cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
HIV-1-induced cytokines deplete homeostatic ILCs and expand TCF7-dependent memory NK cells

ABSTRACT HIV-1-infected people who take medications that suppress viremia, preserve CD4+ T cells, and prevent AIDS, have chronic inflammation with increased cardiovascular mortality. To investigate the etiology of this inflammation, the effect of HIV-1 on innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and NK cells was examined. Homeostatic ILCs in blood and intestine were depleted permanently. NK cells were skewed towards a memory subset. Cytokines that are elevated during HIV-1 infection reproduced both abnormalities ex vivo. Pseudotime analysis of single NK cell transcriptomes revealed a developmental trajectory towards a subset with expression profile, chromatin state, and biological function like memory T lymphocytes. Expression of TCF7, a WNT transcription factor, increased over the course of the trajectory. TCF7 disruption, or WNT inhibition, prevented memory NK cell induction by inflammatory cytokines. These results demonstrate that inflammatory cytokines associated with HIV-1 infection irreversibly disrupt homeostatic ILCs and cause developmental shift towards TCF7+ memory NK cells. Highlights HIV-1 infection depletes homeostatic ILCs in blood and intestine and shifts NK cells towards a memory cell phenotype, irrespective of viremia or CD4 count Inflammatory cytokines recapitulate ILC and NK cell abnormalities ex vivo TCF7 expression correlates with a developmental trajectory that culminates in memory NK cells TCF7/WNT signaling is required for establishment of memory NK cells
Determining cohesive parameters for modeling interfacial fracture in dissimilar-metal friction stir welded joints

Abstract Predicting the structural performance of a joint requires mechanical characterization of the joint interface. Use of the cohesive-zone model (CZM) is an effective approach for implementing fractures, seams, and joints in the structures. The CZM requires a cohesive constitutive law, which, in the context of a welded joint, relates the traction at the interface to the separation displacement of the two surfaces. Typical configurations for fracture testing to obtain the parameters for a cohesive law involve assumptions including large weld areas and undisturbed substrate, making those techniques unsuitable for friction stir welded joints. This paper presents an approach of experimentation combined with finite element modeling to determine the cohesive law parameters to mechanically characterize the interface obtained in friction stir welded joints.
A finite element analysis engineering solution to short riveted connections under dynamic loadings

The research presented in this manuscript focuses on the development of an LS-DYNA finite element model to predict the dynamic shear strength of short riveted lap-spliced specimens. Using data coll...
REBOUND: defending distributed systems against attacks with bounded-time recovery

This paper shows how to use bounded-time recovery (BTR) to defend distributed systems against non-crash faults and attacks. Unlike many existing fault-tolerance techniques, BTR does not attempt to completely mask all symptoms of a fault; instead, it ensures that the system returns to the correct behavior within a bounded amount of time. This weaker guarantee is sufficient, e.g., for many cyber-physical systems, where physical properties - such as inertia and thermal capacity - prevent quick state changes and thus limit the damage that can result from a brief period of undefined behavior. We present an algorithm called REBOUND that can provide BTR for the Byzantine fault model. REBOUND works by detecting faults and then reconfiguring the system to exclude the faulty nodes. This supports very fine-grained responses to faults: for instance, the system can move or replace existing tasks, or drop less critical tasks entirely to conserve resources. REBOUND can take useful actions even when a majority of the nodes is compromised, and it requires less redundancy than full fault-tolerance.
A Multi-Level Analysis of Role Negotiation: A Bona Fide Group Approach to Work Team Socialization:

This study used a multi-level analysis to gain a comprehensive understanding of work team socialization as a process that extends beyond work team and organizational boundaries. Findings, based on ...
Brief Antigenic Stimulation Generates Effector CD8 T Cells with Low Cytotoxic Activity and High IL-2 Production

It is currently believed that a brief antigenic stimulation is sufficient to induce CD8 T cells to complete their differentiation program, become effector T cells, and subsequently generate memory. Because this concept was derived from studies in which only a single effector function was analyzed (either IFN-gamma production or target cell lysis), we wondered whether monitoring for multiple effector functions might reveal novel characteristics of effector CD8 T cells elicited by brief or prolonged Ag exposure. Using an in vitro system to generate effector T cells and an in vivo adoptive transfer model to track donor CD8 T cells, we found that the differentiation programs acquired by CD8 T cells after brief or prolonged antigenic stimulation were different. Although the frequencies of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha producers were comparable for both effector CD8 T cell populations, there were major differences in cytotoxic potential and IL-2 production. Whereas prolonged (>24 h) Ag exposure stimulated effector CD8 T cells with high cytotoxic activity and low IL-2 production, brief (<24 h) stimulation generated effector CD8 T cells with low cytotoxic activity and high IL-2 production. The latter effector T cells rapidly converted into central memory-like CD8 T cells, exhibited long-term survival in adoptively transferred hosts, and gave robust recall responses upon Ag challenge. These data suggest that not all functions of effector CD8 T cells are equally inherited after brief or prolonged antigenic stimulation.
Monte Carlo Modeling of Neutron Transport

One of the most important applications of the Monte Carlo technique, in the sense of the number of users and the amount of computer time devoted to problem solution, is the transport of subatomic particles — neutrons, protons, mesons, electrons, and the high-energy photons associated with atomic and nuclear processes. The interactions of these particles with atoms and nuclei can be complex and the mathematical models of the interactions, as well as the statistical equations describing the gross motion of the particles, cannot be solved exactly except in a few simple cases. Thus computer analysis is normally required to address problems in radiation transport. There are numerous deterministic techniques for obtaining solutions to radiation transport problems for various geometries and special situations. However, in many cases Monte Carlo is the only practical technique available for obtaining a solution.
Optical Wireless Laser Communications: Free‐Space Optics

A brief overview of the technical and scientific basis for Free Space Optics Laser Communication for point-to-point laser beam telecommunication through the atmosphere is covered in this chapter. Subjects include the historical background of Free Space Optics (FSO), current commercial applications, laser and LED optical sources, atmospheric scatter and attenuation, optical detectors and noise considerations, the FSO Range Equation with examples of several commercial units, atmospheric refractive turbulence effects, telescope design and alignment problems, and eye safety considerations. Keywords: free space optics; laser communication; laser atmospheric propagation; range equation
Winter mesospheric temperatures above South Pole (90°S) and their relationship to the springtime ozone hole size

[1] Mesospheric kinetic temperatures measured above South Pole Station (90°S) during the austral polar winter show significant changes, which have been found to be associated with changes in the size of the polar stratospheric clouds temperature area (PSC-1), vortex area, and ozone hole area later in the austral spring. Linear regression fits show a statistically significant correlation −95% confidence level- between the mesospheric temperature and the stratospheric dynamic variables. These results show the sensitivity of the mesosphere to changes in the atmosphere below. Thus, the mesospheric temperatures measured above South Pole provide a quantitative indication of the dynamic scenario upon which the ozone hole chemistry will be played later in the spring. That is, these mesospheric temperatures can be used as a forecasting tool with which some of the stratospheric dynamical variables affecting the area of the ozone hole can be estimated with statistical confidence.
FDDI MAC services design considerations

The FDDI MAC (media access control) standard outlines a set of services that are to be made available to other entities, such as logical link control (LLC) and station management (SMT). The number of services and the method by which MAC provides these services using the standard FDDI facilities and operation are not specified, however, and are implementation-dependent. The author addresses some of the considerations that arise when choosing the appropriate set of services for the media access control (MAC) sublayer of an FDDI station, whether one is designing or purchasing these MAC functions. >
Numerical experiments on MM5–CMAQ sensitivity to various PBL schemes

Abstract The Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) was used along with the PSU/NCAR mesoscale modeling system MM5 to study air quality modeling sensitivity to various planetary boundary layer (PBL) schemes implemented in MM5. Two 37-day periods, representing typical summer and winter periods, were selected for the simulations. The MM5 domain covered the continental US while the CMAQ domain covered much of the central and eastern US. There were 34 vertical layers in MM5 and 18 in CMAQ. The horizontal resolution was 36 km for both. MM5 was run with five of the seven commonly used PBL schemes to generate a series of gridded meteorological fields. The data were then processed and converted by the meteorology–chemistry interface processor (MCIP) to produce meteorological input for CMAQ, in conjunction with the emissions data prepared by the Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emissions (SMOKE) System. The sensitivity of MM5–CMAQ modeling to the various PBL schemes was assessed and quantified by comparing model output against observations from the meteorological and the air quality monitoring networks within the CMAQ domain. The meteorological variables evaluated included surface (2-m) and 850-mb temperature, 10-meter and 850 mb wind speed and direction, 2-m mixing ratio, surface pressure, and cloud fraction over 50 surface sites and 21 upper air sounding sites. The CMAQ variables included gaseous species O 3 , NO 2 , NO x , SO 2 and fine particulate matter PM 2.5 for over 2000 monitoring stations. A new 3-2-1 objective evaluation approach was developed to enhance the model sensitivity analysis. Results of evaluation of these variables indicate that domain-wide the performance of neither model was sensitive to the PBL schemes. Although large differences of PBL height existed across the meteorological simulations, they did not appreciably affect the CMAQ performance. On an urban scale, differences across the CMAQ simulations were large enough for the model to be considered sensitive, although no favorable PBL scheme was identified. It is suggested that domain-wide the lack of sensitivity of the MM5–CMAQ modeling system to the PBL schemes was mainly attributed to the parameterization of vertical eddy diffusivity in CMAQ and the four-dimensional data assimilation (FDDA) in MM5.
Theory of Josephson tunneling into proximity-effect sandwiches

Abstract We develop the microscopic theory of the superconducting proximity effect to allow the calculation of the Josephson current in tunnel junctions where one or both electrodes are proximity-effect bilayers. The Josephson current can then be calculated with the same theory that is used to interpret quasiparticle tunneling characteristics in quantitative detail. One significant result is that the Josephson current is much more rapidly attenuated by thin normal layers adjacent to the tunnel barrier than is the gap in the quasiparticle current.
Response: Endogenous IL-17, tumor growth, and metastasis

We thank Dr Teng and his colleagues for their comments regarding our recent manuscript. We reported that in the MC38 model, subcutaneous tumor growth and lung colonization were enhanced in interleukin-17 (IL-17)–deficient mice; and was associated with decreased interferon γ+ natural killer cells
Numerical Prediction of Vortical Flow over Slender Delta Wings

Three-dimensional Navier-Stokes numerical simulations are necessary to correctly predict the complex lee- ward-side flow characteristics over delta wings, including leading-edge separation, secondary separation, and vortex breakdown. This article presents Navier-Stokes solutions of subsonic vortical flow over a 75-deg sweep delta wing with a sharp leading edge. The sensitivity of the solution to the numerical scheme is examined using both a partially upwind scheme and a central-differencing scheme. The effect of numerical grid density is also investigated. An embedded grid approach is implemented to enable higher resolution in selected isolated flow regions, such as the leeward-side surface flow region, and the leading-edge vortical flow region. HE main feature of the flow over delta wings at an angle of attack is the separated flow along the leading edges, which form free shear layers rolling up around cores to form leading-edge vortices. The leading-edge vortices induce ad- ditional nonlinear lift, usually called vortex-induced lift. In- crease in the angle of attack strengthens the vortices until eventually a sudden change occurs in the nature of the cores. This sudden change is known as vortex breakdown. In this article vortical flowfields, with and without vortex break- down, over highly-swept sharp-edged delta wings are inves- tigated. Due to its importance to aerodynamics, the vortex break- down over delta wings was explored in early experimental studies.1'2 Vortex breakdown was studied in controlled ex- periments on axisymmetric cylindrical vortices generated in confined tubes.3~6 Three types of vortex breakdown were ob- served for a cylindrical vortex,3 namely bubble breakdown, spiral breakdown, and double helix breakdown. Changes in the pressure gradient were found to have significant effects, thus a pressure increase downstream drives the breakdown upstream. For flows over delta wings, bubble and spiral breakdown are encountered, depending on the angle of incidence and the sweep angle. Experimental studies of flows over a unity aspect ratio delta wing7 show that as the angle of attack increases, bubble-type breakdown precedes spiral-type vortex break- down. The large suction pressure of the leading-edge vortex is diminished when vortex breakdown occurs with a subse- quent loss of lift and nose-up pitching moment. After vortex breakdown, the vortex core is not re-established and the downstream end of the bubble usually is followed by a tur- bulent wake. Experimental studies8-9 for flows over delta wings included surface and flowfield velocity and pressure measurements.
When Gay People Get Married: What Happens When Societies Legalize Same-Sex Marriage, by M. V. Lee Badgett. New York: New York University Press, 2009. 288 pp. ISBN-13: 978-0-8147-9114-1 (hbk.). US$35.00.

The same-sex marriage debate is fraught with ideology and fear. Opposition comes from those who fear that same-sex marriage will alter the institution of marriage for the worse and also from those ...
Volume regulation in the erythrocyte of the little skate, Raja erinacea

Elasmobranchs maintain a high concentration of NaCl in their extracellular fluid, which is matched intracellularly by organic solutes such as β-amino acids. Hypo-osmotic stress causes a volume regulatory response involving an increased efflux of β-amino acids. The mechanism of transmembrane signaling involved in this response is under investigation in skate RBC. The effects of hypo-osmotic stress on taurine efflux are mimicked by activating protein kinase C with phorbol ester or elevated cellular Ca+2. Hypo-osmotic stress induces an immediate elevation in cellular production of the protein kinase C activator diacylglycerol. These results suggest that activation of protein kinase C is involved in the volume regulatory response of skate RBC to hypoosmotic stress.
Syphilis among adolescents and young adults in Cincinnati, Ohio: testing, infection and characteristics of youth with syphilis infection.

Little is known about the epidemiology of syphilis among adolescents and young adults. This study examined, among more than 17 000 young people aged 13–22 years old, trends in rates of syphilis testing and infection; characteristics of infected adolescents; and agreement about syphilis staging and treatment between provider and chart reviewer. Rates of syphilis testing increased but rates of syphilis infection did not increase significantly over a 5-year period. A majority of infected men reported only opposite-sex sexual contact. High agreement between providers and chart reviewers was found. These findings demonstrate the need for complete assessment of risk factors and use of local epidemiology in screening practices.
Reproductive diversity of Antarctic glossopterid seed-ferns

Abstract Glossopterid reproductive structures, both impressions and permineralizations, have been known from Antarctica for decades, but little detailed work has been done on them to date. Impression fossils from the Central Transantarctic Mountains reveal that at least four genera of reproductive organs are present on the continent. Plumsteadia is a genus of multiovulate megasporophylls found on all Gondwanan continents and distinguished by tightly compacted ovules surrounded by a wing which contains a row of ovules at its base. Numerous specimens of Plumsteadia ovata Kyle add additional information on anastomosing venation in the sporophyll and a fluted margin on the wing to the species description. A new species of Rigbya, an ovulate organ, is characterized by the laminar appearance of the cupules/scales and a crenate margin at the apex of the cupules. Eretmonia singulia sp. nov., a microsporangiate structure, is distinguished by the terminal attachment of a single sporangium on a dichotomizing stalk rather than a whorl of sporangia as found in other species. Finally, Arberiella inflectada sp. nov., a cluster of pollen sacs, includes microsporangia with a distinctive, recurved base. These genera are found across Gondwana, suggesting that Antarctica, with its central location in the supercontinent, was a bridge for the distribution of glossopterid genera from one Gondwanan continent to another. A comparison of these new Antarctic taxa to species found on other Gondwana continents is provided to illustrate the diversity and geographic range of glossopterid reproductive structures. The relative scarcity of information garnered from these impression specimens presents a conservative estimate of the diversity of the glossopterid clade, but information from Antarctica adds considerably to our knowledge of this group.
Dasatinib inhibits the growth of prostate cancer in bone and provides additional protection from osteolysis.

Dasatinib inhibits the growth of prostate cancer in bone and provides additional protection from osteolysis
Topical halcinonide in alopecia areata and in alopecia totalis.

When halcinonide cream was used for prolonged periods in patients affected by alopecia areata or alopecia totalis, marked and steady regrowth of hair was observed.
Thrombin inhibitors in fibrinolysis. A Hobson's choice of alternatives.

Where to elect there is but one Take Hobson's choice-take that or none. -England's Reformation. Chapter IV, p 326. Legend holds that Tobias Hobson, the first Englishman to rent horses for hackney use, offered potential customers one of two choices: take the horse nearest the door of his establishment or take none at all. More often than not, the horse offered was surpassed in appearance and quality by others further down the line, and the nature of the purchaser's dilemma has since become a metaphor for anyone given a difficult choice between two suboptimal alternatives. Adjunctive anticoagulant use in patients treated with fibrinolytic therapy for acute coronary syndromes presents a Hobsonian choice to cardiologists: administering them increases the risk of significant bleeding, yet withholding them increases the risk of acute rethrombosis. The adjunctive use of thrombin inhibitors with thrombolytic therapy for the treatment of acute Q-wave myocardial infarction is predicated on activation of the coagulation system during fibrinolysis.1 Both plasmin-mediated platelet activation2 and plasmin-mediated prothrombinase activity3 lead to the generation of thrombin during fibrinolytic therapy and, thereby, to the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin.4 Preclinical studies confirmed the view that thrombin inhibitors administered with plasminogen activators potentiate fibrinolysis.5 6 The use of heparin as an adjunct to thrombolytic therapy in patients with acute Q-wave myocardial infarction is not, however, universally accepted. Hemorrhagic risk is believed to be excessive, especially when heparin is used in conjunction with streptokinase; thus, current guidelines suggest that heparin be administered with tissue plasminogen activator but that its use in patients treated with streptokinase be delayed after infusion of the thrombolytic agent. While clinically judicious, this recommendation overlooks the important mechanistic fact that activation of the clotting system peaks approximately 1 hour after the infusion of tissue plasminogen activator or streptokinase. …
Discontinuous distribution of senile plaques within striate cortex hypercolumns in Alzheimer's disease.

Tangential sections of the primary visual (striate) cerebral cortex from five patients with histopathologically verified Alzheimer's disease were used to study the laminar and tangential disposition of senile plaques. These lesions were visualized with thioflavin S or the modified Bielschowsky method, and classified into four different, purely morphological types: “classical”, (predominantly) “neuritic”, (primarily amyloid) “core” and “diffuse”, which were charted and analyzed using computer-assisted three- and two-dimensional reconstruction and mapping methods. These analyses reveal a tendency for a selective laminar disposition of the lesions (preferentially in layers II/III and V) which is generally consistent with previous reports performed at lower resolution, yet the specific pattern is highly variable among patients, and among plaque subtypes within individual patients. In addition, we observed a clustering of senile plaques in the tangential domain (i.e. parallel to the pial surface) in layers II/III, that suggests a selective involvement of iterated circuits within the “units”, “modules”, or “hypercolumns” that some believe compose this region of the cortex. These findings also imply an intriguing relative sparing of immediately adjacent components of the modular circuitry of the cerebral cortex, in the same cytoarchitectonic layers. Taken together, these findings indicate that: (1) senile plaques may arise in functionally and anatomically distinct subsets of iterated neuronal circuits that cannot be reduced to schemes based on traditional cytoarchitectonic layers; and (2) that individual variability in the patterns of striate cortex involvement and clinical manifestations must be taken into consideration when addressing the specific mechanisms underlying visual dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease.
Viscoelastic approximation of poroelastic media for wave scattering problems

Herein, we propose a simplified and approximate method for solving dynamic problems in poroelastic media. The method is based on the definition of equivalent-viscoelastic materials that have the same wave numbers as poroelastic media. The viscoelastic approximation was applied to study the scatter of plane compressional waves by a spherical poroelastic inhomogeneity. In this wave scattering problem, the poroelastic and equivalent-viscoelastic solutions gave almost identical results far away from the inhomogeneity. The proposed method extends our existing numerical and analytical methods for poroelastic media. It is useful to derive approximate analytical solutions which can be applied for assessing the damping characteristics of small amplitude waves in saturated soils.
Adding subjects or adding measurements: Which increases the precision of longitudinal research?

Abstract When designing repeated measurement studies, researchers must strike a balance between increasing the number of subjects and increasing the number of measurement times for each subject. The question often becomes “Do I gain more statistical precision by adding subjects or by adding additional follow-up measurements?” This study presents a method for evaluating the relative benefit of adding subjects versus adding measurement times. We used the standard error of estimate (SE) for mean change as the criterion of precision. An existing dataset on post-stroke patients containing six follow-up assessments of six standard rating scales was used. SE values for two common change indices were found and compared for all possible two, three, four, five, and six repeated measurements. Sample sizes required to achieve the same benefit as adding an additional measurement are presented. These data suggest that collecting five or six repeated measurements may be sufficient for accurately assessing change and that attempts to further precision should be accomplished by increasing the sample size.
Anomalous line broading of donor transitions in high-purity InP in high magnetic fields

New lines shapes, not predicted by Stark broadening, are reported for 1s→2p (m=−1, 0) for a single hydrogenlike donor in InP. Stark-effect inhomogeneous broadening is suppressed by a magnetic field in GaAs according to both theory and experiment but the characteristic low frequency tail is enhanced by the high magnetic field for both 1s→2p (m=−1, 0) in InP.
Application of octahedron tetrahedron cluster variational method for analysis of short-range order in FENICR FCC alloys

Abstract The Octahedron Tetrahedron Cluster Variational Method (OT-CVM) has been extended to the ternary substitutional F.C.C. alloys. A computer program was developed to determine the concentrations of various configurations of the two basic clusters: the regular nearest neighbor tetrahedron and the octahedron defined by six equilateral nearest neighbor triangles. Before the model could be applied to the Fe-Ni-Cr F.C.C. system, pair interchange energies had to be determined. This was done by fitting the experimental data to the model predictions. Application of the model to an alloy with the composition Fe-40Ni-15Cr, wt%, showed a slight deviation of the distribution of atoms from the random distribution at 1273K. Contrary, at 298K, the deviation is much greater.
Superoxide and hydrogen peroxide induce CD18-mediated adhesion in the postischemic heart

A burst of endothelial derived oxidants including hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide (.O2-) occurs on reperfusion of ischemic tissues that directly causes injury; however, it is not known if this also triggers further injury due to subsequent leukocyte adhesion and adhesion molecule expression. Therefore, studies were performed in an isolated heart model developed to enable study of the role of isolated cellular and humoral factors in the mechanism of postischemic injury. Isolated rat hearts were subjected to 20 min of 37 degrees C-global ischemia followed by reperfusion with polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and plasma in the presence or absence of superoxide dismutase (SOD), 200 U/ml, or catalase, 500 U/ml. Measurements of contractile function, coronary flow, high-energy phosphates, free radical generation, and PMN accumulation were performed. Adhesion molecule expression was measured on the surface of effluent PMNs by fluorescence flow cytometry and within the tissue using immunohistochemistry. SOD or catalase treatment resulted in 2- to 3-fold higher recoveries of contractile function, coronary flow, and high energy phosphates. EPR spin trapping measurements demonstrated that SOD totally quenched the free radical generation observed upon reperfusion while catalase prevented the formation of hydroxyl and alkyl radicals derived from superoxide. SOD or catalase treatment decreased PMN accumulation in the reperfused heart and prevented the marked upregulation of CD18 expression seen after reperfusion. These experiments demonstrate that in addition to their direct antioxidative actions, SOD and catalase each decrease PMN adhesion and CD18 expression resulting in marked suppression of PMN-mediated injury in the postischemic heart. Thus, endothelial derived H2O2 and .O2- further amplify postischemic injury by triggering CD18 expression on the surface of PMNs leading to increased PMN adhesion within the heart.
The Fip35 WW Domain Folds with Structural and Mechanistic Heterogeneity in Molecular Dynamics Simulations

We describe molecular dynamics simulations resulting in the folding the Fip35 Hpin1 WW domain. The simulations were run on a distributed set of graphics processors, which are capable of providing up to two orders of magnitude faster computation than conventional processors. Using the Folding@home distributed computing system, we generated thousands of independent trajectories in an implicit solvent model, totaling over 2.73 ms of simulations. A small number of these trajectories folded; the folding proceeded along several distinct routes and the system folded into two distinct three-stranded β-sheet conformations, showing that the folding mechanism of this system is distinctly heterogeneous.
Measuring Fear Of Cancer: The Fear Of Cancer Index

Abstract Fear of cancer appears to play an important role in cancer knowledge, health beliefs and health seeking behavior. There are few measures of fear of cancer in the literature. In this article, we present a new fear of cancer measure, the Fear of Cancer Index (FCI). The FCI is a symptom associated measure. It assesses fear of cancer in an indirect manner; therefore, it is less susceptible to anxiety and bias. Fear of cancer was strongly related to psychological distress and several other measures. Implications for health research and health education are discussed. We also discuss measuring fear of cancer in toxic hazard situations.
A new window on MSCs

The study from Ng et al opens a new window on MSCs by testing the feasibility of a global gene expression–profiling approach to gain insights into the molecular mechanisms that regulate this population. The article by Ng and colleagues in this issue of Blood opens a new window on the
Neutron beamline shielding calculations at the SNS

Abstract A world-class accelerator driven short pulsed neutron source is in the final stages of construction at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. A 1.4 MW proton beam at 1 GeV energy directed on a mercury target will free neutrons through spallation reactions that will be moderated to thermal and subthermal energies and serve neutron scattering instruments at up to 24 beamlines. At spallation neutron sources, the neutron beams are contaminated by a large fraction of fast neutrons with energies up to the energy of the proton beam incident on the mercury target. Results of design calculations for the Cold Neutron Chopper Spectrometer are presented as an example to demonstrate the neutronics design analyses that are being performed to optimize the lateral beamline shielding as well as the sample and detector area with regard to guaranteeing personal safety, minimizing neutron background and cost.
Neonatal ovine pulmonary dendritic cells support bovine respiratory syncytial virus replication with enhanced interleukin (IL)-4 And IL-10 gene transcripts.

The lung microenvironment is constantly exposed to microorganisms and particulate matter. Lung dendritic cells (DCs) play a crucial role in the uptake and processing of antigens found within the respiratory tract. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common respiratory tract pathogen in children that induces an influx of DCs to the mucosal surfaces of the lung. Using a neonatal lamb model, we examined the in vivo permissiveness of DCs to RSV infection, as well as overall cell surface changes and cytokine responses of isolated lung DCs after bovine RSV (BRSV) infection. We report that isolated lung DCs and alveolar macrophages support BRSV replication. Isolated lung DCs were determined to be susceptible to BRSV infection as demonstrated by quantification of BRSV non-structural protein 2 mRNA. BRSV infection induced an initial upregulation of CD14 expression on lung DCs, but by 5 d postinfection expression was similar to that on control cells. No significant changes in CD80/86 or MHC class I expression we...
Effects of aminopeptidase inhibition on the half-lives of [125I]angiotensins in the cerebroventricles of the rat.

Anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats fitted with intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) cannulas were infused with one of the aminopeptidase inhibitors, amastatin or bestatin, over a 5-min period. After infusion, 1-2 X 10(6) cpm of [125I]angiotensin II ([125I]AII) or [125I]angiotensin III ([125I]AIII) was injected through the same cannula. The rats were subsequently killed 60 s later by focused microwave irradiation which instantaneously terminated further [125I]angiotensin metabolism. HPLC analysis of the extracted [125I]angiotensin and metabolic products allowed for the calculation of t1/2s of disappearance for the parent peptides. Both inhibitors effectively lengthened the half-lives of [125I]AII and [125I]AIII. Bestatin, which is considered a selective aminopeptidase B blocker, had a more pronounced effect on [125I]AIII metabolism, while amastatin, a selective aminopeptidase A inhibitor, was better at slowing [125I]AII degradation. The results indicate that amastatin and bestatin are very effective blockers of the cerebroventricular metabolism of angiotensins but are only marginally selective with regard to AII and AIII.
Degradation of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes at Growth Interface Joints at High Temperatures and Its Impact on Electron Emission Properties

Degradation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) significantly affects CNT’s electron emission capability and limits their applications as electron emitters. In this study, CNTs were placed in controlled environment and their degradations were studied. Two types of CNT degradations, thermal and chemical degradations were identified and their effects on electron emission were studied. It was found that CNTs placed in low vacuum environment at high temperature were subject to oxidation that led to severe degradation of CNTs and their electron emission ability, whereas, CNTs treated at the same high temperatures in an ultrahigh vacuum environment only suffered from morphological changes that had minor impact on electron emission. The CNT samples used in this study were grown on tungsten substrates via plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD). The surface morphology changes of the CNT emitters were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The field emission properties of the CNTs were measured and correlated to the morphology changes.
Triiodothyronine Stimulates and Glucagon Inhibits Transcription of the Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase Gene in Chick Embryo Hepatocytes: Glucose and Insulin Amplify the Effect of Triiodothyronine

Abstract The mechanisms by which triiodothyronine (T3), glucose, insulin, and glucagon regulate acetyl-CoA carboxylase expression in primary cultures of chick embryo hepatocytes have been investigated. Incubating hepatocytes with T3 in the absence of glucose caused a fourfold increase in acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity. Addition of glucose (20 m m ) enhanced the T3-induced increase in acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity by threefold but had no effect on enzyme activity in the absence of T3. The effects of T3 and glucose on acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity were accompanied by similar changes in acetyl-CoA carboxylase mRNA levels, indicating that regulation occurred at a pretranslational step. Xylitol mimicked the effect of glucose on acetyl-CoA carboxylase mRNA abundance, suggesting that an intermediate(s) of the nonoxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway may be involved in mediating this response. Insulin accelerated the accumulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase mRNA abundance caused by T3 and glucose but had no effect on steady-state levels of acetyl-CoA carboxylase mRNA in the absence or presence of T3. Glucagon caused a 65% decrease in the accumulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase mRNA in hepatocytes incubated with T3 and glucose. The effects of T3, glucose, insulin, and glucagon on the abundance of acetyl-CoA carboxylase mRNA were accounted for by changes in the transcription rate of the acetyl-CoA carboxylase gene. These data support the hypothesis that T3, glucose, insulin, and glucagon play a role in mediating the effects of nutritional manipulation on transcription of acetyl-CoA carboxylase in liver.
Embedded diodes for microwave and millimeter wave circuits

This paper presents a novel embedded active fabrication process for high frequency circuit applications. Multiple active devices with high placement accuracy can be embedded on a common substrate at low processing temperature, and the process is compatible with large area fabrication. For the design of a millimeter and terahertz (THz) imaging array and other circuits, multiple high cutoff-frequency GaAs Schottky diodes are embedded on a polymer substrate. DC and microwave characterizations are carried out to test the fabrication repeatability, reliability and the performance of high frequency circuits. Circuits measured in this work include rectifier, multiplier and mixer. The measurement results show that the process is reliable and can be readily utilized in the manufacture of circuits operating at millimeter wave and well into the Terahertz frequency regime.
Including Children in Divorce Mediation and Education: Potential Benefits and Cautions

Research measuring the effectiveness of divorce mediation services and divorce education programs shows that these services and programs help minimize the negative impact of parental divorce on children. The author discusses the benefits of including children in either intervention, concluding that practitioners who facilitate children's communication regarding their perceptions of parental divorce and its aftermath must manage this task with sensitivity and care.
Ontogenetic approaches to sexual dimorphism in anthropoids

Studies of sexual dimorphism have traditionally focused on the static differences in size and shape between adult males and females. In this paper, I suggest that an investigation of the ontogenetic bases of sexual dimorphism can provide new insights and information unobtainable from studies concerned only with adult endpoints. While growth is often viewed as simply the developmental pathway utilized to attain final adult size and shape, we must recognize that it is the entire pattern of sex-differentiated growth, and not merely the adult endpoints, which is adaptive and the target of natural selection. The importance of an ontogenetic approach to the analysis of sexual dimorphism is also demonstrated by the fact that a given morphologicalresult (e.g., a certain degree of adult weight dimorphism) may be attained by very different developmentalprocesses, signalling selection for quite different factors. The need to analyze the ontogenetic bases of sexual dimorphism in size and shape has recently been recognized by Jarman, in his study of dimorphism in large terrestrial herbivores. Here I combine aspects of Jarman’s approach with those of allometry and heterochrony in an analysis of sexual dimorphism in selected anthropoid primates. It is demonstrated that although all dimorphic anthropoids appear to be characterized by somebimaturism, the degree varies significantly. Marked weight dimorphism in certain species is primarily produced by an increased differentiation of female and male growthrates, while in other species the primary change involves differences in thetime or duration of growth between the sexes. These variations are illustrated with anthropoid genera such asMiopithecus, Cercopithecus, Erythrocebus, Macaca, Papio, Pan, andGorilla. It is suggested that additional ontogenetic investigations of other anthropoids will help clarify some of the socioecological bases of this variation in the ways of attaining an adult dimorphic state. This will contribute to our understanding of the complex factors underlying and producing sexual dimorphism in primates and other mammals.
Cognitive and emotional components of frontal lobe functioning in childhood and adolescence

Frontal lobe functions include a range of cognitive, emotional, and social abilities that enable goal-directed behavior. Although a number of studies have plotted the development of frontal lobe functions in childhood, few have extended into the adolescent years. There is also little information on which cognitive and emotional components of frontal functioning may be correlated. The aims of this study were to identify and compare age effects on different components of frontal functioning in childhood and adolescence and to examine whether abstract reasoning skills were associated with levels of emotional intelligence and social sensitivity. Twenty children (ages 9-18) were recruited from the local community for a study of normal adolescent brain development. All subjects were free of psychiatric or developmental disorders, as determined by a structured interview. Subjects completed a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery, as well as self-report measures of social sensitivity (anxiety) and emotional intelligence. Significant age effects were found for measures of abstract reasoning, response inhibition, and attentional set shifting. Levels of social anxiety increased moderately with age, although not significantly at this sample size. Abstract reasoning skills correlated positively with levels of social anxiety but not emotional intelligence. The pattern of results suggests differential developmental trajectories across various cognitive and emotional domains of frontal lobe functioning in childhood and adolescence. Increased abstract reasoning ability may be associated with increased vulnerability to social anxiety during this period.
Engineering Escherichia coli for Biodiesel Production Utilizing a Bacterial Fatty Acid Methyltransferase

The production of low-cost biofuels in engineered microorganisms is of great interest due to the continual increase in the world's energy demands. Biodiesel is a renewable fuel that can potentially be produced in microbes cost-effectively. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) are a common component of biodiesel and can be synthesized from either triacylglycerol or free fatty acids (FFAs). Here we report the identification of a novel bacterial fatty acid methyltransferase (FAMT) that catalyzes the formation of FAMEs and 3-hydroxyl fatty acid methyl esters (3-OH-FAMEs) from the respective free acids and S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet). FAMT exhibits a higher specificity toward 3-hydroxy free fatty acids (3-OH-FFAs) than FFAs, synthesizing 3-hydroxy fatty acid methyl esters (3-OH-FAMEs) in vivo. We have also identified bacterial members of the fatty acyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) thioesterase (FAT) enzyme family with distinct acyl chain specificities. These bacterial FATs exhibit increased specificity toward 3-hydroxyacyl-ACP, generating 3-OH-FFAs, which can subsequently be utilized by FAMTs to produce 3-OH-FAMEs. PhaG (3-hydroxyacyl ACP:coenzyme A [CoA] transacylase) constitutes an alternative route to 3-OH-FFA synthesis; the coexpression of PhaG with FAMT led to the highest level of accumulation of 3-OH-FAMEs and FAMEs. The availability of AdoMet, the second substrate for FAMT, is an important factor regulating the amount of methyl esters produced by bacterial cells. Our results indicate that the deletion of the global methionine regulator metJ and the overexpression of methionine adenosyltransferase result in increased methyl ester synthesis.
Developmental Biology and Human Concerns

Synopsis. There is a large natural loss of human embryos in early gestation. Most con? ceptual losses occur before pregnancy has been diagnosed in the woman. It is now acknowledged that chromosomal aberrations are the major etiologic agents responsible for spon? taneous abortions. Fully 50 percent of naturally aborted embryos in the first trimester have an abnormal karyotype. Most of the chromosomal errors that have been identified in abortuses are only rarely seen in livebirths. Natural in utero selection is relentless in eliminating 99 percent of the chromosomally abnormal conceptuses through spontaneous abortion. The birth of affected offspring that escape nature's screening mechanism can be averted by the option of prenatal diagnosis. The thrust of prenatal diagnosis is to prevent the tragic impact of debilitating genetic disorders. But not all at-risk parents wish to avail themselves of prenatal diagnosis because they are unwilling to accept the choice of therapeutic abortion. Prevention of a genetic disorder before implantation would obviate the necessity of an abortion at a later stage of pregnancy. With this perspective, the correction of the basic genetic flaw by replacing the faulty gene with a functioning allele is an attractive alternative. Notwithstanding the imprecise technology that presently serves to caution against immediate application, gene therapy is a reasonable and natural extension of efforts to ameliorate the effects of severe inherited disorders.
A simple, rapid, and convenient Luminex-compatible method of tissue isolation.

Various pathological conditions are associated with changes in multiple protein biomarkers, and these changes can be assessed using xMAP™ beads and the Luminex™ platform. Although this platform is most commonly utilized in the analysis of biomarkers in serum, plasma, or urine, it is often desirable to measure these analytes in tissues (e.g., biopsy specimens). We have developed a simple, rapid method of tissue isolation in which excised tissues are permeabilized in RNAlater™ at 4°C overnight, followed by Luminex™ analysis for inflammatory biomarkers (cytokines). This method was compared with flash-freezing in both mouse liver and human debrided wound specimens, and may be of utility in other clinical settings. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 22:278–281, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.