cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Life cycles of two isopora species in the canary, Serinus canarius Linnaeus.

SYNOPSIS. The endogenous stages of Isospora serini Aragao and Isospora canaria Box are described from experimentally infected canaries, Serinus canarius Linnaeus. Unlike other Coccidia, the first part of the I. serini life cycle takes place in mono-nuclear phagocytes. Five asexual generations are described from this cell type; 2 additional asexual generations and the sexual stages take place in the intestinal epithelium. Isospora canaria, on the other hand, has a conventional coccidian life cycle in that all of the endogenous stages are in the epithelium of the small intestine, with 3 asexual generations and the sexual generation described in the duodenal epithelium. The 2 species differ in their position relative to the nucleus of the intestinal epithelial cell. Isospora serini is usually on the lumenal side of the nucleus while I. canaria is below the nucleus, toward the basement membrane. The prepatent period is 4–5 days for I. canaria and 9–10 days for I. serini. Patency lasts for 11–13 days in I. canaria infections, but duration of oocyst output is more chronic in I. serini infections, persisting for as long as 231 days. Both species have a diurnal periodicity of oocyst discharge which occurs in late afternoon and evening.
Perturbation of glycoprotein processing affects the neurotoxin-responsive Na+ channel in neuroblastoma cells.

Abstract The activity of neurotoxin-responsive Na + channels in mouse neuroblastoma cells, N-18, was examined after treating the cells with compounds that are reported to perturb intracellular traffic. The compounds used have been shown to either alter glycoprotein synthesis and processing, (swainsonine, castanospermine, monensin, and retinoic acid) or receptor mediated endocytosis (mevinolin, 7-ketocholesterol, and chloroquine), or both. All of these compounds inhibited the activity of the neurotoxin-responsive Na + channel with the exception of retinoic acid which increased the activity. Na + channel activity was measured by two methods: (a) In vivo , the efflux of 86 Rb was measured by use of the cells in monolayer culture, and (b) in vitro , the flux of 86 Rb was measured from artificial phospholipid vesicles containing the partially purified Na + channel. In both cases, 86 Rb flux responded to stimulating neurotoxins, veratridine and scorpion venom, and was inhibited by tetrodotoxin as characteristic of excitable membranes. One of the perturbing compounds, swainsonine, was examined in detail. Treatment of N-18 cells with 10μM swainsonine for 24 h markedly reduced the activity of the neurotoxin-responsive Na + channel, as shown by the neurotoxin-stimulated efflux of 86 Rb in vivo . In addition, after reconstitution into phospholipid vesicles of the partially purified Na + channel from swainsonine-treated cell, reduced 86 Rb flux was observed when compared with that of nontreated cells. Furthermore, the activity was not recovered in other less purified fractions. A comparison of the glycopeptides from the treated and nontreated cells by size, charge, and lectin-binding affinities was consistent with the formation of hybrid oligosaccharides after swainsonine treatment. It is concluded that the oligosaccharide residues of the Na + channel glycoprotein must be processed to the mature complex-type for full activity. The stimulation of channel activity by treatment with retinoic acid supported this conclusion.
Detecting wings in quadric surface scenes

A method is given for detecting primitive parts of rigid objects whose surfaces are approximated well by quadric patches. From fused range and intensity images, primitives are detected by simultaneously fitting a 2-D object contour and a set of adjacent 3-D surface points. Simulation results show that combined fitting is superior to fitting either range or intensity alone. Experiments with 10 real fused images indicate that a recognition system could be built upon the outlined primitive detection subsystem.
Characterization of cytomegalovirus immediate-early genes I. Nonpermissive rodent cells overproduce the IE94K protein from CMV (Colburn)

Abstract The Colburn strain of simian cytomegalovirus gives high-yield productive infections in both human fibroblasts and Vero cells and in these cells a major “immediate-early” protein of 94K (IE94) has been identified in cycloheximide “reversal” experiments. We demonstrate here that in BALB/c-3T3 or Rat-1 cells infection with CMV (Colburn) does not yield infectious progeny virions or produce cytopathic effects and that the virus fails to replicate its DNA. However, a single, viral-specific phosphorylated protein of molecular weight 94K was overproduced in the nonproductive infections. No other detectable viral polypeptides were synthesized even at late times. Antiserum elicited against this 94K protein in infected BALB/c-3T3 cells immunoprecipitated the IE94 protein from infected HF cells, demonstrating that the same “immediate-early” gene product is expressed in both permissive and nonpermissive cells. Available evidence indicates that the amplified expression of this “immediate-early” gene in rodent cells can be explained by increased reutilization of stabilized 94K specific mRNA as opposed to increased transcription.
The role of FGF and VEGF in angioblast induction and migration during vascular development.

The embryonic vasculature forms by the processes of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. Angioblasts (endothelial cell precursors) appear to be induced by fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2). The angioblasts contributing to the dorsal aortae arise by an epithelial to mesenchymal transformation of cells originating from the splanchnic mesoderm. QH-l and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) both appear to label these cells as they adopt a mesenchymal morphology. Since VEGFR-2 is the earliest known VEGF receptor this suggests that VEGF is not involved in angioblast induction. VEGF does appear to be critical, however, for growth and morphogenesis of angioblasts into the initial vascular pattern. Controlled delivery of FGF-2 from beads and aggregates of cells transfected with quail VEGF have been used in our laboratory to study the role of these growth factors in angioblast induction and migration. We have induced cells from the epithelial quail somite to differentiate into angioblasts with FGF-2 both in the embryo and in culture. This is a useful model system to study the origins of endothelial cells that are normally more diffusely induced during gastrulation by an obscure process probably involving signals from the embryonic endoderm. The origins of arterial versus venous endothelial cells is also poorly understood but recent findings on the distribution of ephrins and Eph receptors suggest that molecular differences exist prior to the onset of circulation. Finally, studies on the role of growth factors in such diverse phenomena as stem cell biology, angiogenesis, and molecular medicine in addition to vascular development suggest multiple roles for FGF-2 and VEGF in vascular development.
The role of intrinsic neuronal properties in the encoding of auditory information in the cochlear nuclei.

Abstract It is now possible to relate the intrinsic electrical properties of particular cells in the cochlear nuclei of mammals with their biological function. In the layered dorsal cochlear nucleus, information concerning the location of a sound source seems to be contained in the spatial pattern of activation of a population of neurons. In the unlayered, ventral cochlear nucleus, however, neurons carry information in their temporal firing patterns. The voltage-sensitive conductances that make responses to synaptic current brief enable bushy cells to convey signals from the auditory nerve to the superior olivary complex with a temporal precision of at least 120 μsec.
Fatal Cerebral Embolism Complicating Transseptal Left Heart Catheterization

A case of fatal cerebral embolism complicating transseptal left heart catheterization is presented. Some of the previously reported complications of this procedure are reviewed. Fatal cerebral embolism must now be added to the list of potential hazards of this procedure.
Effects of a behaviorally active LHRH fragment and septal area stimulation on the activity of mediobasal hypothalamic neurons.

The effect of Ac-LHRH5–10, An LHRH fragment capable of facilitating lordosis, and LHRH on the firing rate of mediobasal hypothalamic neurons receiving input from the septal area, (a site containing the majority of LHRH perikarya) was studied via conventional extracellular recording techniques. A multibarrelled glass electrode assembly was lowered through the dorsomedial and ventromedial hypothalamus to detect single units responsive to septal area stimulation, and to iontophoretically apply Ac-LHRH5–10 and LHRH. Ovariectomized rats were primed with estradiol benzoate (EB; n = 21) or left untreated (n = 34) to determine if the neuronal responsiveness to septal area stimulation and/or to the two peptides was subject to estrogenic modulation. Of the total number of 228 neurons recorded in the study, 51 units (22.4%) were orthodromically responsive to septal area stimulation. The orthodromic responses in EB-primed animals (n = 20) were characterized by a short-latency, short-duration increase in membrane excitability. When spontaneous activity was sufficiently high, the excitatory response was followed by, or superimposed upon, an inhibitory response of longer duration. Similar orthodromic excitatory and inhibitory response characteristics were observed in 21 of the 31 neurons recorded in nonprimed animals. In the remaining ten neurons, however, the excitatory component was absent. Iontophoretic application of both Ac-LHRH5–10 and LHRH was found to produce predominantly an inhibitory effect on cell firing. Most neurons responded to the two peptides in a similar manner (i.e., inhibited by both peptides, excited by both peptides, or not effected by either peptide). However, 39.5% of the neurons exhibited a different response to the two agents. Responsiveness to Ac-LHRH5–10, but not to LHRH, was enhanced by estrogen priming. Iontophoretically applied Ac-LHRH5–10, was found to mimic the inhibitory component of the orthodromic response in 21 of the 30 neurons tested. The same was true for LHRH in 15 of the 27 neurons tested. Taken together, these results indicate that the septal-stimulation-evoked inhibition of mediobasal hypothalamic neurons may be mediated by the LHRH fragment and/or LHRH and that this input is subject to estrogenic modulation. Furthermore, the results suggest that Ac-LHRH5–10 may act to facilitate lordotic responding by inhibiting the firing rate of mediobasal hypothalamic neurons.
Initial design strategies for iterative design

This paper discusses methods to retrieve designs from a design library in order to achieve a better initial starting point for the iterative model of the design process. The motivation for doing this is to reduce the extensive analysis time required for many iterative design problems. Starting a design at a favorable initial point should help reduce the number of iterations. Four initial design methods have been investigated, varying from a simple nonlibrary method to methods that use designs from a library. The iterative design scheme used is conventional hill-climbing. To evaluate the effectiveness of these methods, the initial design methods were tested on four example problems. They are, a cantilever beam, a gear-pair, a V-belt, and an extruder-die. It was found that the number of iterations reduced approximately to the order of 1/n [referred in the rest of the article as O (1/n)], wheren is the number of stored values in the design library.
The effect of diabetes mellitus on prognosis and serial left ventricular function after acute myocardial infarction: Contribution of both coronary disease and diastolic left ventricular dysfunction to the adverse prognosis☆

Patients with diabetes mellitus experience a more adverse outcome after acute myocardial infarction compared with nondiabetic patients, although the mechanisms responsible for these findings are not clear. From the Multicenter Investigation of the Limitation of Infarct Size (MILIS) study, the course of acute infarction in 85 diabetic patients was compared with that in 415 nondiabetic patients, all of whom had serial assessments of left ventricular function. The diabetic patients experienced a more complicated in-hospital and postdischarge course than did the nondiabetic patients, including a higher incidence of postinfarction angina, infarct extension, heart failure and death, despite the development of a smaller infarct size and similar levels of left ventricular ejection fraction. Although diabetic patients had a worse profile of cardiovascular risk factors at the time of the index infarction, the increased incidence of adverse outcomes among them persisted despite adjustment for these baseline imbalances. Diabetic women had a poor baseline risk profile compared with the other groups categorized by gender and diabetic status, and experienced an almost twofold increase in cardiac mortality despite development of the smallest infarct size during the index event. The duration of diabetes and the use of insulin at the time of the index infarction were associated with a better in-hospital mortality rate, but the duration of diabetes did not exert a major influence on the outcome of the diabetic patients. The factors responsible for the increased incidence of adverse outcomes among diabetic patients may be related to an acceleration of the atherosclerotic process, diastolic left ventricular dysfunction associated with diabetic cardiomyopathy or other unidentified unfavorable processes.
Nuanced junctional RhoA activity

RhoA signalling controls many diverse cellular processes, and thus discovering the mechanisms that determine its specific outcomes is a tantalizing challenge. A previously uncharacterized regulatory module operates selectively at the zonula adherens of epithelial cell junctions, in which positive and negative RhoA regulators are coordinated to fine-tune RhoA activity.
Large scale particle simulations in a virtual memory computer

Virtual memory computers are capable of executing large-scale particle simulations even when the memory requirements exceed the computer core size. The required address space is automatically mapped onto slow disc memory by the operating system. When the simulation size is very large, frequent random accesses to slow memory occur during the charge accumulation and particle pushing processes. Accesses to slow memory significantly reduce the execution rate of the simulation. We demonstrate in this paper that with the proper choice of sorting algorithm, a nominal amount of sorting to keep physically adjacent particles near particles with neighboring array indices can reduce random access to slow memory, increase the efficiency of the I/O system, and hence, reduce the required computing time.
Poor Teachers Are Made Not Born

(1975). Poor Teachers Are Made Not Born. The Educational Forum: Vol. 39, No. 2, pp. 188-198.
Evaluating the seasonal and interannual variations in water balance in northern Wisconsin using a land surface model

[1] We evaluated the performance of the Integrated BIosphere Simulator (IBIS) land surface model in the temperate forests of northern Wisconsin (46°N, 89°W) to determine whether model formulations, driven with daily historical precipitation, temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, and wind speed data, were capable of simulating water flow and storage within a seasonally cold climate regime. We focused concurrently on understanding seasonal and interannual variations of both the water fluxes to the atmosphere and water partitioned into surface runoff and groundwater infiltration, with special attention to the transitions from cold-dominated (snow, ice) to warm-dominated (rain, liquid soil moisture) hydrology. Results showed when compared with a suite of field observations IBIS simulated water and energy cycling at daily to interannual timescales with reasonable accuracy. Because of errors associated with field observations, the accuracy with which we simulated each component of the water balance is not easily quantified. By investigating the complete land surface water balance, however, we increased the likelihood that all components were being captured. The modeled monthly energy balance, annual water balance, and drainage rates were generally within 5–15% of the observed values. Modeled and observed soil temperatures generally differed by less than 3°C and had r2 values that were greater than 0.9. Soil moisture values were within 5–20%, and freeze and thaw timing was within a few days of observations. Modeled snow dynamics captured the observed snow arrival and departure (accumulation on the surface) within a few days of observations, but overestimated the average maximum depth by 86%. Because model formulations were subjected to varying soil conditions and water phases, this evaluation exercise enhanced our understanding of northern Wisconsin's water balance and increased model credibility for applications in seasonally cold climates.
A Surface Topology and Motion Compensation System for Microsurgery Guidance and Intervention Based on Common-Path Optical Coherence Tomography

A surface topology and motion compensation system for microsurgery guidance and intervention is developed based on common-path optical coherence tomography. A 1-D erosion-based edge-searching method and autoregressive predictor are applied to A-scan data for real-time depth tracking. Images using the topology and motion compensation technique are obtained. In addition, the motion compensation properties are studied. The system can be easily integrated with microsurgery tools and can be used for various clinical applications.
Periodic acid as a new oxidant for the degradation of bile pigments. Isolation of a biliverdine type of reaction intermediate on oxidation of bilirubin with periodic acid.

Die Oxydation des Gallenfarbstoffs Bilirubin mit Perjodsaure in wasseriger Dimethylsulfoxid-Losung fuhrte zu einem neuen Biliverdin-Jod-Komplex, dem die Struktur eines «charge-transfer»-Komplexes erteilt wurde.
The Depiction of Magic in Rabbinic Texts: The Rabbinic and the Greek Concept of Magic

Bien que la pensee magique juive emprunte a l'ancien systeme magique, elle reste neanmoins profondement monotheiste. La magie juive qui associe des elements grecs et juifs dans ses fondements theoriques n'a pas pour finalite la contrainte de Dieu a l'instar de la magie paienne. Elle se limite a une prise de pouvoir sur des evenements occasionnels, des personnes ou des anges. A travers l'examen de la pensee magique dans la litterature rabbinique appartenant a la periode formatrice du judaisme, il apparait que les rabbins ont popularise les theories magiques des grecs sans toutefois le reconnaitre
Formation of Cyclic Anhydride Intermediates and Esterification of Cotton Cellulose by Multifunctional Carboxylic Acids: An Infrared Spectroscopy Study:

Multifunctional polycarboxylic acids have been used as nonformaldehyde cross linking agents for cotton fabrics to replace the traditional N-methylol reagents. Ester ification of cotton cellulose by seventeen aliphatic and aromatic polycarboxylic acids is studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Five-membered cyclic an hydride intermediates formed under the curing conditions are identified on cotton fabrics treated with these acids. Only those polycarboxylic acids that form cyclic an hydride intermediates esterify cotton cellulose. Formation of the cyclic anhydride intermediates and esterification of cotton cellulose take place in the same curing tem perature regions. The infrared spectroscopy data also indicate that the second carboxyl group in a bifunctional carboxylic acid is not able to esterify cotton cellulose effectively. Therefore, we can conclude that a polycarboxylic acid esterifies cotton cellulose through the formation of a cyclic anhydride intermediate. The infrared spectroscopy ...
A time-dependent material model for the simulation of hot gas-pressure forming of magnesium alloy AZ31

A time-dependent material constitutive model is developed for the deformation of wrought Mg AZ31 sheet material at 450°C. This material model is used to simulate gas-pressure bulge forming of AZ31 sheet into hemispherical domes. Finite-element-method (FEM) simulations using this material model are compared against experimental data obtained for dome height as a function of forming time under forming conditions identical to those assumed in the simulations. The time-dependent material model predicts experimental dome heights during forming with a quite useful accuracy. The most significant advantage of the time-dependent material model is that it can address the effect of preheating time on forming. Preheating times shorter than ~120 s produce an increase in forming rate. This material model provides a quantitative means of accounting for that effect.
Uterus and endometrium: Endometrial pattern in diethylstilboestrol-exposed women undergoing in-vitro fertilization may be the most significant predictor of pregnancy outcome

The objective of this study was to compare prospectively pregnancy outcome as it is related to ultrasonic endometrial echo pattern in women exposed to diethylstilboestrol (DES) in utero by their mother's consumption with women not exposed to DES, all of whom were undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Pregnancy outcome relative to endometrial thickness and pattern was evaluated in 540 cycles of IVF including DES (n = 50) and non-DES-exposed (n = 490) women. Endometrial patterns were designated as p1 = solid; p2 = ring; and p3 = intermediate. DES patients exhibited p1 more often than the majority of the non-DES-exposed group. There was no significant difference in endometrial thickness among the cycles where p1 was noted when comparing the DES (10.3 mm) with the non-DES-exposed (10.7 mm) groups. Notably, within the group exhibiting p1, no pregnancies occurred in the 18 cycles of DES-exposed women compared with a 39.2% clinical pregnancy and 36.5% delivery rate in the non-DES-exposed controls (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.008 respectively). Pregnancy rates were not significantly different in the cycles where the other endometrial patterns were found when comparing the two groups. The impact of uterine shape on pregnancy outcome was also investigated. A T-shaped uterine configuration was noted in 11 out of 18 (61.1%) cycles of DES-exposed women with pattern p1 compared with nine out of 23 (39.1%) with pattern p2. Of cycles where a T-shaped uterus was demonstrated, none out of 11 (0%) with pattern p1 compared with four out of nine (44.4%) with pattern p2 resulted in pregnancy (P = 0.026). These data suggest that endometrial pattern is one of the most significant variables for pregnancy outcome in DES-exposed women undergoing IVF.
Zoospore Chemotaxis in the Watermold Allomyces

The chemotactic response of the mitospores and meiospores of Allomyces macrogynus and A. abuscula to casein hydrolysate was shown to he caused by the combined action of leucine and lysine in the hydrolysate. The testing was done by counting the zoospores that attached to a membrane through which substances diffused downward. The action of leucine and lysine was shown to be synergistic and to be specific for the L, forms. The optimum concentration above the membrane was 5 × 10-2M for each amino acid. An effect was detectable down to approximately 10-55 M. The addition of L-proline to the mixture increased the response. Proline in combination with leucine caused good attachment, although less than that by leucine and lysine, of the zoospores of A. arbuscula but not of those of A. macrogynus.
Cost-Effectiveness of Colorectal Cancer Surveillance in Ulcerative Colitis

Key issues concerning colorectal cancer in inflammatory bowel disease include determination of the risk of colorectal cancer and assessment of interventions to increase survival. No randomized, controlled trials of colonoscopic surveillance compared to no surveillance exist; however, retrospective studies illustrate that surveillance is associated with improved survival, probably as a result of detection of cancer at earlier stages of disease. In the absence of prospective clinical trials of either prophylactic colectomy or surveillance colonoscopy to detect dysplasia, quantitative analysis has been utilized to estimate the impact of competing management strategies on costs and benefits. Published analyses show that while prophylactic colectomy will likely save the greatest number of life-years, quality of life is not optimal, and thus shared decision-making between provider and patient is recommended. Surveillance colonoscopy to detect early cancer and dysplasia appears to be cost-effective, although the...
An optimization-based framework for anisotropic simplex mesh adaptation

We present a general framework for anisotropic h-adaptation of simplex meshes. Given a discretization and any element-wise, localizable error estimate, our adaptive method iterates toward a mesh that minimizes error for a given degrees of freedom. Utilizing mesh-metric duality, we consider a continuous optimization problem of the Riemannian metric tensor field that provides an anisotropic description of element sizes. First, our method performs a series of local solves to survey the behavior of the local error function. This information is then synthesized using an affine-invariant tensor manipulation framework to reconstruct an approximate gradient of the error function with respect to the metric tensor field. Finally, we perform gradient descent in the metric space to drive the mesh toward optimality. The method is first demonstrated to produce optimal anisotropic meshes minimizing the L^2 projection error for a pair of canonical problems containing a singularity and a singular perturbation. The effectiveness of the framework is then demonstrated in the context of output-based adaptation for the advection-diffusion equation using a high-order discontinuous Galerkin discretization and the dual-weighted residual (DWR) error estimate. The method presented provides a unified framework for optimizing both the element size and anisotropy distribution using an a posteriori error estimate and enables efficient adaptation of anisotropic simplex meshes for high-order discretizations.
Mandinka Mothers and Nurslings: Power and Reproduction

In a traditional Mandinka village of the Casamance Region of Senegal, indigenous understanding of the interdependencies of women and their children include not only patterns of nursing but the prospects for continued fertility as an outcome of the mother/nursling relationship. Based on two years of participant-observation and focused observations of 40 nursing mothers and their children from birth to over 12 months of age, this study examines breastfeeding as a relationship that is part of the process of dali lo, or socialization to the "Mandinka way." Patterns of nursing are elaborated by women's recognition of the power of fetuses and young children to control fertility, a power that affirms the concomitant role of nursing mothers as being agents of culture who nurture and wean cultural novices. The methodological implications of the female ethnographer as a social location for traditional fertility work and the ethnographers' child as resistant cultural novice are also discussed.
A new approach to the visualization of tensor fields

Abstract This paper investigates the geometry connected with a new way of representing tensors called TRIG (tensor realization by intrinsic geometry).
Molecular dynamics simulation study of DNA dodecamer d(CGCGAATTCGCG) in solution: conformation and hydration

Abstract A molecular dynamics simulation of the dodecamer duplex d(CGCGAATTCGCG) using the particle mesh Ewald sum assumed a B -conformation remarkably close to the observed X-ray structure. The Ewald summation method effectively eliminates the usual “cut-off” of long-range interactions and allowed us to evaluate the full effect of the electrostatic forces. This simulation showed remarkable agreement with the Dickerson X-ray structure in both average structure and B-factors; within the EcoRI site itself, the rms deviation between the average theoretical and observed structures was 1.1 A. The width of the minor groove fluctuated between a wide and narrow configuration with the latter corresponding closely to the X-ray structure. The simulation also suggested a strong sequence-dependent signature on the minor groove width in both wide and narrow conformers. Hydration shells in both the major and minor grooves were observed. The “spine of hydration” in the minor groove was clear. In the major groove the first hydration shell appears to be a ribbon-like structure that reproduces the principal features of observed X-ray structures; subtle variations of this hydration pattern suggest sequence dependencies. Sequence-dependent features were also examined for helical and other geometric parameters. The successful reproduction of many experimentally observed fine structural features shows that the Ewald summation significantly improves the fidelity of the calculations.
Fossil extrafloral nectaries, evidence for the ant-guard antiherbivore defense in an Oligocene populus

Extrafloral nectaries are secretory glands, usually found on leaves, that have been shown to promote ant defense against the insect herbivores of many modern day plants. Extrafloral nectaries were found on the 35-million-year-old fossil leaves of the extinct Populus crassa from Florissant, Colorado. Extinct ant species (belonging to five still extant genera that have modern ant-guard species), and other predators and parasitoids (whose modern relatives frequent extrafloral nectaries) also lived at Florissant. The extrafloral nectaries of P. crassa (and perhaps other plants) probably operated to attract ants and/ or other arthropod defenders as early as the Oligocene. Little is known about the evolutionary history of mu
Slip along the Hayward fault, California, estimated from space-based synthetic aperture radar interferometry

For 3–5 years following the 1989 M 7.1 Loma Prieta earthquake, creep along the southern Hayward fault, California, slowed or ceased. Slip apparently resumed pre-earthquake rates by 1994 except for a locked ∼3-km-long segment at the southern fault tip, which had consistently slipped at ∼9 mm/yr before 1989. We use repeated interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IntSAR) measurements to map active deformation along the Hayward fault while slip rates recovered between 1992 and 1995. If pure strike slip is assumed, then the slip rates estimated from IntSAR range changes between 1992 and 1995 are generally consistent with creepmeter and alignment-array measurements along much of the fault and confirm the temporary locking of the southernmost fault segment. However, along ∼6 km of the Fremont segment, IntSAR slip estimates appear to be at least twice those measured in the field. Transient vertical slip (northeast side up) of 2–3 mm/yr near the southern tip of the creep patch could explain this observation. First-order boundary-element models of a vertical frictionless fault in an elastic half-space predict some, but not all, of the inferred vertical slip.
CVSD Intelligibility Testing

A key performance characteristic of a voice radio is the intelligibility of the delivered speech under all pertinent operating conditions. The creation of special procedures and the application of formal experimental design methods are required to adequately evaluate the intelligibility performance for advanced radio designs, such as the JTIDS and Enhanced JTIDS (EJS) radios, due to the number of independent variables and interactions of variables that affect performance, particularly where operating conditions involve jammers and the reception of simultaneous voice messages. For an investigation of the voice intelligibility of 16 kilobit per second Continuously Variable Slope Delta (CVSD) modulation, this paper describes an approach which relates the results of the Diagnostic Rhyme Test (DRT) to a variety of test factors (e.g., the bit-error-rate) using the statistical techniques of regression analysis to express the relationships obtained and analyze their validity. The test and evaluation procedures, the results obtained, and the models developed to characterize the DRT intelligibility are presented.
Interaction of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Tat with the Transcriptional Coactivators p300 and CREB Binding Protein

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) encodes the transactivator protein Tat, which is essential for viral replication and progression to disease. Here we demonstrate that transcriptional activation by HIV-1 Tat involves p300 or the related cellular transcriptional coactivator CREB binding protein (CBP). Tat transactivation was inhibited by the 12S form of the adenovirus E1A gene product, which inhibits p300 function, and this inhibition was independent of its effect on NF-κB transcription. A biochemical interaction of p300 with Tat was demonstrated in vitro and in vivo by coimmunoprecipitation. The carboxy-terminal region of p300, which binds to E1A, was shown to bind specifically to the highly conserved basic domain of Tat, which also mediates binding to the Tat-responsive region RNA stem-loop structure. The ability of Tat to interact physically and functionally with this coactivator provides a mechanism to assemble a basal transcription complex which may subsequently respond to the effect of Tat on transcriptional elongation and represents a novel interaction between an RNA binding protein and a transcriptional coactivator.
An Isomer Specific, Highly Selective Fluorescent Chemosensor for K+ from a Bis‐Naphtho‐15‐Crown‐5 Derivative

Three isomeric series of bis(crown ether)s have been synthesized by condensation of the appropriate formylnaphthocrown with 1,4-phenylenediacetonitrile. The interaction of these ligands with K + and Na + has been investigated by UV and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. Among them the bis(crown ether) 2a exhibits excellent K + -selectivity over Na + and a dramatic increase in the fluorescence intensity of chromophores.
Glioblastoma: imaging genomic mapping reveals sex-specific oncogenic associations of cell death.

Purpose: To identify the molecular profiles of cell death as defined by necrosis volumes at magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and uncover sex-specific molecular signatures potentially driving oncogenesis and cell death in glioblastoma (GBM). Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was HIPAA compliant and had institutional review board approval, with waiver of the need to obtain informed consent. The molecular profiles for 99 patients (30 female patients, 69 male patients) were identified from the Cancer Genome Atlas, and quantitative MR imaging data were obtained from the Cancer Imaging Archive. Volumes of necrosis at MR imaging were extracted. Differential gene expression profiles were obtained in those patients (including male and female patients separately) with high versus low MR imaging volumes of tumor necrosis. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis was used for messenger RNA–microRNA interaction analysis. A histopathologic data set (n = 368; 144 female patients, 224 male patients) was used to validate the MR imaging findings by assessing the amount of cell death. A connectivity map was used to identify therapeutic agents potentially targeting sex-specific cell death in GBM.
Recombination lifetime modification in bulk, semi-insulating 4H-SiC photoconductive switches

A series of high temperature annealing experiments were performed to characterize the processing parameters that alter the recombination lifetime in high purity, semi-insulating (HPSI) silicon carbide (SiC). All annealed samples were diced from a single 4H-SiC wafer with a measured resistivity of greater than 109 Ω-cm. The samples were annealed for various lengths of time in a PID-controlled high temperature induction furnace at 1810 °C. A 35 GHz microwave photoconductivity decay (MPCD) system was used to measure the transient photoconductivity of the as-grown and processed samples. Through numerical processing of the temporal characteristics of the illuminating laser pulse, the photoconductivity transients were simulated with various recombination lifetimes to fit the experimental MPCD data. The results show that the as-grown material has an average recombination lifetime of 6 ns. However, samples annealed for more than 100 minutes demonstrated recombination lifetimes in excess of 100 ns. The annealing process reduces the concentration of shallow point defects (Z1/Z2) in the bulk material which serve as recombination centers in HPSI 4H-SiC, extending the carrier lifetime. Finally, the impacts of increased recombination lifetime in photoconductive switch operation and performance are presented and discussed.
Rapid Extension of Single and Double Stranded DNA on Atomically Flat Conductive Surfaces

We report a simple method for extending DNA on atomically flat conductive graphite and gold surfaces employing molecular combing and using either coordinating ions on graphite or self-assembled molecular monolayers on gold. Extended DNA molecules on conductive surfaces can be used as platforms for building nanoscale electronic devices or used for direct electronic sequencing.
Modeling real time applications in distributed environment

Real-time interactive group communication using voice media is discussed. The authors developed a distributed audio conferencing system on top of a conventional system-design support platform that included Sun SparcStations, Unix, IP protocol, and Ethernet. In the study, Petri nets have proved to be an excellent modeling tool for designing such a workstation-based real-time voice conferencing system, for predicting and evaluating the network performance, and in understanding the concurrency issues involved in distributed and continuous audio media communication on Ethernet. Stochastic Petri nets have provided insight into different kinds of delay parameters associated with such a real-time system. The modeling, development, performance, and concurrency issues related to the distributed real-time audio conference server are discussed. >
The silk cocoon of the silkworm, Bombyx mori: macro structure and its influence on transmural diffusion of oxygen and water vapor.

Abstract The cocoon of insect larvae is thought to help conserve water while affording mechanical protection. If the cocoon is a barrier to water loss, then it must also impose a barrier to inward oxygen diffusion. We tested this hypothesis in pupae of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. The rate of water loss and oxygen uptake (VO2) at 25 °C was measured in control pupae in their naturally spun cocoon and in exposed pupae experimentally removed from their cocoon. Additional measurements included the oxygen diffusion coefficient, DO2, of the cocoon wall and dimensions and density of the cocoon fibers. Water loss (as % body mass loss) in both control and exposed pupae was ∼ 1%.day− 1, and was not significantly different between populations. Similarly, VO2 was statistically identical in both control and exposed pupae, at 0.22 ± 0.01 and 0.21 ± 0.02 mL g− 1 · h− 1, respectively. The silk fiber diameter was significantly different in the outer fibers, 26 ± 1 µm, compared with 16 ± 1 µm for the inner fibers lining the cocoon. Inner fibers were also spun significantly more densely (20.8 ± 1.2 mm− 1 transect) than outer fibers (8.3 ± 0.2). Mean DO2 at 25 °C was 0.298 ± 0.002 cm2 · s− 1, approximately the same as unstirred air. These data indicate that the cocoon, while creating a tough barrier offering mechanical protection to the pupa, imposes no barrier to the diffusion of oxygen or water vapor.
Should all stationary objects move when hit? Developments in infants' causal and statistical expectations about collision events.

Four experiments examined 8- and 9-month-old infants’ expectations about collision events. The infants saw test events in which a small cylinder rolled down a ramp and hit one of several different boxes. These boxes varied in width and height and always remained stationary when hit. The results revealed two separate developments. The first involved infants’ knowledge of the variables relevant to collision events. At 8 months, the infants expected all of the boxes to move when hit, regardless of their sizes; at 9 months, the infants began to take into account the size of the boxes to predict whether they should move when hit. The second development concerned infants’ ability to generate explanations for outcomes that violated their collision knowledge. At both ages, upon observing that a box with a salient vertical dimension did not move when hit, the infants apparently concluded that the box must be one of those objects we term pillars—vertical objects that are attached at one or both ends to adjacent surfaces. At 8 months, the infants considered any vertical box as a potential pillar; at 9 months, the infants considered only boxes that were both vertical and narrow as potential pillars. The development of infants’ knowledge about collision events is thus one that is complex and protracted and weaves together many separate developments.
Direct Reprogramming of Fibroblasts into Functional Cardiomyocytes by Defined Factors

The reprogramming of fibroblasts to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) raises the possibility that a somatic cell could be reprogrammed to an alternative differentiated fate without first becoming a stem/progenitor cell. A large pool of fibroblasts exists in the postnatal heart, yet no single "master regulator" of direct cardiac reprogramming has been identified. Here, we report that a combination of three developmental transcription factors (i.e., Gata4, Mef2c, and Tbx5) rapidly and efficiently reprogrammed postnatal cardiac or dermal fibroblasts directly into differentiated cardiomyocyte-like cells. Induced cardiomyocytes expressed cardiac-specific markers, had a global gene expression profile similar to cardiomyocytes, and contracted spontaneously. Fibroblasts transplanted into mouse hearts one day after transduction of the three factors also differentiated into cardiomyocyte-like cells. We believe these findings demonstrate that functional cardiomyocytes can be directly reprogrammed from differentiated somatic cells by defined factors. Reprogramming of endogenous or explanted fibroblasts might provide a source of cardiomyocytes for regenerative approaches.
Type 2 diabetic patients may have a mild form of an injury response: a clinical research center study

Patients with type 2 diabetes (DM) demonstrate inadequate insulin release, elevated gluconeogenesis, and diminished nonoxidative glucose disposal. Similar metabolic changes occur during systemic in...
An Update to the NASA Reference Solar Sail Thrust Model

An optical model of solar sail material originally derived at JPL in 1978 has since served as the de facto standard for NASA and other solar sail researchers. The optical model includes terms for specular and diffuse reflection, thermal emission, and non-Lambertian diffuse reflection. The standard coefficients for these terms are based on tests of 2.5 micrometer Kapton sail material coated with 100 nm of aluminum on the front side and chromium on the back side. The original derivation of these coefficients was documented in an internal JPL technical memorandum that is no longer available. Additionally more recent optical testing has taken place and different materials have been used or are under consideration by various researchers for solar sails. Here, where possible, we re-derive the optical coefficients from the 1978 model and update them to accommodate newer test results and sail material. The source of the commonly used value for the front side non-Lambertian coefficient is not clear, so we investigate that coefficient in detail. Although this research is primarily designed to support the upcoming NASA NEA Scout and Lunar Flashlight solar sail missions, the results are also of interest to the wider solar sail community.
Design of a Split Intein with Exceptional Protein Splicing Activity

Protein trans-splicing (PTS) by split inteins has found widespread use in chemical biology and biotechnology. Herein, we describe the use of a consensus design approach to engineer a split intein with enhanced stability and activity that make it more robust than any known PTS system. Using batch mutagenesis, we first conduct a detailed analysis of the difference in splicing rates between the Npu (fast) and Ssp (slow) split inteins of the DnaE family and find that most impactful residues lie on the second shell of the protein, directly adjacent to the active site. These residues are then used to generate an alignment of 73 naturally occurring DnaE inteins that are predicted to be fast. The consensus sequence from this alignment (Cfa) demonstrates both rapid protein splicing and unprecedented thermal and chaotropic stability. Moreover, when fused to various proteins including antibody heavy chains, the N-terminal fragment of Cfa exhibits increased expression levels relative to other N-intein fusions. The du...
We only find what we look for: fetal heart rate and the diagnosis of long-QT syndrome.

Long QT syndrome (LQTS), an inherited channelopathy, is a common cause of arrhythmic death in infants, children and young adults. Although many LQTS genes have been identified, most (~75%) of LQTS mutations are found in KCNQ1, KCNH2 or SCN5A. In most cases, treatment for LQTS is successful and modifies the risk of life-threatening arrhythmias; thus, making the correct diagnosis is important. The diagnosis of LQTS is made by the measurement of a prolonged QT interval on the standard ECG; family history or characteristic arrhythmia features are used to strengthen the diagnosis and genetic testing confirms the diagnosis.
Findings of an Early Intervention to Address Children’s Traumatic Stress Implemented in the Child Advocacy Center Setting Following Sexual Abuse

It has been well established that childhood exposure to abuse and trauma constitutes a major threat to children’s development, as well as to later psychiatric, physical, and behavioral health. Identification of, and early intervention with, children experiencing symptoms of traumatic stress is an important goal. The Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing children’s traumatic stress symptoms and reducing the odds of full or partial PTSD diagnosis at 3 months following end of treatment in a previous randomized controlled trial. The current chart review of CFTSI cases completed with 114 caregiver–child dyads in a Child Advocacy Center setting found that the brief, early family-strengthening intervention is effective in reducing symptoms in a diverse sample of children and adolescents who recently experienced and/or disclosed sexual abuse.
Consideration of ease of use in development of advanced controllers

As computers become faster and cheaper so there is an opportunity for new computer-based technology developed in academic institutions to be used in industry more quickly. One common reason that this does not occur is that new techniques developed do not consider the requirements of the user. This paper investigates the development of a multi-variable controller which required research into new approaches to meet end user needs and the thought process lying behind many of the decisions in the development of the package.