cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A serum-free medium formulation efficiently supports isolation and propagation of canine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells

Medium containing Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) provides a supportive environment for isolation and expansion of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs); however, the inherent variability of FBS may contribute to inconsistencies in cell growth and yield between batches of stem cell products. For this reason, we set out to develop a serum-free medium capable of supporting the in vitro expansion of MSCs. First a naive serum-free medium was formulated by Sato’s approach. Once it was established that the naive serum-free medium supported the expansion of canine adipose-derived MSCs (Ad-MSCs), the serum-free medium was optimized by addition of growth factors. Combinations of growth factors were chosen and compared by their effect on cell proliferation and colony formation. Growth characteristics of canine adipose-derived MSCs cultured in the serum-free medium were comparable to those cultured in standard FBS containing medium. In addition, cell surface marker expression and differentiation potential of serum-free and FBS-based cultures were also comparable. However, a commercial serum-free medium developed for human MSC culture did not support growth of canine Ad-MSCs. In summary, canine Ad-MSCs isolated and cultured in serum-free medium retained the basic characteristics of MSCs cultured in FBS containing medium.
Broader Uses of Post-Marketing Surveillance

Since post-marketing surveillance has been functionally defined in many ways and can encompass a large number of activities, it is important to keep the output of any effort or system combining various efforts in mind. Various efforts of coordinating information on drug use go through a prolonged process and have various outcomes, but the overall goal is to optimize drug utilization and minimize preventable adverse effects.
Correcting Whitespace Errors in Digitized Historical Texts.

Whitespace errors are common to digitized archives. This paper describes a lightweight unsupervised technique for recovering the original whitespace. Our approach is based on count statistics from Google n-grams, which are converted into a likelihood ratio test computed from interpolated trigram and bigram probabilities. To evaluate this approach, we annotate a small corpus of whitespace errors in a digitized corpus of newspapers from the 19th century United States. Our technique identifies and corrects most whitespace errors while introducing a minimal amount of oversegmentation: it achieves 77% recall at a false positive rate of less than 1%, and 91% recall at a false positive rate of less than 3%.
Molecular determinants of nephron vascular specialization in the kidney.

Although kidney parenchymal tissue can be generated in vitro, reconstructing the complex vasculature of the kidney remains a daunting task. The molecular pathways that specify and sustain functional, phenotypic and structural heterogeneity of the kidney vasculature are unknown. Here, we employ high-throughput bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing of the non-lymphatic endothelial cells (ECs) of the kidney to identify the molecular pathways that dictate vascular zonation from embryos to adulthood. We show that the kidney manifests vascular-specific signatures expressing defined transcription factors, ion channels, solute transporters, and angiocrine factors choreographing kidney functions. Notably, the ontology of the glomerulus coincides with induction of unique transcription factors, including Tbx3, Gata5, Prdm1, and Pbx1. Deletion of Tbx3 in ECs results in glomerular hypoplasia, microaneurysms and regressed fenestrations leading to fibrosis in subsets of glomeruli. Deciphering the molecular determinants of kidney vascular signatures lays the foundation for rebuilding nephrons and uncovering the pathogenesis of kidney disorders. The kidney is vascularized with highly specialized and zonated endothelial cells that are essential for its filtration function. Here, Barry et al. provide a single-cell RNA sequencing analysis of the kidney vasculature that highlights its transcriptional heterogeneity and uncovers pathways important for its development and function.
Portable Fluorescence Detection System with Rayleigh Waves Removing Nonspecifically Bound Proteins

Immunofluorescence is one of the primary techniques for microbiological assays. Although it has existed for decades, its usages in medical and biological practices have limitations that need to be tackled with, especially the need of increasing its portability and specificity, and lowering its detection limit. A portable optical fluorescence system was designed to be combined with a direct digital synthesizer for surface acoustic wave generation. Rayleigh wave streaming generated on a piezoelectric device is able to prevent nonspecific binding on the biological interface. The miniaturized prototype, integrating acoustic wave removal of interfering proteins combined with optical detection, was developed to realize immune-detection on a portable platform.
Racial and socioeconomic correlates of treatment and survival among patients with meningioma: a population-based study

Though meningioma is the most common primary brain tumor, there is a paucity of epidemiologic studies investigating disparities in treatment and patient outcomes. Therefore, we sought to explore how sociodemographic factors are associated with rates of gross total resection (GTR) and radiotherapy as well as survival. The National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was queried to identify adult patients with meningioma diagnosed between 2005 and 2015. Socioeconomic status (SES) was determined using a validated composite index in which patients were stratified into tertiles and quintiles. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to identify predictors of treatment and survival, respectively. 71,098 patients met our inclusion criteria. Low SES quintile was associated with reduced odds of receiving GTR (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.69–0.83, p < 0.0001) and radiotherapy (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.76–0.91, p < 0.0001) as well as worse survival (HR 1.48, 95% CI 1.41–1.56) as compared to the highest SES quintile. Black patients had reduced odds of GTR (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.67–0.71, p < 0.0001) and worse survival (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.18–1.29, p < 0.0001) as compared to white patients. This national study of patients with meningioma found socioeconomic status and race to be independent inverse correlates of likelihood of GTR, radiotherapy, and survival. Limited access to care may underlie these disparities in part, and future studies are warranted to identify specific causes for these findings.
Optical Coherence Tomography of Small Retinoblastoma.

PURPOSE To investigate hand-held optical coherence tomography (HH-OCT) characteristics of small (<1 mm thickness) retinoblastoma. DESIGN Retrospective observational case series. METHODS Patient and tumor data were extracted from the medical record and analyzed along with HH-OCT scans. Determination of tumor layer of origin was performed using a layer-by-layer analysis of HH-OCT data and specific HH-OCT-related features were described. RESULTS There were 20 sub-millimeter retinoblastomas from 16 eyes of 15 patients. Mean largest tumor basal diameter by HH-OCT was 2.2 mm (median, 1.9; range, 0.7-4.1 mm), and mean tumor thickness was 468 μm (median, 441; range, 151-998 μm). In all cases, the retinoblastoma caused discontinuity or disruption of the inner nuclear (INL), outer plexiform (OPL), outer nuclear (ONL), and external limiting membrane (ELM) layers (20/20, 100%). Tumor origin was in the INL in 19/20 (95%) and equivocal (INL vs ONL) in 1/20 (5%). Intratumoral microcalcification was present in 14/20 tumors (70%). There were 2 characteristic findings (signs) on HH-OCT including the INL "fish tail" sign with splaying of the INL at the tumor margin (19/20, 95%) and the ONL "shark fin" sign with folding of the ONL and OPL, conforming to the lateral tumor margins (15/20, 75%). Both signs were concurrently present in 15 tumors (15/20, 75%). CONCLUSIONS HH-OCT demonstrated that sub-millimeter retinoblastoma seems to originate from the INL, with tumor base and thickness growth progressing in a linear relationship. Characteristic HH-OCT findings included intratumoral microcalcification, INL "fish tail" sign, and ONL "shark fin" sign.
Documentary narrative visualization: Features and modes of documentary film in narrative visualization:

Documentary narrative visualization is a data visualization approach using the features of documentary film. Researchers in the field of visualization are searching for better methods of constructi...
Mini-Review of Laboratory Operations in Biobanking: Building Biobanking Resources for Translational Research

Biobanks have become integral to improving population health. We are in a new era in medicine as patients, health professionals, and researchers increasingly collaborate to gain new knowledge and explore new paradigms for diagnosing and treating disease. Many large-scale biobanking efforts are underway worldwide at the institutional, national, and even international level. When linked with subject data from questionnaires and medical records, biobanks serve as valuable resources in translational research. A biobank must have high quality samples that meet researcher's needs. Biobank laboratory operations require an enormous amount of support-from lab and storage space, information technology expertise, and a laboratory management information system to logistics for sample movement, quality management systems, and appropriate facilities. A paramount metric of success for a biobank is the concept of every biospecimen coming to the repository belongs to a participant who has something to contribute to research for a healthier future. This article will discuss the importance of biorepository operations, specific to the collection and storage of participants materials. Specific focus will be given to maintaining the quality of samples, along with the various levels of support biorepositories need to fulfill their purpose and ensure the integrity of each specimen is maintained.
Abstract 6666: Evaluation of the complexity of the immune response to CMP-001, a TLR9 agonist

CMP-001 is a virus-like particle containing a TLR9 agonist (class A CpG ODN) encapsulated by the Qβ capsid. Preclinical studies and early phase clinical trials of intralesional injection with CMP-001, combined with anti-PD1 antibody, demonstrate promising results. Prior work by our group has demonstrated that the immunostimulatory effects of CMP-001 are dependent on generation of an anti-Qβ antibody response which results in opsonization of CMP-001 by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and production of IFNα. While a variety of cell types including monocytes and B cells can take up CMP-001, the immune response to CMP-001 is based in large part on rapid induction of IFNα production by pDCs. The current studies were designed to assess the downstream effects of CMP-001 and anti-Qβ antibody on various arms of the immune response using normal donor human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) as a model. Stimulation of PBMCs with CMP-001 and anti-Qβ antibody induced production of IFNα from pDCs as previously observed. This IFNα production occurred very rapidly (within 2 hours) and was short lived, but had long term secondary effects, including induction of CXCL10 production by monocytes. Single cell RNA sequencing done 24 hours after stimulation demonstrated additional downstream changes including the following: Upregulation of CXCL10, MIP1-α, IL1-RA and IDO by monocytes. Downregulation of CD14 by monocytes. Upregulation of a broad variety of interferon response genes in various cell types including NK cells and T cells. We conclude the primary effect of in situ immunization with CMP-001 is to induce rapid production of IFNα production by pDCs. This results in significant downstream effects on various cell populations that contribute to the anti-tumor immune response. Understanding these pathways could help identify the most promising combination immunotherapies involving CMP-001. Ongoing studies are exploring the kinetics of these responses and whether similar changes are observed in the tumor microenvironment. Citation Format: Shakoora Sabree, Andrew Voigt, Laura Rogers, Sue Blackwell, Caitlin Lemke-Miltner, George J. Weiner. Evaluation of the complexity of the immune response to CMP-001, a TLR9 agonist [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 6666.
Coupled fine-scale modeling of the wettability effects: Deformation and fracturing

Multiphase flow in porous media has been thoroughly studied over the years and its importance is encountered in several areas related to geo-materials. One of the most important parameters that control multiphase flow in any complex geometry is wettability, which is an affinity of a given fluid toward a surface. In this paper, we have quantified the effects of wettability on deformation in porous media, along with other parameters that are involved in this phenomenon. To this end, we conducted numerical simulations on a porous medium by coupling the exchanged forces between the fluid and solid. To include the effect of wettability in the medium, we used the Fictitious Domain methodology and coupled it with volume of fluid through which one can model more than one fluid in the system. To observe the effect of wettability on dynamic processes in the designated porous medium, such as deformation, particle–particle contact stresses, particle velocity, and injection pressure, a series of systematic computations were conducted where wettability is varied through five different contact angles. We found that wettability not only controls the fluid propagation patterns but also affects drag forces exerted on the particles during injection such that larger deformations are induced for particles with lower wettability. Our results are also verified against experimental tests.
Probing Heterogeneous Efflorescence of Mars Relevant Salts with an Optical Levitator

The presence of liquid water on the surface and subsurface of Mars has been of interest because liquid water is essential for life as we know it. While pure liquid water is typically not stable on ...
On the effectiveness of containment measures in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of labour market characteristics and governance

This paper shows that countries where informality is commonplace, where a small share of jobs can be performed remotely, and where government effectiveness is low, experience smaller declines in CO...
Menstruation-Associated Acute Pancreatitis in Patients with Hereditary Pancreatitis

Two adolescent girls presented with recurrent episodes of menstrual cycle-associated acute pancreatitis and are diagnosed with hereditary pancreatitis, a cause of chronic pancreatitis. Hereditary pancreatitis should remain in the differential diagnosis for teenage girls with catamenial acute pancreatitis and family history of pancreatic disease.
On the Erroneous Heterodox and Post Keynesian Belief That Keynes’s Interval Valued Decision Theory in the A Treatise on Probability (1921) Was an Ordinal Theory of Probability

Keynes’s initial, introductory presentation of his inexact measurement, approximation approach to interval valued probability occurred on pages 38-40 of chapter III of the A Treatise on Probability. Keynes used a simple diagram on page 38 to illustrate the non linear and non additive nature of interval valued probability. He also informed the reader on pages 37-38 that the introductory analysis on pp.38-40 would be a brief analysis whereas the analysis in Part II would be a detailed analysis. Post Keynesian, Institutionalist and heterodix economists have completely ignored Keynes’s warning and completely misinterpreted and misrepresented Keynes’s introductory analysis on interval valued probability as an ordinal theory of probability. The result of this misinterpretation and misrepresentation of Keynes’s decision theory can be seen in the response of public officials, who have been exposed to the misinterpretations and misrepresentations of heterodox economists, when they are considering how to base their country’s monetary and fiscal policy proposals on an analysis that is supposed to incorporate Keynes’s crucial positions on uncertainty and expectations.
Temporal gene regulation by p53 is associated with the rotational setting of its binding sites in nucleosomes

The tumor suppressor protein p53 is a DNA-binding transcription factor (TF) that, once activated, coordinates the expression of thousands of target genes. Increased p53 binding to gene promoters oc...
Learning Paralinguistic Features from Audiobooks through Style Voice Conversion

Paralinguistics, the non-lexical components of speech, play a crucial role in human-human interaction. Models designed to recognize paralinguistic information, particularly speech emotion and style, are difficult to train because of the limited labeled datasets available. In this work, we present a new framework that enables a neural network to learn to extract paralinguistic attributes from speech using data that are not annotated for emotion. We assess the utility of the learned embeddings on the downstream tasks of emotion recognition and speaking style detection, demonstrating significant improvements over surface acoustic features as well as over embeddings extracted from other unsupervised approaches. Our work enables future systems to leverage the learned embedding extractor as a separate component capable of highlighting the paralinguistic components of speech.
Formication Without Delusions

Mr. Schmidt is a 38 year-old Caucasian man presenting with a 3-month history of extremely bothersome crawling, biting, and stinging sensations. He reported that at times he felt as if “a 1,000 bugs were falling and crawling on my [his] skin.” The patient claimed that no living organisms were involved in causing his skin condition, not only because there was no evidence to suggest this but also because the symptomatology was so bizarre that he knew of no organisms likely to cause this type of discomfort. The onset of these symptoms was not correlated with any particular events or stressors, and he denied recreational drug use. Past medical history was unremarkable. Due to the intensity of the formication, he was very eager to undergo aggressive therapy to reduce these sensations.
Citizen's attitudes about privacy while accessing government and private websites: results of an online study

This paper reports the results of an investigation on citizens' attitudes and concerns regarding privacy and security on the Web, in general, and on the government websites they may visit, in particular. We examine to what extent those concerns can be alleviated by using a Secure Private Portal that protects citizen's personally identifying information when accessing government websites. The research project had two main goals: (a) to develop a comprehensive psychological instrument to assess citizens' attitudes and concerns regarding privacy and security on the Web; (b) to test the impact a Secure Private Portal may have on those concerns and on the way citizens use Government Websites. In order to accomplish these goals researchers from Columbia Business School and from Columbia departments of Computer Science and Psychology, developed and ran a web based survey. Participants were recruited using online advertising through Google.com and provided their responses on the web. Early analyses of the results indicate a very high level of citizens' concerns regarding privacy and security of their personal data. Some of the concerns can appropriately be addressed only by fundamental policy changes. Furthermore, the results suggest that citizens perceive those sites which use secure portals as much safer and are more likely to visit them again. The results may indicate a new strategy for the presentation and design of government websites.
DEDUCTIVE REASONING: THE USE OF THE SELECTION TASK TO MEASURE EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS

A common problem with educational interventions is that they require the collection of data across one or many school years before an assessment of their effectiveness can be performed. This paper describes the selection task, and makes the case for its use in evaluating the effectiveness of educational interventions. As an example, a study is described that uses the selection task to determine the degree to which student performance is positively influenced by knowledge of success criteria. Further, this study examined whether the impact of knowledge of this success criteria is inhibited or augmented by the magnitude of the success criteria provided. Participants were given success criteria of 10/10, 8/10, 6/10, 4/10, or nothing (control). Performance on the task was greatest when success criteria were provided, but only when the success criteria were not too strict. Implications for educational practice are discussed.
Regulation of cortical and subcortical glutamate receptor subunit expression by antipsychotic drugs

Because glutamate is an important modulator of subcortical dopamine (DA) function, and abnormal glutamate/DA interactions may be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, we examined the effect of chronically administered antipsychotic drugs (APDs) on the levels of specific glutamate receptor subunits in the terminal fields of nigrostriatal and mesocorticolimbic DA systems. By immunoblotting procedures using antibodies specific for the NMDAR1, GluR1, and GluR2 subunits, we found that haloperidol (predominantly a D2-like antagonist) increased NMDAR1 subunit immunoreactivity (and mRNA levels) in the striatum, while the D1-like antagonist SCH 23390 had the opposite effect. No effect was seen on GluR1 or GluR2 levels. The result that D1-like and D2-like receptor antagonism can reciprocally regulate NMDAR1 expression is consistent with our observation that complete unilateral destruction of the nigrostriatal DA pathway with 6-hydroxy-dopamine had no effect on striatal NMDAR1 subunit levels. Further examination of these striatal effects revealed that chronic treatment with the D2-like receptor antagonist raclopride significantly increased NMDAR1 levels in the striatum, while the 5-HT2a/2c antagonist mianserin tended to produce an increase that did not achieve statistical significance. These findings indicate that the dopaminergic antagonist properties of haloperidol are likely most responsible for its regulation of this subunit. In contrast, the atypical APD clozapine had no effect on striatal NMDAR1 levels, consistent with the relatively weaker influence of this drug on nigrostriatal DA function. The second major finding of the present study was the ability of haloperidol and clozapine to increase GluR1 levels in the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC), whereas chronic SCH 23390 treatment decreased GluR1 levels.
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008

This article argues that GINA theoretically protects people from genetic discrimination in insurance coverage and in employment; however, its true legacy will be assuring the American public that taking genetic tests will not invite sanctions from either insurance providers or employers.
Engineering Amorphous Systems, Using Global-to-Local Compilation

Emerging technologies are making it possible to assemble systems that incorporate myriad of information-processing units at almost no cost: smart materials, selfassembling structures, vast sensor networks, pervasive computing. How does one engineer robust and prespecified global behavior from the local interactions of immense numbers of unreliable parts? We discuss organizing principles and programming methodologies that have emerged from Amorphous Computing research, that allow us to compile a specification of global behavior into a robust program for local behavior.
Phonons and superconductivity in Nd2-xCexCuO4.

We investigate superconducting properties of Nd[sub 2[minus][ital x]]Ce[sub [ital x]]CuO[sub 4] using conventional strong-coupling theory. The Eliashberg equations were solved based on a realistic model of the phonon density of states. The calculated properties are in good agreement with available experimental data. Specifically, we find the partial isotope exponents to be [alpha][sub Nd]=0.066, [alpha][sub Cu]=0.148, and [alpha][sub O]=0.035. The coupling parameter [lambda] is found to be 1.135 and 2[Delta][sub 0]/[ital k][sub [ital B]T[ital c]]=4.458. Our calculated quasiparticle density of states is also consistent with experiment. This study suggests that phonons in Nd[sub 2[minus][ital x]]Ce[sub [ital x]]CuO[sub 4] may have a role similar to that in conventional superconductors in which they mediate electron pairing.
Frequency modulated pulse for ultrasonic imaging in an attenuating medium

It is argued that the probability that ultrasound used at the intensities employed clinically will cause bioeffects characteristic of transient cavitation is immensely greater above a threshold peak intensity of the interrogating ultrasound pulse. Simulations and experiments in nonattenuating media show that a factor of 16 to 50 reduction in peak intensity is possible without sacrificing the signal primarily used for imaging, or the resolution. This factor depends on the effective time-bandwidth product of the frequency modulated pulse. However, in a frequency-dependent attenuating medium, such as soft tissue, this advantage could diminish. A linear-frequency and linear-phase model for attenuation was incorporated in the simulation process. The time-bandwidth product was evaluated for reflectors at various depths and as a function of the center frequency and bandwidth of the frequency-modulated pulse. >
The complex interplay between autophagy, apoptosis, and necrotic signals promotes T-cell homeostasis

Intense research efforts over the last two decades have focused on establishing the significance of apoptotic signaling in adaptive immunity. Without doubt, caspase-dependent apoptosis plays vital roles in many immune processes, including lymphocyte development, positive and negative selection, homeostasis, and self-tolerance. Cell biologists have developed new insights into cell death, establishing that other modes of cell death exist, such as programmed necrosis and type II/autophagic cell death. Additionally, immunologists have identified a number of immunological processes that are highly dependent upon cellular autophagy, including antigen presentation, lymphocyte development and function, pathogen recognition and destruction, and inflammatory regulation. In this review, we provide detailed mechanistic descriptions of cellular autophagy and programmed necrosis induced in response to death receptor ligation, including methods to identify them, and compare and contrast these processes with apoptosis. The crosstalk between these three processes is emphasized as newly formulated evidence suggests that this interplay is vital for efficient T-cell clonal expansion. This new evidence indicates that in addition to apoptosis, autophagy and programmed necrosis play significant roles in the termination of T-cell-dependent immune responses.
Modeling of Glucose-Induced cAMP Oscillations in Pancreatic β Cells: cAMP Rocks when Metabolism Rolls

Recent advances in imaging technology have revealed oscillations of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in insulin-secreting cells. These oscillations may be in phase with cytosolic calcium oscillations or out of phase. cAMP oscillations have previously been modeled as driven by oscillations in calcium, based on the known dependence of the enzymes that generate cAMP (adenylyl cyclase) and degrade it (phosphodiesterase). However, cAMP oscillations have also been reported to occur in the absence of calcium oscillations. Motivated by similarities between the properties of cAMP and metabolic oscillations in pancreatic β cells, we propose here that in addition to direct control by calcium, cAMP is controlled by metabolism. Specifically, we hypothesize that AMP inhibits adenylyl cyclase. We incorporate this hypothesis into the dual oscillator model for β cells, in which metabolic (glycolytic) oscillations cooperate with modulation of ion channels and metabolism by calcium. We show that the combination of oscillations in AMP and calcium in the dual oscillator model can account for the diverse oscillatory patterns that have been observed, as well as for experimental perturbations of those patterns. Predictions to further test the model are provided.
Identification, by systematic RNA sequencing, of novel candidate biomarkers and therapeutic targets in human soft tissue tumors

Human sarcomas comprise a heterogeneous group of more than 50 subtypes broadly classified into two groups: bone and soft tissue sarcomas. Such heterogeneity and their relative rarity have made them challenging targets for classification, biomarker identification, and development of improved treatment strategies. In this study, we used RNA sequencing to analyze 35 primary human tissue samples representing 13 different sarcoma subtypes, along with benign schwannoma, and normal bone and muscle tissues. For each sarcoma subtype, we detected unique messenger RNA (mRNA) expression signatures, which we further subjected to bioinformatic functional analysis, upstream regulatory analysis, and microRNA (miRNA) targeting analysis. We found that, for each sarcoma subtype, significantly upregulated genes and their deduced upstream regulators included not only previously implicated known players but also novel candidates not previously reported to be associated with sarcoma. For example, the schwannoma samples were characterized by high expression of not only the known associated proteins GFAP and GAP43 but also the novel player GJB6. Further, when we integrated our expression profiles with miRNA expression data from each sarcoma subtype, we were able to deduce potential key miRNA-gene regulator relationships for each. In the Ewing's sarcoma and fibromatosis samples, two sarcomas where miR-182-5p is significantly downregulated, multiple predicted targets were significantly upregulated, including HMCN1, NKX2-2, SCNN1G, and SOX2. In conclusion, despite the small number of samples per sarcoma subtype, we were able to identify key known players; concurrently, we discovered novel genes that may prove to be important in the molecular classification of sarcomas and in the development of novel treatments.
T Cell Adolescence: Maturation Events Beyond Positive Selection

Single-positive thymocytes that successfully complete positive and negative selection must still undergo one final step, generally termed T cell maturation, before they gain functional competency and enter the long-lived T cell pool. Maturation initiates after positive selection in single-positive thymocytes and continues in the periphery in recent thymic emigrants, before these newly produced T cells gain functional competency and are ready to participate in the immune response as peripheral naive T cells. Recent work using genetically altered mice demonstrates that T cell maturation is not a single process, but a series of steps that occur independently and sequentially after positive selection. This review focuses on the changes that occur during T cell maturation, as well as the molecules and pathways that are critical at each step.
Endotoxin-induced selective dysfunction of rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes in response to endogenous chemotactic factors

To assess the mechanism and specificity of polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) dysfunction induced by endotoxin, rabbits were injected intravenously with 100 micrograms of Escherichia coli endotoxin, and PMN function was studied 18 to 24 h later. Compared to PMN from normal rabbits, peripheral blood PMN from rabbits injected with endotoxin showed diminished chemotactic responsiveness to two endogenous peptides, C5a (complement) and platelet-derived growth factor, and to two endogenous lipids, leukotriene B4 and platelet-activating factor. The chemotactic response to the synthetic chemotactic peptide, N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP), was unimpaired. In contrast to migration, endotoxin injection resulted in inhibition of the secretory response to the two endogenous peptides but not to the lipids or to FMLP. At a 1:4 (vol/vol) dilution, the plasma either 1 or 24 h after the endotoxin injection inhibited normal PMN chemotactic responses to C5a but not to FMLP. Similarly, at a 1:10 dilution, this plasma inhibited normal PMN chemotactic responses to leukotriene B4. The factor responsible for inhibiting responses to leukotriene B4 was anionic, specific for leukotriene B4 responses, and greater than 12,000 daltons. These data may be relevant to understanding PMN dysfunction during gram-negative sepsis.
CLINICAL MUMPS VACCINE EFFICACY

From February 5 through April 23, 1982, 110 cases of mumps were reported among 357 students in a middle school in Ashtabula County, Ohio, an overall attack rate of 31%. Vaccine efficacy was calculated using a variety of case definitions, case surveillance systems, and vaccination-status ascertainment methods to evaluate their effects on the estimated vaccine efficacy. From data collected at the school for case ascertainment and vaccination status, clinical vaccine efficacy was initially estimated at 37%. By means of a uniform case definition (parotitis lasting two days or more) and only cases and vaccination status ascertained from parental questionnaires, estimated vaccine efficacy increased to 70%. From secondary attack rates in household members with provider-verified vaccination status, the vaccine efficacy further increased to 85%. This outbreak investigation confirms that the methods used to ascertain cases and determine vaccination status greatly affect estimates of vaccine efficacy. Studies relying solely on school records for case finding and determination of immunization status may provide misleadingly low estimates of vaccine efficacy for mumps vaccine as well as for other vaccines. Appropriate methods demonstrate that mumps vaccine is highly effective and support recommendations for its continued use.
Reflection-Free Electronic Positioning System

Many electronic positioning systems, such as hyperbolic navigation and terminal guidance, suffer large errors from reflection and diffraction of their transmitted waves. The hyperbolic system described herein is free of these errors. Utilizing a pair of frequency-swept transmitters, it discriminates against reflections by separating the direct and reflected received signals into distinct sets of beat-frequency components. It is concluded that the system can suppress multipath reflections and provide flight information particularly useful in a high-density environment.
Response to McDowell

I here summarize our discussion up to now by taking up two of John McDowell's central mentalist notions—Conceptuality and Mindedness—noting how I criticized what turned out to be misunderstandings ...
Prepartum onset of maternal behavior in hamsters and the effects of estrogen and progesterone.

Abstract The onset of maternal behavior in pregnant hamsters was measured by presenting foster pups at 0900 and 2100 hr on Day 15 and at 0300, 0500, and 0700 hr on Day 16 and then at hourly intervals until parturition began. The occurrence of parturition was determined at each maternal test and at 0.5 hr intervals beginning at 0700 hr on Day 16. Nulliparous and primiparous animals became maternal at approximately the same time on Day 16, 2 and 6 hr prepartum, respectively, demonstrating that parturition is not essential for maternal behavior. The second experiment showed that nulliparous females injected with either 1 μg or 10 μgm estradiol-17β (E 2 ), 0.1 mgm progesterone (P), 10 μgm E 2 plus 0.1 mgm P, or oil at 1200 hr on Day 15 became maternal at the same time of day (0800–1000 hr) while parturition was delayed 8 hr in females receiving P. The results suggest a dissociation between the regulation of parturition and maternal care and are compared to previous research into the hormonal basis of maternal behavior in rats.
Tuning the electrocatalytic activity and durability of low cost Pd70Co30 nanoalloy for oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells

Abstract The factors controlling the electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells have been tuned and investigated systematically with the low cost carbon-supported Pd 70 Co 30 nanoalloy. The catalytic activity decreases with increasing annealing temperature due to an increasing degree of alloying (Co content in the Pd lattice) and crystallite size. With a controlled crystallite size of ∼8 nm, the activity is found to decrease with increasing degree of alloying from 18 to 30 at.% Co. However, the catalyst durability increases considerably with annealing temperature due to the alloying of Pd with Co and an increase in crystallite size.
The distributive nature of enzymatic DNA synthesis.

Abstract The consequences of enzyme and template interaction were examined by several independent methods in the replication reactions catalyzed by calf thymus low molecular weight DNA polymerase, calf thymus high molecular weight DNA polymerase, and Eacherichia coli polymerase I. All methods used support a distributive, rather than processive, mechanism for enzyme in the replication of homopolymer templates in vitro . First, addition of an excess of initiated poly(dC) template to an ongoing poly(dA) replication reaction results in immediate cessation of dTTP polymerization. Second, the kinetics of monomer and initiator incorporation in reactions where a large number of initiated template molecules are available to each enzyme molecule show early incorporation of all initiators followed by simultaneous replication of the total population of template molecules. Third, alkaline sucrose gradient analysis of the products formed at various stages during replication show simultaneous growth in product chain lengths. Fourth, analysis of products formed when an average of one to two nucleotides are added at the end of the growing chain, in reactions having a molecular ratio of template to enzyme of about 900, show that the enzyme can dissociate from the replicating template after a single addition. Increasing the ionic strength of the reaction mixture, to decrease the secondary interactions between the enzyme and the template, results in nearly random interaction of the enzyme and the template. The results from this study suggest that translocation of template chain during replication is not an obligatory function of purified DNA polymerases. The possible involvement of other proteins required for DNA replication in vivo in the interaction of DNA polymerase and DNA is discussed.
A Simple Method of Designing a Bilobed Flap Using a Triangle Template

Background. The bilobed flap is useful for the reconstruction of skin defects in which the primary closure is difficult. Proper design is paramount to achieve excellent cosmetic results, but flap design often appears unnecessarily complex and difficult. Objective. The objective was to discuss the geometry of the bilobed flap and describe a simple and practical method for constructing such flaps using a triangle template with emphasis on the pivot point. Methods. A detailed description with diagrams and an illustrative case are presented to demonstrate the technique. Results. A patient with a scalp defect was reconstructed with a triangle-template-designed bilobed flap with excellent postoperative results. Conclusion. This new method using a triangle template ensures proper placement of the pivot point and will enable practitioners to achieve superior outcomes.
Rhythms during extended dark periods determine rates of net photosynthesis and accumulation of starch and soluble sugars in subsequent light periods in leaves of Sorghum.

Photosynthesis and photosynthate partitioning in leaves of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench exhibited a cyclic dependence on the duration (10–62 h) of dark periods inserted prior to bright light test periods (550 μmol·s-1·m-2, photosynthetic photon flux). Maximum rates of net photosynthesis and of accumulation of starch and soluble sugars were, in the order given, two-, three- and fourfold greater than minimum values. Between 14 and 53% of photosynthate was retained in leaves depending on the length of the dark period. These changes were sufficient to account for the previously described stimulatory effect of short daylengths (i.e., long nights) on carbohydrate accumulation in leaves (N.J. Chatterton and J.E. Silvius, 1980, Physiol. Plant. 49, 141–144). The freerunning periods for the rhythmic dependence on darkness, determined either directly or by curve fitting, were about 24 h for net photosynthesis, 23 h for starch accumulation, and 26 h for solublesugar cccumulation. The deviation from period lengths of 24 h for carbohydrate accumulation indicates that these rhythms are probably endogenous and circadian. Initial maxima were observed after 14 h of darkness for photosynthesis, after 18–22 h for starch, and after 26 h for soluble sugars. The differences in period length and phase indicate that at least three separate rhythms underlie the dependence of photosynthate partitioning in Sorghum on darkness. Periods of low leaf dry-matter accumulation coincided approximately with periods of high net photosynthesis. As a result, maximum photoassimination and maximum export were synchronized and, furthermore, occurred at about the same time as expected light periods.
Botryllus schlosseri allorecognition: tackling the enigma ☆

Allorecognition has been well-studied in the context of vertebrate adaptive immunity and recognition of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), which is the central event of vertebrate immune responses. Although allorecognition systems have been identified throughout the metazoa, recent results have shown that there is no apparent conservation or orthologous relationship between the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon in different organisms. Thus the origin of the vertebrate adaptive immune system as well as these other complex recognition systems is a complete mystery. This review will focus on allorecognition in Botryllus schlosseri, a basal chordate which undergoes a natural transplantation reaction following contact between two individuals, and, analogous to vertebrates, is controlled by a single locus. We will summarize each of the known candidate genes within this locus and their potential roles in allorecognition, and speculate on how these findings may in fact be revealing potential functional relationships between disparate allorecognition systems.
Coincidence set of minimal surfaces for the thin obstacle

We consider the Thin Obstacle Problem for minimal surfaces in two dimensions. The coincidence set for an analytic obstacle is proved to be a finite union of intervals. We show also that the topological structure of the coincidence set is generically identical to the above in the space of twice-continuously differentiable obstacles.
Measurements of the Thermal Conductivity of Single Crystals of Potassium between 2.5 and 40°K

The thermal conductivity of two single crystals of potassium (ZK-1, ZK-2) was measured from 2.5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} to 40\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. Measurements on a third crystal were made between 10\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and 40\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. Additional measurements at 77\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K were made on all three crystals. The results are in agreement with the previous measurements of MacDonald, White, and Woods with the exception that the two crystals whose measurements were carried through the conductivity maximum (ZK-1 and ZK-2) exhibited a higher conductivity at the maximum than can be accounted for by electronic conduction. This additional conductivity can be attributed to heat conduction by transverse phonons which, because of the sphericity of the potassium Fermi surface, are not interacting with the free electrons.
Pentacoordinated transition states of cisplatin hydrolysis— ab initio study

Abstract Pentacoordinated platinum transition state (TS) geometries for both steps of cisplatin S N 2 hydrolysis reaction were fully optimized using Moller–Plesset second order perturbation (MP2) and density functional (DFT) calculations. Both reactions proceed by one step mechanism and relevant TS's adopt the shape of a substantially distorted trigonal bipyramid with considerably prolonged bonds to the leaving and entering ligands (Pt–O bond of about 0.3 A, Pt–Cl bond of about 0.4 A). Only negligible distortions were recognized for the remaining ligands (including the ligand in the trans -position). Influence of the liquid phase on the energetics of the reaction was considered using the SCIPCM model implemented in Gaussian94 . Both steps of hydrolysis are endothermic. The activation barrier of the first step attains 21.3 kcal/mol. For the second step the values of 26.1 kcal/mol relative to the absolute minimum structure and of 21.6 kcal/mol for the local minimum confirmed by the IRC method were obtained.
Operant control of precentral neurons: bilateral single unit conditioning.

Summary Two Macaca mulatta monkeys were reinforced to operantly control a precentral neuron's firing pattern while a contralateral unit was monitored simultaneously. The results from 38 complete experiments indicate the following: (a) upon alerting to the operant task, both the contingent and the non-contingent neurons changed firing patterns from preconditioning levels. However, as the monkey brought the contingent unit under operant control, there were no significant changes in the firing pattern of the non-contingent neuron; (b) when the contingencies were reversed so that the monkeys were reinforced to control the originally non-contingent neuron, the firing pattern of the originally contingent neuron returned to near baseline levels. These data indicate that although many precentral units may change firing patterns when the monkey attends to the operant task, the reinforced changes in firing pattern are not the result of a generalized phenomenon at the spinal level.
Measurement of the Hemoglobin Concentration in Deoxyhemoglobin S Polymers and Characterization of the Polymer Water Compartment

Abstract Biological polymers contain freely exchangeable water within intermolecular crevices with restricted access to large extrapolymer solutes. Our recent studies highlighted large osmotic effects of such polymer water compartments (PWCs), and their substantial physiological and pathophysiological relevance. The size and accessibility of the PWC are critical parameters determining the polymers' osmotic properties. We report here a new experimental approach to investigate these parameters in deoxyhemoglobin S polymers. The size of the PWC is inversely related to the deoxyhemoglobin S concentration in the polymer ( C P ). Only an approximation of C P (≈69 g/dl) was previously available. By analyzing the distribution s of soluble hemoglobin and a large molecular weight (MW) marker ( 14 C-dextran, MW ≈ 70kDa) in the supernatant and pellet of centrifuged gels, we obtained a reproducible value of C P 1 54.7(±0.7)g/dl. This indicates that 60% of the polymer is composed of a water compartment inaccessible to soluble Hb and other non-interactive macromolecules. The accessibility properties of this PWC to smaller molecules were explored with markers of different MW. Non-interactive markers with MW