cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Perineuronal nets and subtypes of GABAergic cells differentiate auditory and multisensory nuclei in the intercollicular area of the midbrain

The intercollicular region, which lies between the inferior and superior colliculi in the midbrain, contains neurons that respond to auditory, visual, and somatosensory stimuli. Golgi studies have been used to parse this region into three distinct nuclei: the intercollicular tegmentum (ICt), the rostral pole of the inferior colliculus (ICrp), and the nucleus of the brachium of the IC (NBIC). Few reports have focused on these nuclei, especially the ICt and the ICrp, possibly due to lack of a marker that distinguishes these areas and is compatible with modern methods. Here, we found that staining for GABAergic cells and perineuronal nets differentiates these intercollicular nuclei in guinea pigs. Further, we found that the proportions of four subtypes of GABAergic cells differentiate intercollicular nuclei from each other and from adjacent inferior collicular subdivisions. Our results support earlier studies that suggest distinct morphology and functions for intercollicular nuclei, and provide staining methods that differentiate intercollicular nuclei and are compatible with most modern techniques. We hope that this will help future studies to further characterize the intercollicular region.
Ground plane partitioning for current recycling of superconducting circuits

Superconducting single flux quantum (SFQ) technology using Josephson junctions (JJs) is an excellent choice for the computing fabrics of the future. Current recycling is a necessary technique for the implementation of large SFQ circuits with energy-efficiency, where circuit partitions with similar bias current requirements are biased serially. Though this technique has been verified for small scale circuits, it has not been implemented for large circuits as there is no trivial way to partition the circuit into circuit blocks with separate ground planes. The major constraints for partitioning are (1) equal bias current and (2) equal area for all the partitions; (3) minimize the connections between adjacent ground planes with high-cost for non-adjacent planes. For the first time, all these constraints are formulated into a cost function and it is minimized with the gradient descent method. The algorithm takes a circuit netlist and the intended number of partitions as inputs and gives the output as groups of cells belonging to separate ground planes. It minimizes the connections among different ground planes and gives a solution on which the current recycling technique can be implemented. The parameters of cost function have been initialized randomly along with minimizing the dimensions to find the solution quickly. On average, 30% of connections are between non-adjacent ground planes for the given benchmark circuits.
Physical Transformations of Noble-Metal Nanocrystals upon Thermal Activation

ConspectusThe last two decades have witnessed the successful development of noble-metal nanocrystals with well-controlled properties for a variety of applications in catalysis, plasmonics, electron...
Issue alignment and partisanship in the American public: Revisiting the 'partisans without constraint' thesis.

Abstract Prior studies of American polarization suggest that the public gradually sorted themselves into partisan camps in the late 20th century while remaining largely non-ideological. Drawing on more recent data, we reassess these trends and discover a striking increase in the ideological organization of American public opinion in the beginning of the 21st century. Using a broad set of issues from the American National Election Studies, we identify rapid growth in the correlations between political attitudes from 2004 to 2016. This emergence of issue alignment is most pronounced within the economic and civil rights domains, challenging the notion that current “culture wars” are grounded in moral issues. While elite subpopulations show the greatest gains, we find that economic issues become more highly correlated across the electorate. We also find accelerated growth in the association between partisanship and issue attitudes during this period. These findings paint a new picture of the American electorate as not only highly partisan but increasingly ideological.
Reforming the IMF

John Morgan presents a radical proposal to sell voting rights at the IMF and redistribute power through market mechanisms instead of by formula.
From Allocators to Acquirers: The Family Investing Model and Transgenerational Entrepreneurship

The ability to pass along entrepreneurial spirit and related skills has been the linchpin of success for generations of family firms. Historically, this has been achieved by moving in and out of operating businesses to capitalize on opportunities to harvest capital and to ensure the business portfolio remains profitable and competitive. Families who are successful have also accumulated liquid wealth along their journey, and have often created a separate entity to manage that money: the family office. Today we are witnessing a large movement from the family office toward a family investment company approach. In the words of one family investor, “Families are moving from allocators to acquirers,” deploying their capital directly into operating entities rather than allocating it across a range of asset managers or investment funds. This chapter introduces a new model for how families achieve transgenerational entrepreneurship, through a broader-scope investing model focused on direct investment. We will describe the motivation behind the Family Investing Model, explain its related dimensions and challenges, and illustrate it with stories from multiple families who have proceeded down this path, reaping the benefits of family investing while managing associated risks.
Optimizing thermal comfort and energy use for learning environments

Abstract Thermal comfort is a critical component of indoor environments, especially in schools where learning is the main objective. However, thermal comfort comes at a price that many schools are unable to afford. Therefore, it is critical to determine a method to lower the energy costs of a building while still maintaining occupant thermal comfort. The objective of this study is to investigate how three indoor environmental parameters of air speed, humidity, and air temperature influence energy and thermal comfort in classroom environments. We employed a multi-objective optimization method that considers all three thermal parameters in the design and operation of a classroom. This method is demonstrated for three distinct climate locations (very hot and humid, cold and humid, warm and marine). Overall, our findings demonstrate significant energy savings from 1.3 to 9.1 kWh/year/m2 for cases where energy reduction is achieved. These values are for cases where the total annual number of hours that more than 10% of people are dissatisfied in a space are 0 to 42 in Miami and San Francisco and 26 to 49 in Boston. This translates to a cost savings of $3,000 to $12,800 per year for the entire building at current market rates. Note that for all locations, there were also cases where the number of hours that more than 10% of people were dissatisfied were reduced from the baseline value while still reducing energy use. This optimization framework shows promise for building mechanical designers seeking to maintain increased levels of thermal comfort throughout the year while lowering energy use.
A 222Rn source for low-background liquid scintillation detectors

Abstract A technique for producing a radioactive source suitable for use in a low-background liquid scintillation detector is described. 222 Rn was concentrated from air to prepare liquid scintillator sources spiked with 106 Bq/m3 of the radioisotope. Air was stripped of CO2 and water vapor, and passed over cooled charcoal which trapped the radon. The accumulated radon was desorbed and transferred into a pseudocumene-based scintillator. These sources have been used for position calibration in the Counting Test Facility (a 5 m3 spherical liquid scintillation detector) at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso.
FLOSS as a Source for Profanity and Insults: Collecting the Data

An important task in machine learning and natural language processing is to learn to recognize different types of human speech, including humor, sarcasm, insults, and profanity. In this paper we describe our method to produce test and training data sets to assist in this task. Our test data sets are taken from the domain of free, libre, and open source software (FLOSS) development communities. We describe our process in constructing helper sets of relevant data, such as profanity lists, lists of insults, and lists of projects with their codes of conduct. Contributions of this paper are to describe the background literature on computer-aided methods of recognizing insulting or profane speech, to describe the parameters of data sets that are useful in this work, and to outline how FLOSS communities are such a rich source of insulting or profane speech data. We then describe our data sets in detail, including how we created these data sets, and provide some initial guidelines for usage.
Directed connectivity among fish populations in a riverine network

Summary 1 The addition of large water storage dams to rivers in California's Central Valley blocked access to spawning habitat and has resulted in a dramatic decline in the distribution and abundance of spring-run chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum 1792). Successful recovery efforts depend on an understanding of the historical spatial structure of these populations, which heretofore has been lacking. 2 Graph theory was used to examine the spatial structure and demographic connectivity of riverine populations of spring-run chinook salmon. Standard graph theoretic measures, including degree, edge weight and node strength, were used to uncover the role of individual populations in this network, i.e. which populations were sources and which were pseudo-sinks. 3 Larger spatially proximate populations, most notably the Pit River, served as sources in the historic graph. These source populations in the graph were marked by an increased number of stronger outbound connections (edges), and on average had few inbound connections. Of the edges in the current graph, seven of them were outbound from a population supported by a hatchery in the Feather River, which suggests a strong influence of the hatchery on the structure of the current extant populations. 4 We tested how the addition of water storage dams fragmented the graph over time by examining changing patterns in connectivity and demographic isolation of individual populations. Dams constructed in larger spatially proximate populations had a strong impact on the independence of remaining populations. Specifically, the addition of dams resulted in lost connections, weaker remaining connections and an increase in demographic isolation. 5 A simulation exercise that removed populations from the graph under different removal scenarios – random removal, removal by decreasing habitat size and removal by decreasing node strength – revealed a potential approach for restoration of these depleted populations. 6 Synthesis and applications. Spatial graphs are drawing the attention of ecologists and managers. Here we have used a directed graph to uncover the historical spatial structure of a threatened species, estimate the connectivity of the current populations, examine how the historical network of populations was fragmented over time and provide a plausible mechanism for ecologically successful restoration. The methods employed here can be applied broadly across taxa and systems, and afford scientists and managers a better understanding of the structure and function of impaired ecosystems.
A tracking algorithm of maneuvering targets

A methodology for the tracking of maneuvering targets is presented. The authors' algorithm uses a quickest detection scheme based on the innovation sequence that minimizes the maneuver detection delay. Their approach also includes a recursive technique to maneuver magnitude estimation and a modified Kalman filter that incorporates the maneuver magnitude estimate. >
Review: Enthesitis: New Insights Into Pathogenesis, Diagnostic Modalities, and Treatment.

Enthesitis is a central feature of spondyloarthritis (SpA). Although enthesitis has traditionally been considered to be a focal insertional disorder, advanced imaging and pathologic findings suggest that enthesitis is a diffuse process with effects on adjacent bone and soft tissue. As a result of repeated biomechanical stress, it appears that microdamage at the enthesis triggers an inflammatory response in the synovium, leading to synovitis. Along with mechanical stress, exogenous bacteria may play a role in activating the immune response, especially in genetically predisposed individuals whose major histocompatibility locus encodes the class I molecule HLA–B27. Recent studies in animal models suggest that autoimmunity against versican and fibrocartilage proteins, and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling play roles in enthesitis development. Finally, interleukin-23 (IL-23) has been implicated in enthesitis with inflammatory effects mediated through IL-17 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and new bone formation driven by IL-22. Although prior therapeutic choices were limited to nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and activity modification, in recent years TNF inhibitors have proven to be useful. Further research on the effects of IL-22 and IL-23 blockade is needed to understand the effects on the treated patient. While enthesitis is underdiagnosed by physical examination alone, the use of ultrasound has proven to be highly sensitive for the detection of enthesitis, with utility in monitoring response to therapy, and will be an invaluable tool for assessing the efficacy of newer treatments. This review summarizes the substantial progress that has been made in addressing the pathophysiology, molecular mechanisms, genetic associations, clinical features, diagnostic modalities, and treatment of enthesitis.
Purification and analysis of colonization factor antigen I, coli surface antigen 1, and coli surface antigen 3 fimbriae from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

Abstract Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli fimbriae are immunogenic and play a key role in intestinal colonization. Native colonization factor antigen I, coli surface antigen 1, and coli surface antigen 3 fimbriae were purified by a common method involving shearing, differential centrifugation, gel filtration, and density gradient ultracentrifugation. The compositions and N-terminal sequences were determined. Coli surface antigen 3 possesses two N-terminal isoforms, one of which matches the published DNA sequence, except for the previously proposed signal sequence cleavage point.
Presynaptic β2-adrenoceptors mediate nicotine-induced NOergic neurogenic dilation in porcine basilar arteries

We previously reported that nicotine-induced nitric oxide (NO)-mediated cerebral neurogenic vasodilation was dependent on intact sympathetic innervation. We hypothesized that nicotine acted on symp...
Juvenile animal testing in drug development – Is it useful?

In pharmaceutical drug development, there has been increased interest in the need to perform juvenile animal studies to support the safety of use of new medicines in the pediatric population. Although such studies are not new, the increased interest has been "formalized" in recent regulatory guidelines. As a result, companies are now performing many more studies in juvenile animals, even when there is a lack of robust knowledge of cross-species functional and kinetic differences among juveniles that means extrapolation of any toxicology study finding to an immature human may not be easy or even relevant, especially if performed in the wrong species at the wrong time. It will be shown by presentation of some basic considerations needed in order to perform such testing, that juvenile animal studies are indeed feasible. However, it will also be highlighted that (based on available knowledge) there are currently not enough clear-cut examples to answer the question of whether juvenile animal toxicology studies to support pediatric development (by affecting the performance or design of a pediatric clinical trial or identifying a potential different-from-adult safety risk in clinical use) are truly useful or necessary.
An investigation of the determinants of successful assigned mentoring relationships

This study examined the influence of protege characteristics, gender composition of the mentoring relationship, the quality of the relationship, and the amount of time the protege spent with the mentor on career and psychosocial benefits gained by the protege. Proteges were assigned to mentors as part of a development program designed to facilitate personal and career development of educators. An instrument designed to assess the extent to which mentors provide career and psychosocial outcomes to proteges was developed. Protege gender, job involvement, and career planning activity was related to attainment of psychosocial outcomes. Implications and future directions for research regarding mentoring are discussed.
The Effects of Recent Long-Term Wage Agreements on General Wage Level Movements: 1950–1956

I. Definitions and hypotheses, 36. — II. The evidence, 37; spreading of automatic wage increases during inflation, 38; automatic increases as a floor under wage changes during price stability, 48. — III. Conclusions, 50; summary of the findings, 50; limitations of the findings, 51; mechanism by which GM-type agreements influence wage negotiations, 52; some implications of this study, 54. — Appendix: conceptual considerations, 55; methodological considerations, 57; some alternative views on the findings considered, 59.
Smoke as a quantitative atmospheric diffusion tracer

Abstract Generalizations of the “opacity method” of analyzing visible smoke-plume diffusion are presented. The horizontal dispersion length, σ y , is derived from the outline of a plume having an arbitrary vertical concentration distribution. The vertical dispersion length, σ z , is derived for a plume with concentration varying as arbitrary powers of y and z in the exponential terms. Examples of observations of σ y and σ z based on Skylab-4, U-2, and ordinary land-based photographs are presented.
On the line breaking problem in text formatting

A basic problem in text formatting is that of determining the break points for separating a string of words into lines to obtain a formatted paragraph. When formatted text is required to be aligned with both the left and right margins, the choice of break points greatly affects the quality of the formatted document. This paper presents and discusses solutions to the line breaking problem. These include the usual line-by-line method, a dynamic programming approach, and a new algorithm which is optimal and runs almost as fast as the line-by-line method.
Visual Fourier-transform spectroscopy with a single crystal plate

This paper shows how a single Z-cut plate of a uniaxial crystal can be used as a two-beam interferometer or Fourier-transform spectrometer. As a visual device, it permits easy identification of a set of achromatic fringes that can be seen in any two-beam interferometer when a white-light source is observed through it. These fringes apparently have not been described previously. They are expected when we understand that the white-light fringe pattern is in fact the Fourier transform of the spectral-sensitivity curve of the eye.
Purification, antibody production, and partial amino acid sequence of the 58-kDa acetaminophen-binding liver proteins.

Abstract Immunochemical analysis of electrophoretically resolved liver proteins from mice administered hepatotoxic doses of acetaminophen has identified two proteins of 44 and 58 kDa as major targets for acetaminophen arylation. In the present study the 58-kDa acetaminophen-binding protein (58-ABP) was purified from mouse liver cytosol by gel permeation chromatography, preparative isoelectric focusing, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The acetaminophen adducts were visualized on immunoblots using affinity-purified anti-acetaminophen antibodies after each step of the purification. Gel permeation chromatography, under nondenaturing conditions, indicated that the protein is a monomer. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis demonstrated that the 58-ABP consists of a cluster of four immunochemically reactive isoforms with isoelectric points ranging from 6.2 to 6.6. V-8 protease digestion of the isoforms suggested that they contained similar peptide fragments. The purified 58-ABP was utilized to produce polyclonal antibodies and to determine the amino acid composition and partial sequence of the protein. These antibodies revealed a protein cluster of similar molecular weight and isoelectric points in the cytosol of a human liver specimen. Amino acid analysis of the purified protein indicated that it contains eight cysteine residues (about 1.4% by weight). This low cysteine content raises the possiblity that at hepatotoxic doses acetaminophen may also bind to nonthiol sites on the protein. The amino acid sequence of two cyanogen bromide/tryptic peptide fragments revealed that the major immunochemically detectable aceteminophen target in the cytosol is homologous to a selenium-binding protein which has been recently sequenced.
ZombieNAND: Resurrecting Dead NAND Flash for Improved SSD Longevity

As consumer pressure for more bits per dollar and higher density-per-solid-state disk (SSD) forces manufacturers to squeeze more than one bit per flash cell and feature sizes downwards, wear-out is again becoming an increasing concern. Specifically, while single-level cell flash at larger feature sizes used to boast over 100,000 program/erase (P/E) cycles, modern triple-level cell flash can only sustain a measly 3,000 P/E cycles before it can no longer be reliably used. However, one lesser known facet of NAND flash design is that there is no material difference between cells that store one, two, or three bits per cell - it is merely a logical interpretation of the cells contents. Therefore, in this work we leverage this interesting property to explore how resurrecting dead flash cells to create "Zombie-NAND" flash can improve an SSD's lifetime, and what, if any, impact on latency results in doing such. Specifically, we analyze the impact of switching a TLC or MLC cell down one bit upon death, this allows the voltage thresholds to rise and life, though at a lower capacity, to continue for that cell. Finding that traditional wear-leveling techniques actually inhibit the benefits of this scheme, we propose and explore how controlled "wear-unleveling" can work in tandem with Zombie-NAND cells to provide vastly increased life and decreased latencies for the drive. In this exploration, we perform rigorous performance measurement over a number of parameters representative of a variety of commodity and commercial SSDs.
Using CORBA to integrate manufacturing cells to a virtual enterprise

It is critical in today's enterprises that manufacturing facilities are not isolated from design, planning, and other business activities and that information flows easily and bidirectionally between these activities. It is also important and cost-effective that COTS software, databases, and corporate legacy codes are well integrated in the information architecture. Further, much of the information generated during manufacturing must be dynamically accessible to engineering and business operations both in a restricted corporate intranet and on the internet. The software integration strategy in the Sandia Agile Manufacturing Testbed supports these enterprise requirements. We are developing a CORBA-based distributed object software system for manufacturing. Each physical machining device is a CORBA object and exports a common IDL interface to allow for rapid and dynamic insertion, deletion, and upgrading within the manufacturing cell. Cell management CORBA components access manufacturing devices without knowledge of any device-specific implementation. To support information flow from design to planning data is accessible to machinists on the shop floor. CORBA allows manufacturing components to be easily accessible to the enterprise. Dynamic clients can be created using web browsers and portable Java GUI's. A CORBA-OLE adapter allows integration to PC desktop applications. Other commercial software can access CORBA network objects in the information architecture through vendor API's.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Attenuation of Rhinovirus Type 15 for Humans

HERE we describe results which indicate that third passage in human embryonic lung fibroblasts (WI-26) resulted in attenuation of rhinovirus type 15, and suggest that such attenuated strains might offer an approach to control of rhinovirus common colds.
Laryngeal Carcinoma Presenting as Platypnea

Platypnea, or dyspnea in the upright position relieved by recumbency, is most commonly associated with cardiac or pulmonary disease. We describe a patient who presented to the emergency department with platypnea due to a laryngeal carcinoma. A tumor of the upper airway should be considered in any patient presenting with platypnea.
Time-dependent disruption of morphine tolerance by electroconvulsive shock and frontal cortical stimulation

Electroconvulsive shock or frontal cortex stimulation administered to rats at 5 but not at 180 minutes after an initial administration of morphine sulfate disrupted the development of one-trial tolerance to the analgesic effects of morphine sulfate. It is suggested that development of tolerance may be mediated by cellular mechanisms and memory processes similar to those thought to underlie conventional learning.
Amplification strategies in MR imaging: Activation and accumulation of sensing contrast agents (SCAs)

We review new strategies for the development of Gd3+-based T1-relaxation agents and paramagnetic chemical exchange saturation transfer (PARACEST) "sensing" contrast agents (SCAs) designed specifically to detect small molecules or enzymatic activity in living systems. The first class of agents exhibits molecular "sensing" properties as a result of water coordination sphere effects, cleavage, or synthesis of reactive precursor compounds that recombine with macromolecules with the resultant formation of immobilized or rotationally constrained paramagnetic cations. This effect results in changes of water proton relaxation times. The second class (PARACEST) comprises a family of lanthanide-based paramagnetic compounds suitable for CEST imaging. The need for both types of MR agents is justified by efforts to utilize magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to visualize fine structures in living tissue, and to increase the molecular specificity of MRI.
Melt transformation coextrusion. II: Flow analysis

Melt Transformation Coextrusion for power law fluids was analyzed with particular attention being paid to the influence of the die's geometrical shape on flow patterns, and to skin layer effect on the velocity profile and shear stress at the interface between layers in a three-layered system. Volumetric flow rate expressions were also generated for the aforementioned system, and stream and potential functions were derived for a free boundary converging film geometry. Newtonian as well as non-Newtonian fluids were considered for this analysis in which the streamline shape changes their convergence downstream into the land section. Also, a finite element solution technique was utilized to reveal shear stress profiles that arise from the flow of high density polyethylene at 200°C in a converging fixed boundary geometry.
Scanning Cysteine Mutagenesis Analysis of Aβ-(1-40) Amyloid Fibrils

We describe here the use of cysteine substitution mutants in the Alzheimer disease amyloid plaque peptide Abeta-(1-40) to probe amyloid fibril structure and stabilization. In one approach, amyloid fibrils were grown from Cys mutant peptides under reducing conditions and then challenged with an alkylating agent to probe solvent accessibility of different residues in the fibril. In another approach, monomeric Cys mutants, either in the thiol form or modified with iodoacetic acid or methyl iodide, were grown into amyloid fibrils, and the equilibrium position at the end of the amyloid formation reaction was quantified by determining the concentration of monomeric Abeta. The DeltaG values of fibril elongation obtained were then compared in order to provide information on the environment of each residue side chain in the fibril. In general, Cys residues in the N and C termini of Abeta-(1-40) were not only accessible to alkylation in the fibril state but also, when modified in the monomeric state, did not greatly impact fibril stability; these observations were consistent with previous indications that these portions of the peptide are not part of the amyloid core. In contrast, residues 16-19 and 31-34 were not only uniformly inaccessible to alkylation in the fibril state, but their modification with the negatively charged carboxymethyl group in monomeric Abeta also destabilized fibril elongation, confirming other data showing that these segments are likely packed into a hydrophobic amyloid core. Residues 20, 30, and 35, flanking these implicated beta-sandwich regions, are accessible to alkylation in the fibril indicating a location in solvent exposed structure.
Analysis Framework for Evaluation of Traffic Compliance Measures

Agencies and practitioners often test innovative strategies for improving driver compliance with traffic regulations. However, in evaluating these strategies, researchers often rely on simple before-and-after methods that suffer from several flaws and that can result in misleading results and an inaccurate assessment of a strategy's effectiveness. This paper examines these flaws, proposes a framework that avoids or corrects for them, and then uses it to analyze the effectiveness of a common strategy: installation of larger signage (at a freeway entrance ramp). The framework described in this paper can be applied to a wide range of driver compliance situations. Among them are yielding at pedestrian crossings, speed limit obedience, and proper anticipation of roadway features such as speed humps or intersections.
Continuous transition between fractional quantum Hall and superfluid states

We develop a theory of a direct, continuous quantum phase transition between a bosonic Laughlin fractional quantum Hall state and a superfluid, generalizing the Mott insulator to superfluid phase diagram of bosons to allow for the breaking of time-reversal symmetry. The direct transition can be protected by a spatial symmetry, and the critical theory is a pair of Dirac fermion fields coupled to an emergent Chern-Simons gauge field. The transition may be achieved in optical traps of ultracold atoms by starting with a $\ensuremath{\nu}=1/2$ bosonic Laughlin state and tuning an appropriate periodic potential to change the topology of the composite fermion band structure.
Estradiol-induced adult anovulatory syndrome in female C57BL/6J mice: age-like neuroendocrine, but not ovarian, impairments.

Long-term effects of elevated plasma estradiol (E2) on ovarian and neuroendocrine functions were examined in 4-month-old cycling female C57BL/6J mice injected s.c. with 0.2 or 0.05 mg estradiol valerate (EV), or oil. Within 7 days, EV-injected mice became permanently acyclic, exhibiting the persistent vaginal cornification (PVC) characteristic of reproductive senescence in rodents. Four months after injection, ovaries from EV-injected mice exhibited no corpora lutea, but ovulated in response to an injection of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) (as do older, spontaneously PVC mice). When grafted into young mice, ovaries from EV-injected mice supported as many estrous cycles as ovaries from oil-injected controls. EV did not alter the suppression of luteinizing hormone (LH) by E2, LH response to injected LH releasing hormone (LHRH), or plasma prolactin (Prl). However, EV-injected mice exhibited impairments in LH regulation similar to those seen in old, acyclic mice. Plasma LH 30 days after ovariectomy was 40% lower, and E2-induced LH surges were 60% lower, in EV-injected mice versus controls. Furthermore, EV-injected mice were unable to support estrous cycles given young ovarian grafts, in contrast to controls. Effects of sustained but physiological levels (15-20 pg/ml) of plasma E2, were examined in intact cycling mice given sham or E2 implants. Six weeks after implantation, the implants were removed; only 50% of the E2-implanted mice subsequently exhibited estrous cycles, compared with 100% of sham-implanted controls. Furthermore, those E2-implanted mice which did cycle had fewer cycles than controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
ICESat's new perspective on ice shelf rifts: The vertical dimension

[1] The small footprint (∼70 m) and ∼172 m along-track spacing of the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) on the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) provides unprecedented horizontal resolution for a satellite altimeter. This enables ICESat to map many previously unresolved features on ice shelves, such as crevasses, rifts, grounding zones and ice fronts. We present examples of ICESat-derived elevation data showing topography over rifts on the Amery and Ross ice shelves, widths of rifts and as estimates of the thickness of melange (a collection of ice and snow trapped inside the rifts). We show that melange thickness remains constant over the ICESat data period and tends to be thicker in older rifts. We validate the ICESat-derived melange depth estimate with an in situ measurement on the Ross Ice Shelf.
High-throughput measurement of the long excited-state lifetime of quantum dots in flow cytometry

The long fluorescence lifetime of quantum dots (QDs) is not often utilized in high-throughput bioassays, despite of the potential for the lifetime to be an optimum parameter for multiplexing with spectrally overlapping excitable species that have short fluorescence lifetimes. The limitation of currently available instruments that can rapidly resolve complex decay kinetics of QDs contributes to this dearth. Therefore work in our laboratory is focused on developing unique and reliable frequency-domain flow cytometry (FDFC) systems as well as QDs applications where fluorescence dynamics are exploited. In this paper we demonstrate both by simulation and experimental validation, the viability of rapidly capturing the fluorescence lifetime of QDs from single QDs-labeled cells and microspheres by employing a home-built FDFC system. With FDFC theory we simulated measurements of long-lived QDs decays and evaluated the potential to discriminate multi-exponential decay profiles of QDs from typical cellular autofluorescence lifetimes. Our FDFC simulation work included calculations of fluorescence phase-shifts at multiple modulation frequencies extracted from square wave modulation signals (i.e. similar to heterodyning frequency-domain spectroscopy). Experimental work to support the result from our simulations involved acquiring measurements from real samples and processing them for multi-frequency phase shifts. Additionally the average excited-state lifetimes of QDs (streptavidin conjugated CdSe/Zns and oleic acid coated CdSxSe1-x/ZnS) measured were found to be greater than 15 ns. The average lifetime results were consistent with published literature values as well as verified with independent time domain measurements. This work opens the possibility of developing powerful bioassays using FDFC based on the long fluorescence lifetime of QDs.
Must We Mean What We Say?: A Book of Essays

1. Must we mean what we say? 2. The availability of Wittgenstein's later philosophy 3. Aesthetic problems of modern philosophy 4. Austin at criticism 5. Ending the waiting game: A reading of Beckett's Endgame 6. Kierkegaard's On Authority and Revelation 7. Music discomposed 8. A matter of meaning it 9. Knowing and acknowledging 10. The avoidance of love: A reading of King Lear.
Preparation and characterization of high purity chrysene crystals

Abstract The preparation of high purity chrysene single crystal is described. Chrysene was purified by column chromatography and melt zone refining. Crystals were grown from the melt without again exposing the zone refined material to the atmosphere. Crystals were characterized by gas chromatography, X-ray diffraction, dislocation etching and thermally stimulated current measurements.
Influence of design parameters on cup-stem orientations for impingement free RoM in hip implants.

Abstract This study was conducted to study the influence of design parameters namely; the head/neck ratio ( R ), neck-shaft angle (NSA), oscillation angle (OsA) and stem offset (Sθ) on cup–stem orientations namely; the cup inclination (CI), cup anteversion (CA) and stem antetorsion (SA). R is often linked to influence NSA, OsA and impingement. An effort has been made to analyze range of motion (RoM) with NSA greater than 135° and R lower than 2.3 that may produce impingement. This study attempted to answer the following assumptions whether (a) implants with higher H–N ratio can achieve higher oscillations and higher stem antetorsion, (b) stems with higher neck shaft angle can achieve higher cup anteversion with lower stem offset and stem antetorsion, (c) stem with higher offsets can achieve lower cup anteversion with higher stem antetorsion, and (d) lower cup anteversion can be achieved when stem antetorsion is higher. A theoretical and a simulated method were implemented to anaylze RoM until impingement between cup and neck occurred. Cup abduction and anterior opening were held constant for this study. Multivariate prediction models were developed to predict optimal cup–stem orientations for the chosen design parameters of 12 hip implants. Optimal design parameters to achieve an impingement free RoM were as follows: NSA = 139.25°, R = 3.08, OsA = 119.83°, Sθ = 34.45 mm, CA predicted = 16.26°, CI predicted = 42.77° and SA predicted = 30.37°, respectively. Multivariate models may be further developed for use in surgery planning to achieve optimal component placement.
Insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease

Clearly, insulin resistance is not simply a problem of deficient glucose uptake in response to insulin, but a multifaceted syndrome that increases significantly the risk for cardiovascular disease. The links between insulin resistance and the associated dyslipidemia, hypertension, hypercoagulability, and atherosclerosis are numerous and complex. This complexity derives both from the almost certain multiple causes of the insulin resistance syndrome and from the interaction of genes predisposing to insulin resistance with other genes that have their own, independent impact on lipid metabolism, blood pressure regulation, coagulation, and artery wall biology. Nonetheless, I suggest that dysregulation of fatty acid metabolism plays a central role in the development of this phenotype. Thus, the association between insulin resistance and dyslipidemia is clearly initiated by increased FFA release from, or defective uptake of FFAs into, adipocytes. Recent studies linking fatty acids to endothelial dysfunction, together with the clear role of VLDL in the stimulation of PAI-1, further support the view that dysregulation of fatty acid metabolism sits close to the center of the pathophysiology of the insulin resistance syndrome, at least as it relates to risk for cardiovascular disease.
Elastase-mediated activation of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike protein at discrete sites within the S2 domain

Proteolytic priming is a common method of controlling the activation of membrane fusion mediated by viral glycoproteins. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike protein (SARS-CoV S) can be primed by a variety of host cell proteases, with proteolytic cleavage occurring both as the S1/S2 boundary and adjacent to a fusion peptide in the S2 domain. Here, we studied the priming of SARS-CoV S by elastase and show an important role for residue Thr795 in the S2 domain. A series of alanine mutants were generated in the vicinity of the S2 cleavage site, with the goal of examining elastase-mediated cleavage within S2. Both proteolytic cleavage and fusion activation were modulated by altering the cleavage site position. We propose a novel mechanism whereby SARS-CoV fusion protein function can be controlled by spatial regulation of the proteolytic priming site, with important implications for viral pathogenesis.
Characterization of sterols by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the trimethylsilyl ethers.

The utility of combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in the analysis and characterization of sterols has been explored. Methylene unit (MU) values and principal mass spectrometric data are presented for trimethylsilyl ethers of 28 sterols, including the major natural sterols. The diagnostic value of the fragmentation of trimethylsilyl ethers of Δ5-3 β-hydroxysteroids has been confirmed. Characteristic fragmentations of Δ4-3 β-trimethylsilyloxysteroids, and of Δ5,7-3 β-trimethylsilyloxysteroids were also found. Location of side-chain hydroxyl groups is facilitated by the α-cleavages typical of the trimethylsilyl ethers. Fragmentations of saturated sterols, and of Δ7, Δ8(9) and Δ(14) stenols, are less influenced by trimethylsilyl ether formation, but the derivatives still afford satisfactory mass spectra. The combination of gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric information allows positive identification of any of the sterols examined, whereas application of either technique alone may give inconclusive results.
New approach for analysis of the phosphotyrosine proteome and its application to the chicken B cell line, DT40.

In this study, we have begun to analyze phosphotyrosyl and associated proteins present in a DT40 chicken B cell line overexpressing the nonreceptor protein-tyrosine kinase, Syk. An anti-phosphotyrosine antibody was used to select tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins. After tryptic digestion, peptides were subjected to a β-elimination reaction and phosphotyrosine-containing peptides were enriched via immobilized metal affinity chromatography. Several known substrates and candidate substrates for Syk and the location of 22 tyrosine phosphorylation sites were identified. Keywords: chicken B lymphocytes • mass spectrometry • proteomics • tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins • skimmer CID • phosphotyrosine immonium ion • DT40 cells • Syk
Viral association with suspended solids

Abstract Laboratory models and field sewage samples were used to study viral association with particulates in suspension. Poliovirus and coliphages T2, T7 and f2 were tested for their adsorption to and elution from both organic and inorganic suspended solids at a variety of pH values and in both the presence and absence of a divalent cation. The results indicate that no one of the viruses tested can be used to describe a general pattern of adsorption. T2 and f2 readily associated with the clays used in the presence of divalent cation, while T7 and poliovirus adsorbed equally well to both organic and inorganic particulates. All viruses varied in the degree to which they associated with naturally-occurring suspended solids in primary and final sewage effluents; maximal association occurred at the pH extremes of 4.0 and 10.0 for all systems. Regardless of the conditions used to effect adsorption, all viruses tested, with the exception of f2, were infective by plaque assay in their adsorbed form. These data suggest that no one coliphage system can acceptably model the behavior of poliovirus in laboratory or field conditions. Furthermore, the results reaffirm and broaden the findings that viruses associated with suspended particulates are infective. Therefore, any system used to monitor virus levels in the environment must adequately account not only for free virus, but also for those which are solids-associated.
Administration of 13-cis-retinoic acid to dairy cattle. 2. Phenotype of blood leukocytes and production of immunoglobulin.

Abstract Eight Holstein dairy cattle were assigned randomly to treatments in three replicate experiments evaluating the effects of 13- cis -retinoic acid on mononuclear leukocyte function. Treatments were i.m. injections of 0 (vehicle only), 100, 200, or 400mg/d of 13- cis -retinoic acid in dimethylsulfoxide for 7 consecutive d. Peripheral blood was collected before treatment and periodically for 18 d after initiation of treatments. Parameters measured were IgM production in vitro by blood lymphocytes, serum Ig concentrations, and the phenotype of peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes. Administration of 13- cis -retinoic acid had no effect on in vitro Ig production induced by pokeweed mitogen; however, supplementation of the same cultures with 13- cis -retinoic acid enhanced production of polyclonal IgM. Serum Ig concentrations and total numbers of peripheral blood leukocytes and numbers within mononuclear leukocyte subsets were unaffected by treatment with 13- cis -retinoic acid. Experimentally induced elevations in the concentrations of serum and intracellular retinoic acids did not affect mononuclear leukocyte function in vitro.
The potent somatostatin analogue vapreotide does not decrease pancreas-specific complications after elective pancreatectomy: a prospective, multicenter, double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Pancreatectomy can be complicated by pancreatic anastomotic leakage, causing major morbidity. STUDY DESIGN: Our aim was to determine if vapreotide, a potent long-acting somatostatin analogue, would decrease pancreas-related complications. This prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involved 275 patients without preexisting chronic pancreatitis undergoing elective proximal, central, or distal pancreatectomy. Complications were defined by objective criteria before beginning the study. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-five patients received vapreotide; 140 patients received placebo. There were no statistically significant differences between vapreotide- and placebo-treated patients in either pancreas-related complications (30.4% versus 26.4%, respectively) or in other complications not directly related to the pancreas (40% versus 42%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The potent somatostatin analogue vapreotide does not appear to decrease postoperative complications after major pancreatectomy in patients without chronic pancreatitis.
Rosetta: a generator of data language compilers

A data language is a declarative language that enables database users to access and manipulate data. There are families of related data languages; each family member is targeted for a particular application. Unfortunately, building compilers for such languages is largely an ad hoc process; there are no tools and design methods that allow programmers to leverage the design and code of compilers for similar languages, or to simplify the evolution of existing languages to include more features. Rosetta is a generator of relational data language compilers that demonstrates practical solutions to these problems. We explain how domain analysis identifies primitive building blocks of these compilers, and how grammar-based definitions (ala GenVoca) of the legal compositions of these blocks yields compact and easily-evolvable specifications of data languages. Rosetta automatically transforms such specifications into compilers. Experiences with Rosetta are discussed.