cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Demand Driven Assembly of FPGA Configurations Using Partial Reconfiguration, Ubuntu Linux, and PYNQ

The PYNQ system (Python Productivity for Zynq) is notable for combining a monolithic preconfigured bitstream, Ubuntu Linux, Python, and Jupyter notebooks to form an FPGA-based system that is far more accessible to non-FPGA experts than previous systems. In this work, the monolithic pre-configured PYNQ bitstream is replaced with a combination of a simple base bitstream containing several partial reconfiguration regions and a library of partial bitstreams that implement a variety of hardware interfaces such as: GPIO, UART, Timer, IIC, SPI, Real-Time Clock, etc., that interface to various Pmod-based peripherals. When peripherals are plugged into a Pmod socket at run-time, corresponding partial reconfigurations and standard device drivers can be automatically loaded into the Ubuntu kernel using device-tree overlays. This demand-driven, partially-reconfigured approach is found to be advantageous to the monolithic bitstream because: 1) it provides similar functionality to the monolithic bitstream while consuming less area, 2) it provides a way for users to modify or augment hardware functionality without requiring the user to develop a new monolithic bitstream, 3) run-time demand loading of partial bitstreams makes the system more responsive to changing conditions, and 4) implementation issues such as timing-closure, etc., are simplified because the base bitstream circuitry is smaller and less complex.
Twitter Analytics-Based Assessment: Are the United States Coastal Regions Prepared for Climate Changeƒ

According to the U.S. National Climate Assessment, the Southeast Coast and Gulf Coast of the United States are particularly susceptible to sea level rise, heat waves, hurricanes and lower accessibility to clean water due to climate change. Preparation for climate change consequences can only occur with conversation, which is a method of bringing awareness to the issue. Over the past decade, social media has taken over the spectrum of information exchange in the United States. Social Network Analysis (SNA) is the practice of analyzing trends in volume and opinion of a population of social media users. Twitter, one popular social media platform, is one of the largest microblogging sites in the world, and it provides an abundance of data related to the trending topics such as climate change. In this work, Twitter analytics is performed on the data generated from Twitter users in the United States, who were talking about climate change, global warming and/or CO2, from July 2016 to June 2017. Specifically, a comparative sentiment analysis on the coastal U.S. regions was conducted to recognize which region(s) is/are falling behind on the conversation about climate change and to understand the trends in opinion about climate change over time. The results determined that the southeast coast of the United States is deficient in their discussion about climate change compared to the other coastal regions. Igniting the conversation about this issue in these regions will mitigate the disasters due to climate change by increasing awareness in the people of these regions so they can properly prepare.
General Approach to the Total Synthesis of Macroline-Related Sarpagine and Ajmaline Alkaloids1:

Described in this review is a general and efficient strategy for the synthesis of macroline-related sarpagine and ajmaline alkaloids. The tetracyclic ketone in the parent system, as well as the alk...
Type I IFN Sensing by cDCs and CD4+ T Cell Help Are Both Requisite for Cross-Priming of AAV Capsid-Specific CD8+ T Cells.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are widely used in clinical gene therapy to correct genetic disease by in vivo gene transfer. Although the vectors are useful, in part because of their limited immunogenicity, immune responses directed at vector components have complicated applications in humans. These include, for instance, innate immune sensing of vector components by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), which sense the vector DNA genome via Toll-like receptor 9. Adaptive immune responses employ antigen presentation by conventional dendritic cells (cDCs), which leads to cross-priming of capsid-specific CD8+ T cells. In this study, we sought to determine the mechanisms that promote licensing of cDCs, which is requisite for CD8+ T cell activation. Blockage of type 1 interferon (T1 IFN) signaling by monoclonal antibody therapy prevented cross-priming. Furthermore, experiments in cell-type-restricted knockout mice showed a specific requirement for the receptor for T1 IFN (IFNaR) in cDCs. In contrast, natural killer (NK) cells are not needed, indicating a direct rather than indirect effect of T1 IFN on cDCs. In addition, co-stimulation by CD4+ T cells via CD40-CD40L was required for cross-priming, and blockage of co-stimulation but not of T1 IFN additionally reduced antibody formation against capsid. These mechanistic insights inform the development of targeted immune interventions.
Are Established Embedded Performance Validity Test Cut-Offs Generalizable to Patients With Multiple Sclerosis?

Objective Data for the use of embedded performance validity tests (ePVTs) with multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are limited. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether ePVTs previously validated in other neurological samples perform similarly in an MS sample. Methods In this retrospective study, the prevalence of below-criterion responding at different cut-off scores was calculated for each ePVT of interest among patients with MS who passed a stand-alone PVT. Results Previously established PVT cut-offs generally demonstrated acceptable specificity when applied to our sample. However, the overall cognitive burden of the sample was limited relative to that observed in prior large-scale MS studies. Conclusion The current study provides initial data regarding the performance of select ePVTs among an MS sample. Results indicate most previously validated cut-offs avoid excessive false positive errors in a predominantly relapsing remitting MS sample. Further validation among MS patients with more advanced disease is warranted.
Knockout of IRF7 Highlights its Modulator Function of Host Response Against Avian Influenza Virus and the Involvement of MAPK and TOR Signaling Pathways in Chicken.

Interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) is known as the master transcription factor of the type I interferon response in mammalian species along with IRF3. Yet birds only have IRF7, while they are missing IRF3, with a smaller repertoire of immune-related genes, which leads to a distinctive immune response in chickens compared to in mammals. In order to understand the functional role of IRF7 in the regulation of the antiviral response against avian influenza virus in chickens, we generated IRF7-/- chicken embryonic fibroblast (DF-1) cell lines and respective controls (IRF7wt) by utilizing the CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9) system. IRF7 knockout resulted in increased viral titers of low pathogenic avian influenza viruses. Further RNA-sequencing performed on H6N2-infected IRF7-/- and IRF7wt cell lines revealed that the deletion of IRF7 resulted in the significant down-regulation of antiviral effectors and the differential expression of genes in the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) and mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) signaling pathways. Dynamic gene expression profiling of the host response between the wildtype and IRF7 knockout revealed potential signaling pathways involving AP1 (activator protein 1), NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa B) and inflammatory cytokines that may complement chicken IRF7. Our findings in this study provide novel insights that have not been reported previously, and lay a solid foundation for enhancing our understanding of the host antiviral response against the avian influenza virus in chickens.
Making Community College Student Affairs Visible in Master’s-Level Student Affairs Preparation: A Longitudinal Curricular Audit

Community college student affairs professionals support student success by understanding the distinctive qualities of both their institution and students. Equitable student outcomes will remain elu...
The individual and the team in collaborative science.

The analysis of collaborative science by Herz et al. (1) raises additional points worth consideration. The “deeply rooted biases in perceived self-contribution” that Herz et al. (1) describe are also well known outside of science. Most (all?) of us have lived with roommates, and worked alongside labmates, whom we have had to clean up after. From personal experience, I know I am fully cognizant of this time and effort. In contrast, when (inevitably) my roommate or labmate cleans up after me, I am less aware of their time and effort—indeed, I might not even realize that I left a mess! I use this analogy to initiate authorship discussions with students and postdocs, as recognizing up front this … [↵][1]1Email: herschla{at}stanford.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Comprehensive review of lipocalin 2-mediated effects in lung inflammation.

Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) is an inflammatory mediator best known for its role as an innate acute-phase protein. LCN2 mediates the innate immune response to pathogens by sequestering iron, thereby inhibiti...
A Review ofKeratins. Their Composition, Structure and Biosynthesis

The forensic analysis of hair and feather usually begins and ends on the stage of a microscope. Accordingly, the forensic scientist often knows little more about these materials than their gross and comparative morphology. In this book, hair and nail, feather and scale are viewed from a completely different perspective; they are described at the molecular level.
Equational logic of recursive program schemes

In this paper we present FLRS, a sound and complete equational logic for proving the equivalence of recursive program schemes. We use extended versions of the Solution Theorems from [1] and [2] to provide coalgebraic semantics to recursive program schemes. We end the paper with a proof that FLRS is complete with respect to the coalgebraic semantics.
Harmonic Generation and Multisignal Effects in Nonlinear Beam-Plasma Systems

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the theory involved in harmonic generation and multisignal effects in nonlinear beam-plasma systems. It is well-known that if the temperature of gas is raised to a sufficiently high value, the thermal agitation of the gas particles might become so large that the electrons could be stripped off by the collisions among the particles. The equivalent circuit representation of a plasma column is found to be an effective and convenient method of modeling the plasma in a nonlinear beam-plasma interaction. One of the chief stipulations in the development of the equivalent circuit concept for a plasma column is that the plasma remains linear under all conditions. Even though the one-dimensional interaction model results in a good qualitative understanding of the interaction process, it is generally optimistic in predicting the output levels from the device. The beam-plasma device is found to be considerably more dispersive than a conventional helix-type traveling-wave amplifier. Nonuniformities in the plasma density are not taken into account in the theoretical development, but they do play a major role in the experimental device.
The role of scientific associations in promoting research integrity and deterring research misconduct

The nature of scientific societies’ relationships with their members limits their ability to promote research integrity. They must therefore leverage their strengths as professional organizations to integrate ethical considerations into their ongoing support of their academic disciplines. This paper suggests five strategies for doing so.
Ray theoretical analysis of Lg

Ray theory is used to investigate the effect that irregular crustal interfaces have on the different phases that comprise Lg . We concentrate on the effects of a variable Moho in this initial study, while keeping the surface flat. The Moho models considered are a cosinusoid, a model of the Moho below the German part of the European Geo-Traverse (EGT) and a model representing an ocean-continent transition. It is found that even slight undulations of the Moho give rise to extensive multipathing. This affects the amplitudes of the supercritically reflected crustal multiples comprising Lg in a dramatic way. Two different types of ray behavior are distinguished. The first type, corresponding to regular or weakly chaotic ray behavior, occurs at smaller values of the ray parameter and gives rise to large amplitudes at distinct epicentral distances due to focusing, accompanied by “gaps” containing very little energy due to defocusing in between. The second type, corresponding to strongly chaotic ray behavior, occurs at larger values of the ray parameter. Small changes in the take-off angle in this chaotic regime produce large fluctuations in the epicentral distance of arrivals. The Moho below Germany, for example, produces 140 supercritically reflected arrivals at an epicentral distance of 400 km. Since the amplitudes of arrivals in the chaotic region are smeared out over a large epicentral distance range, they are much less prominent than the arrivals from the regular region, even though they are supercritically reflected. Travel-time fluctuations are less sensitive to the undulations in the Moho than amplitude variations. They are more affected by the magnitude than by the wavelength of the undulations. Amplitude undulations of more than 3 km produce multiple arrivals that have differences in travel time of up to 10 sec.
A methodology for distinguishing divergent cell fates within a common progenitor population: adenoma- and neuroendocrine-like cells are confounders of rat ileal epithelial cell (IEC-18) culture.

IEC-18 cells are a non-transformed, immortal cell line derived from juvenile rat ileal crypt cells. They may have experimental advantages over tumor-derived gastrointestinal lineages, including preservation of phenotype, normal endocrine responses and retention of differentiation potential. However, their proclivity for spontaneous differentiation / transformation may be stereotypical and could represent a more profound experimental confounder than previously realized. We hypothesized that IEC-18 cells spontaneously diverge towards a uniform mixture of epigenetic fates, with corresponding phenotypes, rather than persist as a single progenitor lineage. IEC-18 cells were cultured for 72 hours in serum free media (SFM), with and without various insulin-like growth factor agonists to differentially boost the basal rate of proliferation. A strategy was employed to identify constitutive genes as markers of divergent fates through gene array analysis by cross-referencing fold-change trends for individual genes against crypt cell abundance in each treatment. We then confirmed the cell-specific phenotype by immunolocalization of proteins corresponding to those genes. The majority of IEC-18 cells in SFM alone had a loss in expression of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene at the mRNA and protein levels, consistent with adenoma-like transformation. In addition, a small subset of cells expressed the serotonin receptor 2A gene and had neuroendocrine-like morphology. IEC-18 cells commonly undergo a change in cell fate prior to reaching confluence. The most common fate switch that we were able to detect correlates with a down regulation of the APC gene and transformation into an adenoma-like phenotype.
Water and carbohydrate ingestion during prolonged exercise increase maximal neuromuscular power.

This study investigated the individual and combined effects of water and carbohydrate ingestion during prolonged cycling on maximal neuromuscular power (Pmax), thermoregulation, cardiovascular func...
Inactivation of bovine plasma amine oxidase by 4-aryloxy-2-butynamines and related analogs

Propargylamine and 2-butynamine were reported to serve as mechanism-based inactivators of the copper-containing bovine plasma amine oxidase (BPAO). Here, Ar- or Ar-X-extended analogs (X=NH, O, S) of these small molecules were synthesized and evaluated as BPAO inhibitors. 4-Phenoxy-2-butynamine and its aryl ring substituted analogs were found to be both good substrates and time- and concentration-dependent irreversible inactivators. At lower concentrations, loss of activity ceased within minutes, and the plateau data were translated into partition ratio values. For 4-phenoxy-2-butynamine, the turnover product was shown to be the expected corresponding aldehyde, 4-phenoxy-2-butynal, which could inactivate BPAO, but only slowly. The most potent analogs, 4-(4-methylphenoxy-, 4-(4-nitrophenoxy-, 4-(4-methoxyphenoxy-, and 4-(2-naphthyloxy)-2-butynamine, all exhibited 20 min IC(50) values of 20-25 microM at 30 degrees C, and partition ratios of 14-17. Overall, structure-inhibitory data revealed that rigidity and lateral branching reduced inhibitory potency. Although denatured samples of inactivated enzyme retained redox cycling competency of the quinone cofactor, loss of phenylhydrazine reactivity implies covalent blockage of the active site.
Evaluation of a New Highly Purified Pertussis Vaccine in Infants and Children

Purified acellular pertussis vaccine (12.5 micrograms of lymphocytosis promoting factor [LPF] and 12.5 micrograms of filamentous hemagglutinin [FHA]) was compared with conventional pertussis vaccine in a randomized double-blind study involving 40 children aged 4-6 y, 40 children aged 18-24 mo, and 50 infants. Increases in antibody were significantly greater among recipients of acellular vaccine than among recipients of conventional vaccine for antibodies to LPF in all age groups and for antibodies to FHA in infants and children aged 4-6 y; the increase in FHA antibody was also greater with acellular vaccine among children aged 18-24 mo but not significantly so. Compared with conventional vaccine, acellular vaccine was significantly associated with reduced frequency of leg pain and fretfulness at all ages and less frequent fever and anorexia at some ages. The reduced reaction rates and comparable or enhanced immunogenicity of the acellular vaccine make it an attractive candidate for larger field trials, particularly among infants.
ANESTHESIA PRODUCED BY DISTILLED WATER.

Cells of Nitella flexilis Ag. lose their power to respond to ordinary electrical stimulation after 2 or 3 days in distilled water. It returns after a day or so when they are replaced in their normal environment, in a suitable nutrient solution, or in a dilute solution of CaCl2. Here anesthesia seems to be produced by removing something from the cell and this raises the question whether other cases of anesthesia may be explained in the same way. The antagonistic action of calcium, in some cases at least, appears to depend on its power to prevent substances from leaching out of the cell.
Comparative studies on intracellular calcium and nadh fluorescence of the rabbit corpus cavernosum

Erectile function (erection and detumescence) involves the complex interaction of direct neuronal stimulation of corporal smooth muscle, neurohumoral release of specific endothelial contractile and relaxant factors, and secondary modulation by a variety of putative neuropeptides and vasoactive modulators. Using surface spectrofluorometry, we have correlated spontaneous contractile activity and the contractile response to field and pharmacological agents with intracellular calcium and NADH metabolism. The results demonstrate that the corpus cavernosal tissue has very unusual properties. Spontaneous contractile activity is correlated with a phasic increase in intracellular calcium. However, spontaneous contractile activity is most often correlated with a bi-phasic effect on the ratio of NADH/NAD. At the start of the spontaneous contraction, there is a sharp phasic increase in NADH/NAD; peak contractile force occurs simultaneous with a phasic decrease in this ratio showing that at peak force generation, there is a decrease in the level of intracellular energy. Phenylephrine stimulation results in an increase in intracellular calcium in proportion to the increase in tension; however, phenylephrine stimulation at low concentrations results in a net increase in the NADH/NAD ratio whereas high concentrations of phenylephrine result in a net decrease in the NADH/NAD ratio. In general, field stimulation results in a decrease in tension at low frequencies, a biphasic response at midfrequencies, and a contraction at high frequencies. These contractile responses are directly related to alterations in the intracellular concentration of calcium. That is, a decrease in tension is preceded by a decrease in intracellular calcium while an increase in tension is preceded by an increase in intracellular free calcium. Field stimulation results in a rapid and phasic alteration in the NADH/NAD ratio; however, the NADH/NAD response can be either an increase, decrease, or biphasic response. There does not appear to be a consistent relationship between the contractile/relaxant response to field stimulation and altered NADH/NAD ratio. Finally, ATP, bethanechol, and nitroprusside induce a decrease in the basal tension of the corpus cavernosal strips which corresponds with a decrease in the NADH/NAD ratio. However, whereas nitroprusside relaxation is correlated with a decreased intracellular calcium level, both ATP and bethanechol stimulate an increase in intracellular free calcium. These studies indicate that the response of the corpus cavernosal tissue to both field stimulation and pharmacological agents is complex and may involve both direct and indirect actions of a variety of cellular mediators on the corporal smooth muscle. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Tone interference effects on the performance of QPSK modulation in communication

In contemporary communication satellite systems, a digital processing unit on board the satellite can be employed to filter, channelize, and switch the uplink communication signals. 1 2 This processing is performed subsequent to the radio frequency (RF) to intermediate frequency (IF) downconversion of the uplinked signals. Then, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is employed to convert the analog signals to digital signals. This conversion process can lead to spurious responses, which can act like tone interference to the uplinked modulated signals, including commonly employed quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) modulated signals. Additionally, there are a wide variety of other spurs that can be created by the satellite communication payload. All of these spurs can adversely affect bit error rate (BER) performance. This paper discusses the adverse effect such spurious responses have on QPSK modulated signals, and the spurs are modeled as tone interference. Results are presented, including BER curves, for the following: (1) the spur offset in frequency from the center frequency of the QPSK signal, (2) false lock of the receiver onto the spur frequency and phase, and (3) the addition of convolutional coding to the receiver and the improvement in BER that results.
Current distribution on a two-arm thin-wire planar equiangular spiral antenna

The findings of a recent investigation on the planar equiangular spiral antenna are summarised. A theoretical analysis is given, which is found to he in good agreement with measured data.
Measurement of Capillary Pressure Property of Gas Diffusion Media Used in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

This work presents an experimental method that is one of the few to allow both imbibition and drainage capillary measurement at pressures above breakthrough. It was used on Toray and SGL Carbon gas diffusion materials at room temperature. These materials exhibited both hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties. Breakthrough pressures for Toray and SGL Carbon were 3.6 and 1.5 kPa, respectively. Little hysteresis was observed in these room-temperature experiments, which is an interesting contrast with the results from the only other group, Schwartz's group at University of Washington, to measure these properties. A double exponential equation was used to fit the data for each carbon paper.
Lessons Learned in Navajoland: Student Teachers Reflect on Professional and Cultural Learning in Reservation Schools and Communities

Abstract Zeichner (1996) suggested that most preservice practicum experiences narrowly focus on the classroom, lacking attention to larger contexts, and consequently “often fail to prepare student teachers for the full scope of the teacher's role” (p. 216). By addressing topics outside the classroom, student teachers from the Midwest, placed in schools on the Navajo Reservation, examined “the much larger and less tangible aspects such as beliefs, values, assumptions and attitudes” (Brown & Kysilka, 2002, p. 69). Student teachers reflected on their understanding of the Navajo culture, changes occurring in Navajo society, and the everyday struggles Navajo people face. Insights related to schooling included efforts to gain the respect of Navajo pupils, parents and colleagues; teacher visibility and community involvement; and the challenges of managing pupil behavior. These data suggest that a focus on both professional and cultural topics enhances novice educators' understanding of the multiple realities of ...
Making the Case to Improve Quality and Reduce Costs in Pediatric Health Care

This article makes a case for the urgent need to improve health care quality and reduce costs. It provides an overview of the importance of the quality movement and the definition of quality, including the concept of clinical and operational quality. Some national drivers for quality improvement as well as drivers of escalating health care costs are discussed, along with the urgency of reducing health care costs. The link between quality and cost is reviewed using the concept of value in health care, which combines quality and cost in the same equation. The article ends with a discussion of future directions of the quality movement, including emerging concepts, such as risk-adjustment, shared responsibility for quality, measuring quality at the individual provider level, and evolving legal implications of the quality movement, as well as the concept of a shared savings model.
Hay desiccation and preservation with potassium sorbate, potassium carbonate, sorbic acid and propionic acid

Abstract Three experiments were conducted to ascertain the effectiveness of sorbic acid or potassium sorbate in hastening the drying of cut alfalfa, thus decreasing the interval from cutting to baling, and to evaluate the effectiveness of sorbic acid or potassium sorbate compared with dry control or propionic acid as a forage preservative by measuring and comparing storage temperature, dry matter and chemical composition of treated and untreated alfalfa hay before and after storage. Second-harvest alfalfa was cut at the early bud stage, wilted in the field to approximately 30% moisture, and baled with the addition of various treatments. Treatments consisted of wet control 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 g potassium sorbate kg −1 dry matter (DM). Addition of potassium sorbate to high-moisture alfalfa hay did not improve preservation when compared with untreated hay, with comparisons based on heating during storage, DM change, and chemical composition of hay obtained from storage. A solution containing 1, 2 or 4 g potassium sorbate kg −1 DM and 4 g potassium carbonate kg −1 DM was sprayed on third-harvest bud-stage alfalfa from a sprayboom mounted on the push-bar of a self-propelled mower conditioner. Forage loss of moisture during drying was monitored at regular intervals, and hay was baled into conventional rectangular bales when moisture reached 30%. Addition of potassium carbonate and potassium sorbate to alfalfa hay at cutting did decrease drying time and improved preservation when compared with untreated hay, with comparisons based on field drying time, heating during storage, DM change and chemical composition of hay obtained from storage. Second-harvest alfalfa was cut at the early-bud stage, wilted in the field to approximately 35% moisture and baled with the addition of various treatments. Treatments consisted of wet control, 5, 10, 15 g sorbic acid kg −1 DM and 15 g propionic acid kg −1 DM. Addition of sorbic acid to alfalfa hay at baling did not improve preservation when compared with untreated hay with comparisons based on heating during storage and DM losses. However, alfalfa hay harvested at 30% and treated with 15 g propionic acid kg −1 DM had interior bale temperatures that followed a similar pattern of dry control.
POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF UV‐B RADIATION ON MARINE ORGANISMS OF THE SOUTHERN OCEAN: DISTRIBUTIONS OF PHYTOPLANKTON AND KRILL DURING AUSTRAL SPRING

Increases in UV-B radiation resulting from ozone depletion during austral spring could potentially alter the balance of the Southern Ocean marine ecosystem. A quantitative assessment ol the effects of UV-B enhancement requires knowledge of (1) the wavelength-dependent fluxes of UV-B in the upper ocean, (2) action spectra for UV-B damage to Antarctic phytoplankton and zooplankton, and (3) depth-dependent distributions and residence times of Southern Ocean phytoplankton and zooplankton during austral spring. Unfortunately, only limited data arc currently available to address this impact directly. To provide some of the information required for such an assessment, available data regarding plankton distributions and their photophysiological characteristics have been summarized. A preliminary assessment of the available literature suggests that Antarctic phytoplankton and krill receive very low doses of UV-B during austral spring. The high spectral attenuation coefficients associated with the environments in which most plankton arc found during springtime precludes the possibility of UV damage. Future research directions are described which should provide a better understanding of the ecological consequences of the “ozone hole” which resides over the Antarctic continent during austral spring.
The Combined Effects of Insulin and Cortisol on Surfactant Protein mRNA Levels

Infants of diabetic mothers are frequently hyperinsulinemic and have an increased incidence of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, a disease caused by a deficiency in the production of pulmonary surfactant by alveolar type II cells. It has been hypothesized that insulin inhibits fetal lung type II cell differentiation. We have shown previously that insulin inhibits the accumulation of surfactant protein (SP)-A and SP-B mRNA and has no effect on SP-C mRNA levels in human fetal lung tissue maintained in vitro. We hypothesized that treatment with glucocorticoids, which are used clinically to accelerate human fetal lung maturation, would overcome the inhibitory effects of insulin on human fetal lung development. In the present study, human fetal lung explants were maintained in the presence or absence of cortisol added alone, or in insulin plus cortisol added together. Cortisol significantly decreased SP-A mRNA levels by approximately 50% at the 100 nM concentration and significantly increased levels by approximately 20% at the 1 nM concentration. Cortisol increased SP-B and SP-C mRNA levels in a dose-dependent fashion (5- and 45-fold at 100 nM cortisol, respectively). The combination of 1 nM cortisol and insulin resulted in inhibition of mRNA levels for SP-A, SP-B, and SP-C at the high insulin concentrations (approximately 50% inhibition for SP-A and SP-B and approximately 25% inhibition of SP-C mRNA levels, in the presence of 40 pmol/L x 10(-3) insulin). Surprisingly, 100 nM cortisol plus inhibitory concentrations of insulin increased SP-A mRNA levels (2-fold at 40 pmol/L x 10(-3).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
β-adrenergic receptors in guinea-pig liver plasma membranes and thermal lability of [3H]dihydroalprenolol binding sites

β-Adrenergic receptors in guinea-pig liver plasma membranes were characterized by radio-ligand binding, using l-[3H]dihydroalprenolol ([3H]DHA, l-3-[125I]iodocyanopindolol ([125I]CYP) and dl-[3H]4-(3-tertiarybutylamino-2-hydroxypropoxy)-benzimidazole-2-one hydrochloride ([3H]CGP-12177). The binding of both [125I]CYP and [3H]CGP-12177 to membranes exhibited high affinity (Kd = 3.5±0.2 pM for [125I]CYP and 0.75±0.10 nM for [3H]CGP-12177) and stereospecificity; the maximal binding sites were 130±15 and 137±8 fmoles/mg protein respectively. Catecholaminergic agonists competed for these binding sites in the order l-isoproterenol >l-epinephrine >l-norephrine, which is typical for β2-adrenergic receptors. The binding data are supported by parallel experiments on adenylate cyclase activation by catecholamines, and on antagonism of this activation by β1- and β2- selective blockers. The binding of [3H]DHA was excessive (Bmax = 21.4 pmoles/mg protein, exhibited low affinity (Kd = 34.6 nM), and lacked stereospecificity. When liver membranes were incubated at 50° for 40 min in the presence of an agonist, l-isoproterenol, the binding of [3H]DHA to the heat-treated membranes exhibited high affinity(Kd = 1.07±0.17 nM) and the Bmax was reduced to 139±22 fmoles/mg protein. In such membranes, as opposed to native membranes, stereospecificity was evident and catecholaminergic agonists competed for the binding sites in the order typical for β2-adrenergic receptors. However, agonist competition of the binding to the heat-treated membranes could not be modulated by guanine nucleotides, indicating a loss of communication between the receptor and the guanine nucleotide regulatory protein.
Paul A. Samuelson: philosopher and theorist

Purpose – To assess not how Samuelson's individual models contributed to human knowledge but the very true foundation on which they rest, namely, sound theory, facts, and philosophy.Design/methodology/approach – This article has placed Samuelson as a philosopher seeking the truth, and as a theoretical contributor to the many sub‐disciplines of economics.Findings – Shows that his truths bear the evidence of reality, and that his theoretical contributions are not different in kind from the logical theorists. Demonstrates how easily one could formulate a Samuelsonian impossibility theorem that places his thought on the level of the mathematical research started by Hilbert and concluded by Kurt Godel.Originality/value – The literature that has assessed his contributions in this regard is fragmented, and myopically sparse, leaving gaps to be filled in by a paper such as this.
Sacramento: Urbanism in the Pacific West:

Within fifty years of the first European settlement in Sacramento, California, the first archaeological, archival, and oral historical research was conducted to reconstruct Sutter's Fort. Since then, numerous projects have been undertaken to reconstruct the 19th century architecture of the city. Current research, however, focuses upon the structure of 19th century urban life in the different aspects of the city's development.
Dynamics of age-structured predator-prey population models

Abstract A predator-prey model is investigated in which the prey population is assumed to have age structure and is governed by the McKendrick-von Foerster partial differential equation and the predator population is described by the classical Volterra-Lotka ordinary differential equation. Quite general hypotheses are assumed for the mortality function, the fertility function, and the functional responses of predation. Existence and stability of three biologically meaningful equilibria, corresponding to extinction of both species, persistence of one species prey, and coexistence of two species, are studied. A particular example and some numerical results are given.
Henoch–Schönlein purpura in pregnancy

Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) is an IgA-mediated small vessel vasculitis which commonly involves the skin, gastrointestinal system and kidneys. Numerous HSP triggers have been identified, and pregnancy has been reported as an exacerbating factor. After a pregnant woman had been diagnosed as having new-onset HSP, we reviewed all cases of immunofluorescence-proven HSP evaluated by the Department of Dermatology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital between 1990 and 2002, and report three cases of HSP occurring during pregnancy. Two patients developed new-onset HSP, one at 16 weeks gestation and one at 22 weeks, while the third developed a recurrence of HSP at 12 weeks gestation after 19 years of remission. We conclude that pregnancy may be a trigger for HSP onset or recurrence in susceptible individuals.
Bending Properties of Hole-assisted Single Polarization Fibers

We study effects of bending on single polarization fiber performance. Good qualitative agreement between numerical and experimental results is found, which helps to understand fiber deployment conditions and facilitate new design.
GLUCOS: The Great Lakes Urban Coastal Observing System

We are developing an aquatic observatory to observe and study near-shore processes in Lake Michigan. The Great Lakes Urban Coastal Observing System (GLUCOS) is designed to make both long-term measurements and transient event measurements of river-harbor-lake interactions that occur in Milwaukee Harbor and the adjacent Milwaukee Bay region of Lake Michigan. Two large "Endurance" buoys will be emplaced north and south of the Harbor. These buoys will perform long-term observations and measurements of the benthos, water column, the surface, and the air-water interface. A series of up to 10 smaller "Pioneer" buoys will serve as a rapid deployment system to measure transient phenomena. The Pioneer buoys can also be customized to serve as controllers for larger specialized instruments such as sediment samplers. Both types of buoys will employ a common core consisting of an ARM-based computer that runs the LINUX operating system and open-source control code. Data will be streamed to the WATER Institute via radio modems. These links will also permit scientists to receive data in real time as well as to alter the functions of the buoys based on current data. This paper describes the motivation of the GLUCOS system, the technical design of the buoys, and the current operational state of the system.
The "3T's" road map to transform US health care: the "how" of high-quality care.

THE ONGOING SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN BASIC SCIence and clinical discovery in the United States continues to produce impressive results. However, the United States struggles to deliver high-quality care and improved health outcomes due to the systematic failure of discoveries to reach patients in a timely fashion. Despite expenditures that reached $2 trillion or more than $6000 per capita in 2005, the United States will continue to fail to fully leverage new clinical discoveries into improved health outcomes unless there is an accelerated transformation of the health care system. The research enterprise cannot achieve this alone. We propose a model to transform the US health care system (FIGURE), intended to accelerate the pace at which innovations are implemented in clinical settings by addressing the “how” of health care delivery.
Effects of laser pulse energy, geometric confinement and material stiffness on laser-induced cell lysis in a microfluidic chip

We are evaluating the effects of laser-induced cell lysis in microfluidic devices fabricated from PDMS and PMMA. To measure the spatial extent of damage following laser-induced cell lysis, adherent cells and viability assays are used.
A Joint Optimization and Machine Learning Method for a Selection and Grouping Problem

This paper explores a scheduling problem where the incoming material must be processed in batches and the number of batches required dominates the objective. A Mixed Integer Linear Program (MILP) model is presented which selects a portion of the available waste containers to process and groups them into processing batches. A machine learning approach was developed to improve optimization performance and extract useful knowledge by examining the optimization results for trends regarding which containers are selected. The learning process captured information about the containers that are usually selected. The optimization performance was not uniformly improved through biasing, indicating that simple biasing is not always effective. Additionally, an on-line method for determining which containers should be processed is described. The learning provides a mechanism for abstracting complex calculations into knowledge relevant to other organizational functions. This technique is applicable to selection-type problems where changes to the input data correspond to small changes in the optimization formulation.
Uncertainty as an anxiety cue at high and low levels of threat.

Abstract Background and objectives Intolerance of uncertainty and the overestimation of threat contribute to the maintenance of anxiety; however, the interaction between uncertainty and threat perception has not been examined empirically. The current study examined the extent to which explicitness of uncertainty is involved in perceptions of, and responses to, scenarios about threatening situations. Methods A series of systematically varied scenarios were used to examine whether manipulating uncertainty (implicit vs. explicit) and threat level (high vs. low) altered the perception of a situation as anxiety-inducing. Undergraduate participants (n = 373) responded to vignettes about common situations (e.g. taking an elevator) with ratings of anxiety and desire to perform a safety behavior. Results Results revealed that higher threat situations, and those in which uncertainty was made explicit, provoked higher ratings of anxiety and urge to perform a safety behavior. In addition, explicit uncertainty significantly increased anxiety and urge to perform a safety behavior at low, but not at high, levels of threat. Limitations Participants rated (via self-report) their hypothetical feelings as induced by vignettes, rather than actually experiencing these situations in vivo. Conclusions We found evidence for “uncertainty-based reasoning,” in which an individual perceives a situation as more anxiety-provoking (and is more likely to have the urge to perform a safety behavior) when the uncertain aspects of a situation are obvious or explicit, than when such uncertainty is merely implied or tacit. Implications for the understanding of “uncertainty-based reasoning” are discussed.
A spectral element method for fluid dynamics: Laminar flow in a channel expansion

A spectral element method that combines the generality of the finite element method with the accuracy of spectral techniques is proposed for the numerical solution of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. In the spectral element discretization, the computational domain is broken into a series of elements, and the velocity in each element is represented as a high-order Lagrangian interpolant through Chebyshev collocation points. The hyperbolic piece of the governing equations is then treated with an explicit collocation scheme, while the pressure and viscous contributions are treated implicitly with a projection operator derived from a variational principle. The implementation of the technique is demonstrated on a one-dimensional inflow-outflow advection-diffusion equation, and the method is then applied to laminar two-dimensional (separated) flow in a channel expansion. Comparisons are made with experiment and previous numerical work.
Fine Needle Aspiration in the Diagnosis of Renal Masses and Subsequent Patient Management and Outcome

tubular epithelium. NA can occur in patients followed for urothelial carcinoma (UC) and mistaken for it. Immunohistochemical (IHC) stains have been useful in diagnosing NA in surgical specimens. This study evaluates the utility of PAX8 IHC stain in the diagnosis of NA in urinary tract specimens (UTS). Materials and Methods: Records were searched for NA diagnosis in lower urinary tract surgical biopsies between 2006 and 2013. Corresponding UTS within a span of 6 months were reviewed. The control group consisted of UTS of age matched patients with “negative” cytology and follow up. All specimens were ThinPrep method. The slides were de/restained with PAX8. The stains were examined, morphological features and findings tabulated. Results: 44 UTS were collected for review (35 study and 9 negative control groups). Of the study group, 6 had atypical urothelial cells (AU), 28 negative for malignancy and 1 suspicious for UC original diagnosis. Review of IHC nuclear staining identified nuclear positivity only in lymphoid cells in all tested specimens. None of atypical cells that were morphologically suspicious for NA in the study group showed positive staining. Conclusions: NA cells were not identified by PAX8 stain even in concomitant UTS from biopsy proven patients with NA diagnosis. NA cells are not easily desquamated and can be identified in exfoliative urine cytology. Previously described cytomorphology of NA in UTS were studied in the era before IHC staining. PAX8 can be used in urine cytology to determine renal origin of the atypical cells. Destaining of Thin Prep specimens does not disrupt the cell morphology in UTS. Previously described cytomorphologic features of NA are neither sensitive nor specific in UTS if PAX8 staining is taken as the gold standard.
The measurement of self and mutual impedances

There are two well-known methods which can be used to measure the self and mutual impedances of identical, parallel antennas, the symmetric-antisymmetric method, and the open circuit-short circuit method. In principle, these methods are quite simple and straightforward. In practice, however, major difficulties arise in both methods. In this paper, it is shown that by using a part of each method, the self and mutual impedances can be measured quite easily and to a good degree of accuracy.
Effect of acetazolamide on some hematological parameters and ocular oxygen concentration in rainbow trout.

Abstract 1. 1. Values for several hematological parameters are given for control and acetazolamide treated rainbow trout. 2. 2. Analyses of blood obtained 24 hr after acetazolamide treatment indicates that this carbonic anhydrase inhibitor had no effect on the O 2 dissociation curve for whole blood. 3. 3. Acetazolamide did cause an increase in red blood cell (RBC) volume and a significant decrease in the amount of oxygen carried per g of hemoglobin. 4. 4. The Root effect was observed in trout blood even in the presence of a p O 2 of 450 mm Hg and the absence of functional carbonic anhydrase. 5. 5. It was concluded that the rapid depletion of ocular p O 2 in trout eyes following acetazolamide treatment is not due to a decrease in the supply of oxygen to the counter current multiplier via the blood.
Ultraviolet receptors and color vision: Evolutionary implications and a dissonance of paradigms

The discovery of visual sensitivity to UV dates from 1882 and was made in an insect, the ant, but in the last 15 years evidence for photoreceptors maximally sensitive in the UV has been found for many vertebrates. Studies of behavioral responses of insects that possess more than one spectral class of photoreceptor have generated the concept of wavelength-dependent behaviors. These phenomena are distinct from color vision, where chromatic information can be used in multiple associations. Recent work on vertebrates has shown a variety of behavioral responses that appear to be based on specific combinations of spectral classes of receptors. Among these are behavioral responses of birds that are maximally sensitive in the UV, surprising findings since the retinas of birds contain only relatively small numbers of cones with peak sensitivity in the UV. These and other examples, suggestive of both wavelength-dependent behaviors of arthropods and "releasers" of ethology, emphasize anew the need for explanatory concepts that reach beyond the paradigms of primate color vision and for greater attention to the ontogeny of visually-directed behavior in non-mammalian vertebrates. The rapidly accumulating data on the evolutionary relationships of opsins continue to suggest that within specific opsin lineages the absorption maxima of the retinal-based visual pigments lie within about 40 nm of each other. Some UV pigments may provide the first exception to this generalization.