cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Disease-specific imaging with H-scan trajectories and support vector machine to visualize the progression of liver diseases

To uniquely identify diseases utilizing the H-scan analysis, we proposed a new imaging method called disease-specific imaging (DSI). As a supervised learning method, it requires training with medical images and corresponding tag labels. In this study, we trained our DSI using ultrasound liver images and their pathological confirmation, including fibrosis, steatosis, and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) metastasis. From the ultrasound data, we extracted three features of H-scan % blue, attenuation coefficient, and B-scan intensity. These were assigned as inputs for the DSI training. First, support vector machine (SVM) training constructed decision planes to identify liver conditions. Second, disease axes were defined by calculating a linear fit line from each disease cluster. The trained DSI can discriminate between distinct liver conditions and visualize the severity of each disease using color images overlaid on B-scan images. The SVM training achieved 100% classification accuracy and is capable of differentiating normal, early, and late stages of each disease. The scans were obtained from three different animal models and ultrasound scanners, but our uniform approach efficiently unified the multiparametric analysis. The H-scan trajectories and DSI can be useful to both diagnose and track the progression of liver disease.
Nucleus Accumbens μ-Opioids Regulate Intake of a High-Fat Diet via Activation of a Distributed Brain Network

Endogenous opioid peptides within the nucleus accumbens, a forebrain site critical for the regulation of reward-related behavior, are believed to play an important role in the control of appetite. In particular, this system is thought to mediate the hedonic aspects of food intake, governing the positive emotional response to highly palatable food such as fat and sugar. Previous work has shown that intra-accumbens administration of the μ-opioid agonistd-Ala2,Nme-Phe4,Glyol5-enkephalin (DAMGO) markedly increases food intake and preferentially enhances the intake of palatable foods such as fat, sucrose, and salt. Using information from recently performed c- fos mapping experiments, we sought to explore the involvement of structures efferent to the nucleus accumbens in this feeding response. Free-feeding rats with dual sets of bilateral cannulas aimed at the nucleus accumbens and one of several output structures were infused with DAMGO (0, 0.25 μg/0.5 μl) in the accumbens, and fat intake was measured over a 2 hr period. Concurrent temporary inactivation with the GABA A agonist muscimol (5–20 ng/0.25 μl) of the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus, lateral hypothalamus, ventral tegmental area, or the intermediate region of the nucleus of the solitary tract blocked the robust increase in fat intake induced by intra-accumbens DAMGO at doses of muscimol that did not affect general motor activity. Muscimol alone also inhibited and augmented baseline fat intake in the lateral and dorsomedial hypothalamic nuclei, respectively. These results suggest that intake of energy-dense palatable food is controlled by activity in a neural network linking ventral striatal opioids with diencephalic and brainstem structures.
Clay Assisted Dispersion of Carbon Nanotubes in Conductive Epoxy Nanocomposites

Clay was introduced into single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)/epoxy composites to improve nanotube dispersion without harming electrical conductivity or mechanical performance. Unlike surfactant or polymer dispersants, clay is mechanically rigid and known to enhance the properties (e.g., modulus, gas barrier, and flame retardation) of polymer composites. Combining nanotubes and clay allows both electrical and mechanical behavior to be simultaneously enhanced. With just 0.05 wt % SWNT, electrical conductivity is increased by more than four orders of magnitude (from 10–9 to 10–5 S cm–1) with the addition of 0.2 wt % clay. Furthermore, the percolation threshold of these nanocomposites is reduced from 0.05 wt % SWNT to 0.01 wt % with the addition of clay. SWNTs appear to have an affinity for clay that causes them to become more exfoliated and better networked in these composites. This clay-nanotube synergy may make these composites better suited for a variety of packaging, sensing, and shielding applications.
Synthesis and Microstructural Evolution of Amorphous/Nanocrystalline Steel Coatings by Different Thermal-Spray Processes

Amorphous/nanocrystalline coatings are useful in high strength and wear-resistant applications. In the present study, the microstructural evolution of a nanocrystalline high performance steel coatings developed by different spray processes along with a novel “hybrid thermal spray” technique was studied. The hybrid-spray process combines arc and high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) techniques, in which the molten metal at the arcing tip is atomized and rapidly propelled toward the substrate by HVOF jet. This so-called hybrid concept offers the benefits of productivity of electric arc spray combined with improved coating densities of HVOF. The microstructural characterization of the hybrid-spray coatings was performed by x-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry, and then compared with coatings of the similar material developed by plasma-, HVOF-, and arc-spray processes individually. The HVOF- and plasma-spray coatings showed amorphous structures with very fine nanocrystals embedded, whereas hybrid- and arc-spray techniques yielded completely crystalline coatings with grain size in the range of several nanometers. The final microstructures in different spray processes could be attributed to the precursor materials employed, process temperatures, and cooling rates during the deposition process.
Elzéard Bouffier, Jean Giono's Ecological Saint

Known primarily as a sort of conservationist manifesto, Jean Giono’s short story “L’Homme qui plantait des arbres” has for the most part been overlooked by literary critics. Those studies that do exist tend to focus on themes and ecological message almost to the exclusion of the story’s protagonist, Elzeard Bouffier. But a close reading of the work suggests that, as was the case in the novel Un Roi sans divertissement, Giono used Provencal folklore, tree symbolism and Catholic traditions to develop the protagonist of “L’Homme qui plantait des arbres.” Indeed, the symbolism from the aforementioned sources transforms what is on a first reading a simple, straightforward character into a multi-dimensional character. As a result, Elzeard emerges as an ecological saint of sorts that is worthy of inclusion in the Pantheon of Giono’s unique protagnonists. What some see as primarily an ecological nouvelle a these is, in fact, a metaphorically dense text worthy of consideration by literary critics.
Periodic points of positive linear operators and Perron-Frobenius operators

LetC(S) denote the Banach space of continuous, real-valued mapsf:S→ℝ and letA denote a positive linear map ofC(S) into itself. We give necessary conditions that the operatorA have a strictly positive periodic point of minimal periodm. Under mild compactness conditions on the operatorA, we prove that these necessary conditions are also sufficient to guarantee existence of a strictly positive periodic point of minimal periodm. We study a class of Perron-Frobenius operators defined by $$\left( {Ax} \right)\left( t \right) = \sum\limits_{i = 1}^\infty {b_i \left( t \right)x\left( {w_i \left( t \right)} \right)} $$ and we show how to verify the necessary compactness conditions to apply our theorems concerning existence of positive periodic points.
Congestive gastropathy in cirrhosis‐how bad is red?

In a prospective study of the natural history of congestive gastropathy, 212 consecutive cirrhotic patients (75 treated with sclerotherapy) were included. Mean follow-up was 46 months. Mild gastropathy (mosaiclike pattern) was found in 110 patients and severe gastropathy (granular mucosa with cherry spots) was found in 20. Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori, formerly Campylobacter pylori, was 50% in patients without, 43% in those with mild, and 28% in those with severe gastropathy. Congestive gastropathy was significantly more frequent in patients treated with sclerotherapy (83% vs. 50%, P < 10−5). Sixty-month actuarial proportions of patients free of anemia (in the absence of hematemesis or melena), were 17% with severe, 02% with mild, and 93% without gastropathy (P < 10−8). Corresponding figures for overt bleeding were 25%, 73%, and 87% (P < 10−8), whereas those for survival were 46%. 72%. and 85%(P = 0.0005). respectively. A multivariate regression analysis supported the following conclusions: (a) sclerotherapyand the presence of large esophageal varices significantly increase the risk of congestive gastropathy, which (b) is a significant risk indicator of both chronic and overt bleeding but does not independently affect survival.
Effect of heat and frying on sunflower, oil stability

Sunflowers are one of the most important sources of vegetable oils in the world, second only to soybeans. Although in use throughout many parts of the world, sunflower seed are just now beginning to attact attention and use in the United States. Composition of the oil appears to be dependent on area of production. Sunflower oil from seed grown in northern US typically contains 70% linoleic acid. In contrast, oil from seed produced in the South generally contains 40–50% linoleic acid and is higher in mono-unsaturated fats. For most of the edible oil market, sunflower oil appears to have an advantage over most other vegetable oils. Lightly hydrogenated sunflower oil was compared with a cottonseed-corn oil mixture for frying potato chips. Organoleptic evaluation indicated that chips did not differ significantly. We also evaluated the useful life of various sunflower seed oils for deep-fat frying. Hydrogenated and unhydrogenated sunflower oils and a commercial shortening were used to deep-fry raw potatoes. A plot of the log of the Active Oxygen Method (AOM) values of the oils versus time gave a straight line, the slope of which reflects the oxidizability of the oil. Data indicated that lightly hydrogenated northern sunflower oil was much less prone to oxidation after abuse than the commercial shortening and was useful for a longer time. The southern oil deteriorated faster than the northern sunflower oil, but the two oils were processed differently. Thus, in recent work, care was taken to process both northern and southern grown sunflower seed under identical conditions. Frying studies indicated that oil from southern grown seed was more stable than that from northern seed as would be expected from their fatty acid composition.
Heart rate reflects osmostic stress levels in two introduced colonial ascidians Botryllus schlosseri and Botrylloides violaceus

The influence of abiotic factors on the establishment and success of invasive species is often difficult to determine for most marine ecosystems. However, examining this relationship is critical for predicting the spread of invasive species and predicting which habitats will be most vulnerable to invasion. Here we examine the mortality and physiological sensitivity to salinity of adult colonies of the colonial ascidians Botryllus schlosseri and Botrylloides violaceus. Adult colonies of each species were exposed to abrupt changes in salinity (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 psu) in the laboratory. Salinity ranges used in the laboratory corresponded with those of the field distributions of B. violaceus and B. schlosseri in the Great Bay Estuary, NH. Heart rate was used as a proxy for health to assess the condition of individual colonies. Heart rates were monitored daily for approximately 2 weeks. Results revealed that both species experienced 100% mortality after 1 day at 5 psu and that their heart rates declined with decreasing salinity. Heart rates of B. schlosseri remained consistent between 15 and 30 psu and slowed at 10 psu. Heart rates of B. violaceus remained constant between 20 and 30 psu, but slowed at 15 psu. These laboratory results corresponded to the distribution of these species in estuaries, indicating salinity is a key factor in the distribution and dominance of B. schlosseri and B. violaceus among coastal and estuarine sites. Furthermore, physiological differences to salinity were found between colonies of B. schlosseri in the Venetian Lagoon and colonies in Portsmouth Harbor, suggesting adaptation to environmental variables.
Second-generation Notch1 activity-trap mouse line (N1IP::CreHI) provides a more comprehensive map of cells experiencing Notch1 activity

We have previously described the creation and analysis of a Notch1 activity-trap mouse line, Notch1 intramembrane proteolysis-Cre6MT or N1IP::CreLO, that marked cells experiencing relatively high levels of Notch1 activation. Here, we report and characterize a second line with improved sensitivity (N1IP::CreHI) to mark cells experiencing lower levels of Notch1 activation. This improvement was achieved by increasing transcript stability and by restoring the native carboxy terminus of Cre, resulting in a five- to tenfold increase in Cre activity. The magnitude of this effect probably impacts Cre activity in strains with carboxy-terminal Ert2 fusion. These two trap lines and the related line N1IP::CreERT2 form a complementary mapping tool kit to identify changes in Notch1 activation patterns in vivo as the consequence of genetic or pharmaceutical intervention, and illustrate the variation in Notch1 signal strength from one tissue to the next and across developmental time.
A theoretical study of malonate and formate calcium binding by ab initio techniques

Abstract Ab initio calculations at the STO—3G level have been performed on the binding of CA(II) ion to malonate and formate with and without d orbitals in the basis set for the CA(II) ion. The malonate and formate binding results with CA(II) are similar. The addition of d orbitals to CA(II) has little effect on the conformational minimum. The results are qualitatively similar to those from our previous calculations on the Mg2+—malonate interaction: a single carboxyl interaction with the metal ion appears to be preferred over a conformation in which two carboxyl groups bind to Ca(II). Moreover, the single carboxyl group interaction with CA(II) appears to be favored over the binding of CA(II) to a single oxygen of a carboxyl group.
Double multiphoton ionization of a model atom

A direct solution of the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation (TDSE) for a two-electron model atom in a strong electromagnetic field is used to extract probabilities for both single and double electron ionization. For three-photon ionization at a moderately strong intensity, the TDSE calculations find single ionization at 62%, single ionization with excitation at 10%, and double ionization at 3%. The sequential process of escape from an already once ionized atom is found to make a substantial contribution to the double-ionization probability. Multiphoton-ionization probabilities are also obtained from a solution of the time-dependent unrestricted Hartree-Fock (TDUHF) equations for the same model atom. Although in qualitative agreement with the TDSE results, the TDUHF results show significantly less single ionization with excitation and have a different angular distribution for double ionization.
Automatic smoothing parameter selection: A survey

This is a survey of recent developments in smoothing parameter selection for curve estimation. The first goal of this paper is to provide an introduction to the methods available, with discussion at both a practical and also a nontechnical level, including comparison of methods. The second goal is to provide access to the literature, especially on smoothing parameter selection, but also on curve estimation in general. The two main settings considered here are nonparametric regression and probability density estimation, although the points made apply to other settings as well. These points also apply to many different estimators, although the focus is on kernel estimators, because they are the most easily understood and motivated, and have been at the heart of the development in the field.
Development and Validation of the Marital Attitude Scale

Abstract This article reports the development and validation of a scale to measure attitudes toward marriage, the Marital Attitude Scale (MAS). The MAS assesses global satisfaction toward heterosexual marriage. The MAS is shown to have favorable psychometric properties, including high internal consistency. Scores on the MAS correlate moderately with other measures of marital attitudes and discriminate predictably with specific personality characteristics. The MAS is suited for use with persons who are, or are not, married.
Immunohistochemical localization of neuron-specific enolase in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Correlation with tissue and serum levels of neuron-specific enolase.

Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) was studied by immunohistochemistry and radioimmunoassay in ten gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) neuroendocrine tumors. Tissue and serum levels of NSE from the same patients were also analyzed. In all cases, NSE was localized by immunohistochemistry as diffuse cytoplasmic staining to neuroendocrine cells. Tissue levels of NSE were elevated in eight of ten cases while the serum level of NSE was elevated only in one patient with a metastatic gastrinoma to the liver. Examination of the distribution of NSE in a wide range of tumors (n = 55) showed that it is relatively specific for neurons and neuroendocrine tumors. Eight of ten tumors analyzed immunohistochemically for nine poly-peptide hormones contained more than one hormone. Two of ten tumors with only one hormone were positive for NSE. The clinical syndrome in all cases was related to only one hormone. These results indicate that the immunohistochemical demonstration of NSE is a good general marker for the neuroendocrine system. While tissue levels of NSE in GEP neuroendocrine tumors are generally elevated, the serum levels of NSE may only be markedly elevated with extensive metastatic disease.
Chemical-mechanical polishing: enhancing the manufacturability of MEMS

The planarization technology of Chemical-Mechanical-Polishing (CMP), used for the manufacturing of multi-level metal interconnects for high-density Integrated Circuits (IC), is also readily adaptable as an enabling technology in Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) fabrication, particularly polysilicon surface micromachining. CMP not only eases the design and manufacturability of MEMS devices by eliminating several photolithographic and film issues generated by severe topography, but also enables far greater flexibility with process complexity and associated designs. Thus, the CMP planarization technique alleviates processing problems associated with fabrication of multi-level polysilicon structures, eliminates design constraints linked with non-planar topography, and provides an avenue for integrating different process technologies. Examples of these enhancements include: an simpler extension of surface micromachining fabrication to multiple mechanical layers, a novel method of monolithic integration of electronics and MEMS, and a novel combination of bulk and surface micromachining.
Survival and Recovery Following Wildfire in the Southern Range of the Coast Redwood Forest

Fire plays a central role in determining structure, composition, and recruitment in many forest types. In coast redwood forests, the role of fire is not well understood and scant literature exists on post-fire response, particularly in the southern part of the range. In order to better understand patterns of survival and recruitment following fire for coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens [lamb. ex D. Don] Endl.) and associated tree species, three sites in the Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA, were sampled following wildfire. Randomly selected 10 m diameter plots were used to collect data on survivorship and post fire regeneration in order to analyze short-term responses including mortality, crown retention, basal sprouting, canopy regeneration, and seedling production. Results indicated that coast redwood had the lowest percent mortality (11.98 %) and highest mean canopy retention (43.10 %) of all species sampled, followed by Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) (25.54 %), tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus [Hook. & Arn.] Manos) (23.27 %), combined oak species (Quercus sp.) (6.67 %), and Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii Pursh) (4.13 %). In addition, associated species experienced higher survival rates when proximate to coast redwoods. Coast redwood trees also exhibited the highest canopy regeneration (53 %), the highest average density of basal sprouts (3.54 × 104 ha), and the greatest average number of seedlings, ranging from zero to 2.09 × 105 seedlings ha−1. Overall, coast redwood appeared to have a balance of fire adaptive features, exceeding all associated species, which allow individual trees to withstand fire, while at the same time promoting recruitment following fire.
Gas loss in simulated galaxies as they fall into clusters.

Abstract We use high-resolution cosmological hydrodynamic galaxy formation simulations to gain insights into how galaxies lose their cold gas at low redshift as they migrate from the field to the high-density regions of clusters of galaxies. We find that beyond three cluster virial radii, the fraction of gas-rich galaxies is constant, representing the field. Within three cluster-centric radii, the fraction of gas-rich galaxies declines steadily with decreasing radius, reaching <10% near the cluster center. Our results suggest galaxies start to feel the effect of the cluster environment on their gas content well beyond the cluster virial radius. We show that almost all gas-rich galaxies at the cluster virial radius are falling in for the first time at nearly radial orbits. Furthermore, we find that almost no galaxy moving outward at the cluster virial radius is gas-rich (with a gas-to-baryon ratio greater than 1%). These results suggest that galaxies that fall into clusters lose their cold gas within a single radial round-trip.
Guarding the perimeter: The outside-inside dichotomy in disgust and bodily experience

Blending phenomenological and evolutionary approaches, three studies explored the relationship between the body, the self, and disgust. Study 1 demonstrated that body parts that interface with the environment are sensed more than internal body parts, and are more intimately associated with the self. Studies 2 and 3, exploring the bodily distribution of disgust via organ transplantation scenarios, revealed that (a) transplantation of interface body parts is more disgusting than transplantation of internal parts; (b) others' interface parts elicit greater disgust than others' internal parts; and (c) individual differences in disgust sensitivity manifest primarily in reasoning about interface parts. The outer/inner dichotomy is a fundamental feature of the relationship between body and self, reflecting the adaptive utility of concentrating attention on the interface with the environment. Correspondingly, disgust, the emotion that protects the organism from contamination, is focused on the intersection betwee...
Wood anatomy of Penaeaceae (Myrtales): comparative, phylogenetic, and ecological implications

Wood samples of stems, lignotubers, and roots of the majority of species of Penaeaceae were analyzed with respect to qualitative and quantitative features. Virtually no data have hitherto been presented on xylem features of this family, restricted to Cape Province, South Africa. Presence of vestured pits in vessels, septate crystalliferous parenchyma in wood, intraxylary phloem, predominantly erect ray cells in the typically narrow, multiseriate rays and in the uniseriate rays, and amorphous deposits in ray cells place Penaeaceae securely in Myrtales and help to define that order. By comparison of ecological preferences of the species, as observed during field work, with quantitative analysis of conductive tissue, close correspondence of the wood structure to habit and habitat is demonstrated.
Some Examples Concerning Rotundity in Banach Spaces

A Banach space is rotund if the midpoint of each chord of the unit ball lies beneath the surface. In 1936 Clarkson [3] introduced the stronger notion of uniform rotundity. A Banach space is uniformly rotund if the midpoints of all chords of the unit ball whose lengths are bounded below by a positive number are uniformly buried beneath the surface. Since Clarkson's paper many authors have defined and studied geometric properties whose strengths lie between rotundity and uniform rotundity (see [1, 7-9,11, and 12]). Most of these properties can be classified as either localizations or directionalizations of uniform rotundity. The localizations--locally uniformly rotund and midpoint locally uniformly rotund-and the directionalizations--weakly uniformly rotund and uniformly rotund in every direction--have been of particular interest in the literature (see [4, 6, and 13]). In this paper six examples of Banach spaces are given that illustrate the distinctions among these generalizations of uniform rotundity as well as the independence of the localizations and directionalizations.
Modulation of Proline-Rich Akt Substrate Survival Signaling Pathways by Oxidative Stress in Mouse Brains After Transient Focal Cerebral Ischemia

Background and Purpose— A proline-rich Akt substrate (PRAS) contributes to the regulation of apoptosis after a variety of cell death stimuli, as well as in an in vivo transient focal cerebral ischemia (tFCI) model. We reported previously that overexpression of copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) reduces apoptotic cell death after tFCI. Our present study was designed to clarify the relationship between the PRAS signaling pathway and oxidative stress in the regulation of apoptosis after tFCI. Methods— We used a tFCI model with SOD1 transgenic mice and wild-type littermates to examine the expression of phosphorylated PRAS (pPRAS) by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry and the interaction of pPRAS with phosphorylated Akt (pPRAS/pAkt) or the 14-3-3 protein (pPRAS/14-3-3) by coimmunoprecipitation. Direct oxidation of the carbonyl groups, an indication of oxidative injury to total and individual proteins caused by tFCI, was examined using a 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone reaction assay. Results— Expression of pPRAS, pPRAS/pAkt, and pPRAS/14-3-3 decreased 2 hours after tFCI. Oxidized hydroethidine did not colocalize with expression of pPRAS. Individual oxidized carbonyls in pPRAS remarkably increased 2 hours after tFCI but were significantly reduced by SOD1 2 hours after tFCI. Expression of pPRAS, pPRAS/pAkt, and pPRAS/14-3-3 was promoted by SOD1 during the same time course. Conclusions— These results suggest that overexpression of SOD1 may affect the PRAS pathway after tFCI by reducing the direct oxidative reaction to pPRAS after reperfusion injury.
The effect of train duration of rewarding stimulation on food self-deprivation

In order to assess the effect of changes in brain-stimulation reward (BSR) on food intake, train duration of BSR was manipulated during food/BSR competition periods. Train duration, rather than intensity, was used in order to hold the area of stimulation about the electrode tip constant. Train duration had a significant effect on food intake, with longer durations decreasing intake. Increases in food deprivation increased feeding during food/BSR competition, and the tendency for subjects to self-deprive was reduced over the 4 weeks of successive competition testing. Further analyses of the data revealed that stimulation on-time (defined as the product of leverpresses and train duration) was a better predictor of food intake than was leverpressing rate. The results are interpreted as supporting the hypothesis that choices for food or BSR during competition reflect the relative reward value of the alternatives.
The evaluation of solder and circuit board materials for small satellite solar cell arrays

Body mounted germanium substrate solar cell arrays form the faces of many small satellite designs to provide the primary power source on orbit.1,2 High efficiency cells are made affordable for University scale satellite programs as triangular devices trimmed from wafer scale solar cells. The smaller cells allow the array designs to pack tightly around antenna mounts and payload instruments. We are investigating the reliability of solar cells attached to FR-4 and carbon core laminate printed circuit boards. FR-4 circuit boards have significantly higher thermal expansion coefficients and lower thermal conductivities than germanium; whereas carbon core laminates can be selected to more closely match the device substrate. We are also comparing various solder pastes and cleaning processes for array assembly. Storage, vacuum exposure, thermal cycling and vibration testing will be used to compare the survivability and performance of the solar arrays.
Alternative routes to maturity: branch points and pathways for generating follicular and marginal zone B cells

Positive and negative selection of developing B cells is critical for generating a functional non-pathogenic B-cell repertoire. Newly formed B cells in the bone marrow or peripheral lymphoid system can be eliminated by one of several negative selection mechanisms or recruited through a poorly understood positive selection mechanism. In this review, we focus on the growing literature on the relevance of immature (transitional) peripheral B cells to the area of B-cell positive selection, with an emphasis on the notion that transitional B cells can be subdivided into several functionally distinct subpopulations. In this discussion, we consider the nature of these transitional B-cell subsets and their relevance to selection events that influence whether developing B cells eventually give rise to follicular versus marginal zone B cells. In addition, we attempt to initiate a resolution of current controversies surrounding transitional B-cell subsets and offer an alternative model of peripheral B-cell maturation and the follicular versus marginal zone decision.
wRAPing up the End to Prevent Telomere Fusions

New work by Bae and Baumann (2007) addresses how telomeres prevent end-to-end fusion of chromosomes. The authors used an in vitro end-joining reaction to demonstrate that the telomere protein RAP1 specifically inhibits nonhomologous end-joining of telomere substrates.
Poverty, Near-Poverty, and Hardship Around the Time of Pregnancy

To describe income levels and the prevalence of major hardships among women during or just before pregnancy. We separately analyzed 2002–2006 population-based postpartum survey data from California’s Maternal and Infant Health Assessment (n = 18,332) and 19 states participating in CDC’s Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (n = 143,452) to examine income and several hardships (divorce/separation, domestic violence, homelessness, financial difficulties, spouse/partner’s or respondent’s involuntary job loss or incarceration, and, in California only, food insecurity and no social support) during/just before pregnancy. In both samples, over 30% of women were poor (income ≤100% of federal poverty level [FPL]) and 20% near-poor (101–200% FPL); and around 60% of low-income (poor or near-poor) women experienced at least one hardship. While hardship prevalence decreased significantly as income increased, many non-low-income women also experienced hardships; e.g., in California, 43% of all women and 13% with incomes >400% FPL experienced one or more hardships. These findings paint a disturbing picture of experiences around the time of pregnancy in the United States for many women giving birth and their children, particularly because 60% had previous births. The high prevalence of low income and of serious hardships during pregnancy is of concern, given previous research documenting the adverse health consequences of these experiences and recognition of pregnancy as a critical period for health throughout the life course. Low income and major hardships around the time of pregnancy should be addressed as mainstream U.S. maternal-infant health and social policy issues.
Extracted fatty acids from Gossypium hirsutum stimulatory to the seed-rotting fungus, Pythium ultimum

Abstract Specific germination of the pathogenic fungus Pythium ultimum in response to a viable host is a vital point in its life cycle. It must have the means to elucidate information on the proximal host, and a response to specific germination signals from the host seed was suspected. Active fractions from cotton seed extract containing unsaturated fatty acids induced high levels of germination in Phythium , whereas several saturated analogs did not. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
An integrated laser-tweezers instrument for microanalysis of individual protein aggregates

Herein we introduce a new laser-tweezers instrument capable of providing both physical and chemical information of individually trapped protein aggregates. These capabilities were demonstrated by investigating the aggregation process of α-elastin droplets of nanometers to micrometers in diameter. Individual droplets of aggregated elastin molecules were trapped at the focus of a 1064 nm near infrared (NIR) laser in the instrument. The size of these individual elastin aggregates was inferred by recording their thermal motion at a frequency of 100 kHz using a position sensitive photodetector (PSPD). The chemical information of the trapped particles was revealed by confocal fluorescence and confocal Raman spectroscopies using 532-nm laser excitation. Background signals outside trapped particles were eliminated by a pinhole in back reflected geometry. Both physical and confocal fluorescence measurements revealed a transition temperature of 38 °C for a fast process in individual elastin aggregates, a value consistent with the clouding temperature in bulk. Confocal Raman spectroscopy yielded a transition temperature of 35 °C for a slow process characteristic of the formation of elastin aqueous two phase systems (ATPS).
An untethered, electrostatic, globally controllable MEMS micro-robot

We present an untethered, electrostatic, MEMS micro-robot, with dimensions of 60 /spl mu/m by 250 /spl mu/m by 10 /spl mu/m. The device consists of a curved, cantilevered steering arm, mounted on an untethered scratch drive actuator (USDA). These two components are fabricated monolithically from the same sheet of conductive polysilicon, and receive a common power and control signal through a capacitive coupling with an underlying electrical grid. All locations on the grid receive the same power and control signal, so that the devices can be operated without knowledge of their position on the substrate. Individual control of the component actuators provides two distinct motion gaits (forward motion and turning), which together allow full coverage of a planar workspace. These MEMS micro-robots demonstrate turning error of less than 3.7/spl deg//mm during forward motion, turn with radii as small as 176 /spl mu/m, and achieve speeds of over 200 /spl mu/m/sec with an average step size as small as 12 nm. They have been shown to operate open-loop for distances exceeding 35 cm without failure, and can be controlled through teleoperation to navigate complex paths. The devices were fabricated through a multiuser surface micromachining process, and were postprocessed to add a patterned layer of tensile chromium, which curls the steering arms upward. After sacrificial release, the devices were transferred with a vacuum microprobe to the electrical grid for testing. This grid consists of a silicon substrate coated with 13-/spl mu/m microfabricated electrodes, arranged in an interdigitated fashion with 2-/spl mu/m spaces. The electrodes are insulated by a layer of electron-beam-evaporated zirconium dioxide, so that devices placed on top of the electrodes will experience an electrostatic force in response to an applied voltage. Control waveforms are broadcast to the device through the capacitive power coupling, and are decoded by the electromechanical response of the device body. Hysteresis in the system allows on-board storage of n=2 bits of state information in response to these electrical signals. The presence of on-board state information within the device itself allows each of the two device subsystems (USDA and steering arm) to be individually addressed and controlled. We describe this communication and control strategy and show necessary and sufficient conditions for voltage-selective actuation of all 2/sup n/ system states, both for our devices (n=2), and for the more general case (where n is larger.).
Elucidating Parenting Processes That Influence Adolescent Alcohol Use: A Qualitative Inquiry

This study’s purpose was to learn why some youth who participated in the Strong African American Families (SAAF) program increased alcohol use after 2 years whereas other youth did not. Using a sample of 28 African American caregiver-youth dyads, the authors collected qualitative data to explore these issues. Findings underscore the importance of caregivers’ practicing vigilant monitoring to keep their adolescents from experimenting with alcohol. Recommendations for limiting access to alcohol and encouraging vigilant parenting are discussed.
The postantibiotic effect of meropenem and imipenem on selected bacteria

Controlled experiments were conducted to determine the in-vitro postantibiotic effect (PAE) of meropenem and imipenem on ten selected bacteria representative of medically important species: Staphylococcus aureus (2). Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4), Escherichia coli (1), Serratia marcescens (1), Morganella morganii (1), and Providencia stuartii (1). The PAE was determined by comparing serial colony counts of cultures recovering from exposure to drug concentrations at 4 x MIC for 1.5 h with the counts of drug-free controls. A PAE was observed with both meropenem and imipenem when tested against four strains of Ps. aeruginosa (meropenem PAE = 0.8-2 h; imipenem PAE = 1.2-2.5 h) and two strains of Staph. aureus (meropenem PAE = 0.7, 1.7 h; imipenem PAE = 1.7, 1.8 h). In addition, a PAE was observed with meropenem on two of four Enterobacteriaceae, E. coli ATCC 25922 (0.8 h) and Prov. stuartii (1.2 h), but not with one strain each of M. morganii and Ser. marcescens. A PAE was not observed when imipenem was tested against the four Enterobacteriaceae. Studies are suggested to investigate further the PAE of meropenem on additional strains of Enterobacteriaceae.
Developmental plasticity in cerebellar tactile maps: Fractured maps retain a fractured organization

Plasticity following deafferentation has been repeatedly demonstrated in topographic sensory maps in the mammalian brain. In this paper we investigated the developmental plasticity of the fractured somatotopic map found in the tactile regions of the rat cerebellum. At various stages of postnatal development between postnatal days 1 and 30, we cauterized the infraorbital branch of the trigeminal nerve, which innervates the upper lip, furry buccal pad, and vibrissae that are represented within cerebellar folium crus IIa. The organization of the crus IIa map was then examined 2 to 3 months after denervation. We found that tactile receptive fields had reorganized throughout the denervated area but maintained a fractured somatotopy. Comparison of the reorganization in different animals showed that the denervated upper lip region was consistently and predominantly replaced by representation of the upper incisors. Analysis of evoked field potentials revealed an alteration, in denervated animals, of the response of the granule cell layer to brief tactile stimulation. This response in normal animals consists of two components at different latencies. Animals lesioned later in development were less likely to have the short latency component. This result suggests a difference in the developmental sensitivity of different cerebellum-related pathways to nerve lesions.
Discrimination of schedules that predict reinforcement from non-predictive ones and preference for less predictive schedules by rats☆

Abstract This study examined the behavior of rats on schedules that either did or did not contain information about impending reinforcement. Experiment 1 indicated that rats discriminated between schedules of reinforcement that differed only in the amount of information they contained about impending reinforcement. Experiment 2 revealed a preference for the schedule containing less information about impending reinforcement. The results suggest that predictable nonreinforcement is an important determiner of behavior in choice situations.
Identification and management of the patient at high risk for wound infection

Despite the use of perioperative antibiotics, wound infection remains a major source of morbidity after contaminated head and neck cancer surgery. Most adjunctive methods designed to control wound infection include techniques to reduce bacterial wound contamination. Additional methods include predicting the high risk patient and the bacteriology of subsequent wound infection, which allows antibiotic prophylaxis to be used on a selective basis. This article reviews relevant experimental and clinical data that evaluated these methods. Based on these results, as well as personal observations, guidelines are suggested for controlling wound infection in patients undergoing contaminated head and neck surgery.
Numeric Query Answering on the Web

Query answering usually assumes that the asker is looking for a single correct answer to the question. When retrieving a textual answer this is often the case, but when searching for numeric answers, there are additional considerations. In particular, numbers often have units associated with them, and the asker may not care whether the raw answer is in feet or meters. Also, numbers usually denote a precision. In a few cases, the precision may be explicit, but normally, there is an implied precision associated with every number. Finally, an association between different reliability levels to different sources can be made. In this paper, the authors experimentally show that, in the context of conflicting answers from multiple sources, numeric query accuracy can be improved by taking advantage of units, precision, and the reliability of sources.
Performance loss due to wall ablation in plasma armature railguns

on results that illustrate the importance of wall ablation. Section 111 develops a simple model of a plasma armature incorporating wall ablation. The model is applied first to the analysis of a constant current railgun to show how ablation affects railgun behavior and then to the experimental data of Section 11. Section IV develops an extension to the simple ablation model that includes viscous drag on the arc plasma. Again comparisons with the data of Section I1 support the inclusion of viscous drag as an important process in railguns. Finally, in Section V the future of plasma armature railguns is examined with particular emphasis on scaling to large devices and techniques to eliminate Parametric measurements have been performed on a plasma armature railgun at Las Alamos. The railgun is extensively instrumented for studies of the projectile motion and its interaction with the plasma armature. The most important parameter, driving current, was varied from 100 kA to 400 kA. Additional parameters investigated include current waveform, injection velocity, injection gas, wall insulation material, and initial pressure. For all combinations of parameters investigated, the measured performance was substantially below theoretical or control the ablation process. predictions. A strong correlation was found between performance loss and abnormal plasma armature features such as multiple arc formation, or separation of the armature from the projectile. In extreme cases, the plasma armature was observed to come to rest inside the railgun. A plasma armature model has been developed which successfully accounts for the measured performance loss and for many of the abnormal plasma armature features. By incorporating the ablation of wall material into the armature plasma thismodel predictstwo parasitic forces that dominate the motion of the armature at high velocity. One force is the inertial drag term mav. The other is frictional drag between the hot, turbulent plasma and the walls, which increases as m,v2. Simple scaling relations, which incorporate the plasma I. Experimental Apparatus The experimental results reported below were obtained with the HYVAX Phase I (HYVAX-I) railgun. The HYVAX railgun is a high performance modular device designed for distributed operation. It has a design length of 13 m and a theoretical velocity capability of 25 km/s at a design current of 500 kA. HYVAX-I consists of two 1.22 m long barrel modules and three 0.30 m long current connection modules from the H W A X device. The modules are assembled as a single stage railgun with an effective lenmh of2.5 m. A cross section ofthe barrel is shown ~ armature model, rho; that velocities >IO km/s wil l he ex. tremely dificult to achieve with plasma armature railguns unless the effects ofablation are eliminated or carefull, controlled.
Ontology-enriched multi-document summarization in disaster management

In this poster, we propose a novel document summarization approach named Ontology-enriched Multi-Document Summarization(OMS) for utilizing background knowledge to improve summarization results. OMS first maps the sentences of input documents onto an ontology, then links the given query to a specific node in the ontology, and finally extracts the summary from the sentences in the subtree rooted at the query node. By using the domain-related ontology, OMS can better capture the semantic relevance between the query and the sentences, and thus lead to better summarization results. As a byproduct, the final summary generated by OMS can be represented as a tree showing the hierarchical relationships of the extracted sentences. Evaluation results on the collection of press releases by Miami-Dade County Department of Emergency Management during Hurricane Wilma in 2005 demonstrate the efficacy of OMS.
Observation of a Partially Opened Triple-helix Conformation in 1→3-β-Glucan by Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Spectroscopy

This study used fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) spectroscopy as an indirect method to investigate the effect of NaOH treatment on the conformation of a triple-helix (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan and then evaluated the effect of conformation on biological activity. Previous studies have suggested that treatment of the triple-helix glucans with NaOH produces single-helix conformers. FRET spectra of the triple-helix glucan, laminarin, doubly labeled with 1-aminopyrene as donor probe and fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate as acceptor probe attached at the reducing end, showed that a partially opened triple-helix conformer was formed on treatment with NaOH. Increasing degrees of strand opening was associated with increasing concentrations of NaOH. Based on these observations we propose that a partially opened triple-helix rather than a single helix, is formed by treating the triple-helix glucans with NaOH. After neutralizing the NaOH, changes in FRET indicated that the partially opened conformer gradually reverts to the triple-helix over 8 days. Laminarian was stabilized at different degrees of partial opening and its biological activity examined using the Limulus amebocyte lysate assay and nitric oxide production by alveolar macrophage. Both Limulus amebocyte lysate activity and nitric oxide production were related to the degree of opening of the triple-helix. Partially open conformers were more biologically active than the intact triple-helix.