, due to the transgenic nature of most Cre mouse strains undesired phenotypes occasionally occur in Cre mice. Here we report skeletal defects in Osterix-Cre (Osx-Cre) transgenic mice including delayed calvarial ossification and fracture calluses at multiple skeletal sites. These data suggest that Osx-Cre containing controls should be used for both in vivo and in vitro skeletal analyses of conditional knockout mice generated with this Osx-Cre mouse strain.
Pulsatile pituitary gonadotropin secretion during maturation of the dominant follicle in monkeys: estrogen positive feedback enhances the biological activity of LH.

In the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, pulsatile patterns of LH and FSH secretion in monkeys change during maturation of the dominant follicle. At the preovulatory surge, the most striking event is the prodigious elevations of bioassayable LH, rising up to 50-fold within 24 h. Principally, establishment of the surge is due to marked enhancement of the amplitude of LH secretory pulses. In contrast, LH and FSH measured by RIA enter, in parallel, the surge modes of secretion ∼ 5 h later than bioassayable LH and rise more slowly; the B:I ratio may reach 10:1. This same disparity between bioassayable versus immunoassayable LH was induced in castrate monkeys under estrogen positive feedback stimulation. We conclude that the preovulatory estrogen surge promotes the secretion of an LH molecule(s) having enhanced biological activity.