cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of a novel set of resident intrathyroidal bone marrow-derived hematopoietic cells: potential for immune-endocrine interactions in thyroid homeostasis

SUMMARY Immunofluorescent staining of thyroid tissues was done using monoclonal antibodies to dendritic cell (DC), lymphocyte, macrophage and granulocyte markers. Despite the presence of occasional CD11c + cells, CD11b + cells, morphologically characteristic of DCs, were abundant in thyroid of normal mice, at a density of ∼2.0 cells per thyroid follicle, and were >tenfold more frequent than CD11c + cells. Thyroid tissues were non-reactive with antibodies to F4/80, CD8α, CD40, CD80, Gr-1, CD3, or CD19, indicating that the CD11b + cells were not macrophages, activated DCs, granulocytes, plasmacytoid DCs, T cells or B cells. Following systemic immune activation, DCs in secondary lymphoid tissues but not in the thyroid, upregulated CD80 expression. Using radiation chimeras made from bone marrow from enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgenic mice, EGFP + DC-like cells were present in the thyroid from 1–20 weeks after bone marrow transfer, but were rare in the kidney and liver, although EGFP + cells were present in secondary lymphoid tissues. Additionally, DCs generated from EGFP + bone marrow cells localized in the thyroid of EGFP – mice following adoptive transfer. Double staining of thyroid tissue sections with antibodies to the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)-β molecule and to CD11b revealed co-expression of TSHβ and CD11b among intrathyroidal DCs. Moreover, RT-PCR analyses indicated expression of the TSHβ gene in thyroid tissues. These findings define a novel bone marrow-derived hematopoietic cell population that resides in the thyroid of normal mice, which may have a unique role in the microregulation of thyroid physiology and homeostasis.
Mouse oocytes within germ cell cysts and primordial follicles contain a Balbiani body

The Balbiani body or mitochondrial cloud is a large distinctive organelle aggregate found in developing oocytes of many species, but its presence in the mouse has been controversial. Using confocal and electron microscopy, we report that a Balbiani body does arise in mouse neonatal germline cysts and oocytes of primordial follicles but disperses as follicles begin to grow. The mouse Balbiani body contains a core of Golgi elements surrounded by mitochondria and associated endoplasmic reticulum. Because of their stage specificity and perinuclear rather than spherical distribution, these clustered Balbiani body mitochondria may have been missed previously. The Balbiani body also contains Trailer hitch, a widely conserved member of a protein complex that associates with endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi-like vesicles and transports specific RNAs during Drosophila oogenesis. Our results provide evidence that mouse oocytes develop using molecular and developmental mechanisms widely conserved throughout the animal kingdom.
Performance of a high-temperature superconducting probe for in vivo microscopy at 2.0 T.

The use of a high-temperature superconducting probe for in vivo magnetic resonance microscopy at 2 T is described. To evaluate the performance of the probe, a series of SNR comparisons are carried out. The SNR increased by a factor of 3.7 compared with an equivalent copper coil. Quantitative measures of the SNR gain are in good agreement with theoretical predictions. A number of issues that are unique to the application of HTS coils are examined, including the difficulty in obtaining homogenous excitation without degrading the SNR of the probe. The use of the HTS probe in transmit-receive mode is simple to implement but results in nonuniform excitation. The effect of using the probe in this mode of operation on the T1 and T*2 contrast is investigated. Methods for improving homogeneity are explored, such as employing a transmit volume coil. It is found that the cost of using an external transmit coil is an increased probe noise temperature and a reduced SNR by ∼30%. Other important aspects of the probe are considered, including the effect of temperature on probe stability. Three-dimensional in vivo imaging sets are acquired to assess the stability of the probe for long scans. High-resolution images of the rat brain demonstrate the utility of the probe for microscopy applications. Magn Reson Med 41:72-79, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Sucrose leakage from the maize scutellum

Abstract Sucrose accumulated in the cytoplasm of mesophyll, parenchyma cells when maize scutella (whole or sliced) were put in concentrated (e.g. 1·0 M) fructose solutions. This accumulated cytoplasmic sucrose leaked from the tissue when the fructose solution was replaced with water or with a more dilute hexitol solution. The amount of leakage was proportional to the concentration difference between the fructose solution bathing the scutellum slices during the sucrose accumulation period and the hexitol solution bathing the slices during the leakage period. Only small amounts of cytoplasmic sucrose leaked from the whole scutellum into water until the root-shoot axis was removed. Other substances also leaked, with sucrose, from the scutellum. Sucrose, nitrogenous compounds, K + and phosphorous compounds leaked in greatest amounts. The results presented are consistent with the ideas of the mass flow hypothesis. In the scutellum system a pressure flow of solution originates in the mesophyll cells, flows from cell to cell through plasmodesmata, into and through the phloem sieve tubes, and, finally, into the bathing solution.
Time-resolved photoluminescence studies of Si- and Mg-doped AlN epilayers

Si and Mg-doped AlN epilayers were grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on sapphire substrates. Deep ultraviolet (UV) picosecond time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy has been employed to study the optical transitions in the grown epilayers. The donor bound exciton (or I 2 ) transition was found to be the dominant recombination line in Si-doped AlN epilayers at 10 K and its emission intensity decreases with increasing Si dopant concentration. Doping induced band-gap renormalization effect has also been observed. Time-resolved PL results on Si-doped AlN revealed a linear decrease of PL decay lifetime with increasing Si dopant concentration, which was believed to be a direct consequence of the doping enhanced nonradiative recombination rates and corroborated the PL intensity results. For Mg-doped AlN epilayers, two emission lines at 4.70 and 5.54 eV have been observed at 10 K, which were assigned to donor-acceptor pair transitions involving Mg acceptor and two different donors (one deep and one shallow). From PL emission spectra and the temperature dependence of the PL emission intensity, a binding energy of 0.51 eV for Mg acceptor in AlN was determined. Together with previous experimental results, the Mg acceptor activation energy in AlGaN as a function of the Al content for the entire AlN composition range was obtained. The average hole effective mass in AlN was also deduced to be about 2.7 m 0 from the experimental value of Mg binding energy together with the effective mass theory. Although Mg acceptors are an effective mass state in ultra-large bandgap AlN, as a consequence of this large acceptor binding energy of 0.51 eV, only a very small fraction (about 10 -9 ) of Mg dopants can be activated at room temperature in Mg-doped AlN. Decay lifetimes of these emission lines are also measured as functions of emission energy, temperature, and excitation intensity. The implications of our finding on the applications of AlN epilayers for many novel devices will also be discussed.
Directly transmitted viral diseases: modeling the dynamics of transmission

A key hurdle in understanding the spread and control of infectious diseases is to capture appropriately the dynamics of pathogen transmission. As people and goods travel increasingly rapidly around the world, so do pathogens; we must be prepared to understand their spread, in terms of the contact network between hosts, viral life history and within-host dynamics. This will require collaborative work that takes into account viral life history, strategy and evolution, and host genetics, demographics and immunodynamics. Mathematical models are a useful tool for integrating the data and analyses from diverse fields that contribute to our understanding of viral transmission dynamics in heterogeneous host populations.
A single cell density-sensing factor stimulates distinct signal transduction pathways through two different receptors.

In Dictyostelium discoideum, cell density is monitored by levels of a secreted protein, conditioned medium factor (CMF). CMFR1 is a putative CMF receptor necessary for CMF-induced G protein-independent accumulation of the SP70 prespore protein but not for CMF-induced G protein-dependent inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate production. Using recombinant fragments of CMF, we find that stimulation of the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate pathway requires amino acids 170–180, whereas SP70 accumulation does not, corroborating a two-receptor model. Cells lacking CMFR1 do not aggregate, due to the lack of expression of several important early developmentally regulated genes, including gp80. Although many aspects of early developmental cAMP-stimulated signal transduction are mediated by CMF, CMFR1 is not essential for cAMP-stimulated cAMP and cGMP production or Ca2+ uptake, suggesting the involvement of a second CMF receptor. Exogenous application of antibodies against either the region between a first and second or a second and third possible transmembrane domain of CMFR1 induces SP70 accumulation. Antibody- and CMF-induced gene expression can be inhibited by recombinant CMFR1 corresponding to the region between the first and third potential transmembrane domains, indicating that this region is extracellular and probably contains the CMF binding site. These observations support a model where a one- or two-transmembrane CMFR1 regulates gene expression and a G protein-coupled CMF receptor mediates cAR1 signal transduction.
Effects of temperature on dispersion of high slope dispersion compensating fibres

Several experimental high dispersion and dispersion slope fibres are measured for their temperature dependence. Supermode resonant coupling is responsible for an interesting trend in the dispersion and dispersion slope variation with temperature.
Adiponectin Stimulates Proliferation of Adult Hippocampal Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells through Activation of p38 Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase (p38MAPK)/Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3β (GSK-3β)/β-Catenin Signaling Cascade

Adiponectin is the most abundant adipokine secreted from adipocytes. Accumulating evidence suggests that the physiological roles of adiponectin go beyond its metabolic effects. In the present study, we demonstrate that adiponectin receptors 1 and 2 (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2) are expressed in adult hippocampal neural stem/progenitor cells (hNSCs). Adiponectin treatment increases proliferation of cultured adult hNSCs in a dose- and time-dependent manner, whereas apoptosis and differentiation of adult hNSCs into neuronal or glial lineage were not affected. Adiponectin activates AMP-activated protein kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) signaling pathways in adult hNSCs. Pretreatment with the p38MAPK inhibitor SB203580, but not the AMP-activated protein kinase inhibitor Compound C, attenuates adiponectin-induced cell proliferation. Moreover, adiponectin induces phosphorylation of Ser-389, a key inhibitory site of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β), and this effect can be blocked by inhibition of p38MAPK with SB203580. Levels of total and nuclear β-catenin, the primary substrate of GSK-3β, were increased by adiponectin treatment. These results indicate that adiponectin stimulates proliferation of adult hNSCs, via acting on GSK-3β to promote nuclear accumulation of β-catenin. Thus, our studies uncover a novel role for adiponectin signaling in regulating proliferation of adult neural stem cells.
Potential nitrogen and carbon processing in a landscape rich in milldam legacy sediments

Recent identification of the widespread distribution of legacy sediments deposited in historic mill ponds has increased concern regarding their role in controlling land–water nutrient transfers in the mid-Atlantic region of the US. At Big Spring Run in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, legacy sediments now overlay a buried relict hydric soil (a former wetland soil). We compared C and N processing in legacy sediment to upland soils to identify soil zones that may be sources or sinks for N transported toward streams. We hypothesized that legacy sediments would have high nitrification rates (due to recent agricultural N inputs), while relict hydric soils buried beneath the legacy sediments would be N sinks revealed via negative net nitrification and/or positive denitrification (because the buried former wetland soils are C rich but low in O2). Potential net nitrification ranged from 9.2 to 77.9 g m−2 year−1 and potential C mineralization ranged from 223 to 1,737 g m−2 year−1, with the highest rates in surface soils for both legacy sediments and uplands. Potential denitrification ranged from 0.37 to 21.72 g m−2 year−1, with the buried relict hydric soils denitrifying an average of 6.2 g m−2 year−1. Contrary to our hypothesis, relict hydric layers did not have negative potential nitrification or high positive potential denitrification rates, in part because microbial activity was low relative to surface soils, as indicated by low nitrifier population activity, low substrate induced respiration, and low exoenzyme activity. Despite high soil C concentrations, buried relict hydric soils do not provide the ecological services expected from a wetland soil. Thus, legacy sediments may dampen N removal pathways in buried relict hydric soils, while also acting as substantial sources of NO3− to waterways.
Phototherapy with disadvantaged boys

The use of photography as an adjunct to psychotherapy is a new and evolving discipline known as phototherapy. Although photographs are used many different ways in therapy (Krauss & Fryrear, 1983) one strong case for the use of phototherapy is to provide a confrontation with self. Photographic self-confrontation provides the client with visual information about the self as an object. The information can be in the form of still photos, film, videotape playback, or even mirrors. The rationale is that this visual information will correct misperceptions, force reconceptualizations, or enhance the esteem in which the observing self hoids the objective self. Social, family, physical. and other attributes can be captured on film or tape and used in confrontive ways. Whether the self-confrontation is therapeutic depends on the selection of the client. the selection of attributes to confront, and the methods ‘of confrontation used. Self-confrontation is not automatically or necessarily therapeutic. Regardless of the specific technique, the provision of a visual display of one’s self virtually demands that one observe one’s self. Danet (1968), speaking of video replay, states that now patients can not only see themselves as others see them, but can react to their own behavior in a way similar to that of others with whom they have interacted. Self-reaction provides them with still more information. Family phototherapists (e.g., Kaslow, 1979; Entin. 1983) may rely on historical photographs from the client’s family album for confrontational purposes. The album is rich in diagnostic information relative to family self-concepts and family system dynamics. By using the historical photographs, the family album method also allows the client to observe the family self-concept and selfesteem process over possibly several years in the supportive atmosphere of the therapy room. Other family phototherapists (e.g., Ruben, 1978) prefer to photograph or videotape the family as the members interact in the therapy session. This visual information provides the client with elaborate data concerning his/her family self-concept and self-esteem, relative to the other family members. For example, a client may notice that he always looks down when father speaks to him, an indication of lowered setfesteem when in the father‘s presence. This data may contradict the client’s statements or even beliefs about his relationship to the father. and lead to a more honest assessment of the family self-esteem and then to strategies for enhancing that self-esteem. Other phototherapists (Fryrear, 1983) who have less of an orientation toward family therapy and more toward the individual are likely to use visual methods directly in the therapy sessions with individual clients or groups. There are several reasons why visuaf selfconfrontation is or can be therapeutic. One is that a client simply may not know what he/she looks like, and the visual self-confrontation pro-
A PARTITION OF VARIANCE IN DENTAL TRAITS OF THE HOUSE MOUSE

A partition of variance of three molar widths in the house mouse is obtained by comparison and analysis of a series of wild, random-bred, inbred and hybrid populations. The hereditary categories include additive genetic, nonadditive genetic and sex. The environmental component is subdivided into wild, maternal, individual, inter-side and measurement categories.
ENSO Modulation of the Interannual and Intraseasonal Variability of the East Asian Monsoon—A Model Study

Abstract The impacts of ENSO on the evolution of the East Asian monsoon have been studied using output from a general circulation model experiment. Observed monthly variations of the sea surface temperature (SST) field have been prescribed in the tropical eastern and central Pacific, whereas the atmosphere has been coupled to an oceanic mixed layer model beyond this forcing region. During the boreal summer of typical El Nino events, a low-level cyclonic anomaly is simulated over the North Pacific in response to enhanced condensational heating over the equatorial central Pacific. Advective processes associated with the cyclone anomaly lead to temperature tendencies that set the stage for the abrupt establishment of a strong Philippine Sea anticyclone (PSAC) anomaly in the autumn. The synoptic development during the onset of the PSAC anomaly is similar to that accompanying cold-air surges over East Asia. The air–sea interactions accompanying the intraseasonal variations (ISV) in the model atmosphere exhibit...
Risk Management in Treating Child Sexual Abuse Victims and Adult Survivors

ABSTRACT Before the 1990s, mental health professionals were rarely sued for “talking cures.” Today, hundreds and hundreds of cases have been brought against therapists working with child sexual abuse issues. Risk management needs to accommodate the current wave of lawsuits so that mental health professionals can avoid litigation. This commentary presents some of the issues involved in these cases, and suggests techniques for therapists to utilize for risk management.
Sub-iteration leads to accuracy and stability enhancements of semi-implicit schemes for the Navier-Stokes equations

We present an iterative semi-implicit scheme for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, which is stable at CFL numbers well above the nominal limit. We have implemented this scheme in conjunction with spectral discretizations, which suffer from serious time step limitations at very high resolution. However, the approach we present is general and can be adopted with finite element and finite difference discretizations as well. Specifically, at each time level, the nonlinear convective term and the pressure boundary condition - both of which are treated explicitly in time - are updated using fixed-point iteration and Aitken relaxation. Eigenvalue analysis shows that this scheme is unconditionally stable for Stokes flows while numerical results suggest that the same is true for steady Navier-Stokes flows as well. This finding is also supported by error analysis that leads to the proper value of the relaxation parameter as a function of the flow parameters. In unsteady flows, second- and third-order temporal accuracy is obtained for the velocity field at CFL number 5-14 using analytical solutions. Systematic accuracy, stability, and cost comparisons are presented against the standard semi-implicit method and a recently proposed fully-implicit scheme that does not require Newton's iterations. In addition to its enhanced accuracy and stability, the proposed method requires the solution of symmetric only linear systems for which very effective preconditioners exist unlike the fully-implicit schemes.
Clinical Trial Experience with Fat‐Restricted vs. Carbohydrate‐Restricted Weight‐Loss Diets

It is unlikely that one diet is optimal for all overweight or obese persons. Both low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets have been shown to induce weight loss and reduce obesity-related comorbidities. Low-carbohydrate diets cause greater short-term (up to 6 months) weight loss than low-fat diets, but the long-term clinical safety and efficacy of these diets has not been studied.
High dose chemotherapy—results of American studies

The role of high dose chemotherapy in the treatment of solid tumors is a subject of robust debate. Opinions range from the adoption of high dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic progenitor support as standard therapy for a number of solid tumors to the view that the application of such expensive and potentially toxic therapy is always experimental and should be the subject of clinical trials to define the role, if any. In germ cell tumors, the role of high dose chemotherapy is somewhat less contentious. In the US, high dose carboplatin and etoposide-based chemotherapy is routinely accepted as standard therapy for those patients failing prior standard dose regimens. There is increasing acceptance of the role of similar high dose therapy as a component of aggressive second line therapy and some initial acceptance of a potential role in primary treatment of poor risk disease. Formal study of these questions has been hampered by the rarity of the illness, the success of standard therapy and the smaller number of patients presenting with far advanced disease. This review will highlight the scientific underpinning of the role of high dose chemotherapy in multiply relapsed patients, as a component of initial salvage therapy and, finally as an attempt to improve outcome in patients with poor risk presenting features. As well, an attempt will be made to highlight where new prognostic information has influenced the design of current studies.
Reactive intermediates in 4He nanodroplets: Infrared laser Stark spectroscopy of dihydroxycarbene

Singlet dihydroxycarbene (HOCOH) is produced via pyrolytic decomposition of oxalic acid, captured by helium nanodroplets, and probed with infrared laser Stark spectroscopy. Rovibrational bands in the OH stretch region are assigned to either trans,trans- or trans,cis-rotamers on the basis of symmetry type, nuclear spin statistical weights, and comparisons to electronic structure theory calculations. Stark spectroscopy provides the inertial components of the permanent electric dipole moments for these rotamers. The dipole components for trans, trans- and trans, cis-rotamers are (μa, μb) = (0.00, 0.68(6)) and (1.63(3), 1.50(5)), respectively. The infrared spectra lack evidence for the higher energy cis,cis-rotamer, which is consistent with a previously proposed pyrolytic decomposition mechanism of oxalic acid and computations of HOCOH torsional interconversion and tautomerization barriers.
Endometrial responses to various hormone replacement regimens in ovarian failure patients preparing for embryo donation.

Abstract Various regimens are recommended for replacing sex steroids in ovarian failure patients attempting donor embryo transfer. We histologically assessed endometrial biopsies obtained on simulated cycle day 26 from functionally agonadal patients (n = 19) receiving hormone replacement according to three different regimens: Regimen 1, oral micronized estradiol (E 2 ) 2 mg days 1–5, 4 mg days 6–9, 6 mg days 10–13, 4 mg days 14–28, with progesterone vaginal suppositories, 100 mg day 15 followed by 200 mg days 16–28; Regimen 2, oral micronized E 2 1 mg days 1–5, 2 mg days 6–9, 6 mg days 10–13, 2 mg days 14–28, with progesterone vaginal suppositories, 100 mg day 15 followed by 200 mg days 16–28; Regimen 3: oral micronized E 2 1 mg days 1–5, 2 mg days 6–9, 6 mg days 10–13, 2 mg days 14–28, progesterone 50 mg intramuscularly delivered day 15 followed by 100 mg intramuscularly days 16–28. Biopsies were interpreted according to Noyes criteria. While all regimens resulted in variable degrees of stromal pseudodecidualization, Regimen 1 biopsies uniformly demonstrated glandular abnormalities consistent with excessive estrogen stimulation. This included aberrant maturation, intraluminal papillary excrescences and variations in epithelium size and stratification. Regimen 2 biopsies were morphologically normal in most patients, yet many manifested minor variations in gland maturity. Only Regimen 3 biopsies were consistently normal on day 26 or slightly advanced in maturation. We conclude that endometrial morphology differs according to the hormone replacement preparation and route of administration. A combination of oral E 2 and intramuscular progesterone, given according to Regimen 3 design, reliably produces in-phase secretory endometrium morphologically indistinguishable from a natural spontaneous cycle.
Biochemical identification of putative GABA/benzodiazepine receptors in house fly thorax muscles

Abstract [ 3 H]Flunitrazepam ([ 3 H]Flu) was used to identify benzodiazepine binding sites in house fly thorax muscle membranes using a filter assay. [ 3 H]Flu bound to a finite number of sites in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, reaching equilibrium in 10 min. Scatchard plots of the binding indicated a high-affinity site at 0.2 pmol/mg protein ( K d 24.3 n M ) and a low-affinity site at 8.2 pmol/mg protein ( K d 994n M ). Binding of [ 3 H]Flu to the high-affinity binding site was inhibited by several benzodiazepine analogs, with Flu, diazepam, and Ro 5-4864 being more potent than β-CCE, Ro 5-3027, and Ro 5-2180. Clonazepam was least potent in inhibiting [ 3 H]Flu binding. Thus, the drug specificity of these insect muscle benzodiazepine binding sites was quite different from both the mammalian central and peripheral benzodiazepine receptor sites, though closer to the peripheral ones. GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) and its agonists enhanced the specific binding of [ 3 H]Flu in a dose-dependent manner, and this effect was inhibited with the GABA antagonist bicuculline. The effect was biphasic since at high GABA concentrations this stimulation was reduced. The data suggest that house fly muscles have benzodiazepine receptors, which are coupled allosterically to GABA receptors, analogous to the GABA/benzodiazepine receptors of vertebrates, but with some differences in their drug specificities.
Prospects For An X-Ray Free-Electron Laser

Prospects for an X -Ray Free- Electron LaserJulio Gea- Banacloche, Gerald T. Moore and Marlan O. ScullyInstitute for Modern Optics, Department of Physics and AstronomyUniversity of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131AbstractWe present an overview of the regimes in which operation of an x -ray free -electron laser(FEL) may be feasible, including discussion of static and electromagnetic wigglers, quantumrecoil, high -gain operation, mass -shift broadening, and electron beam quality.IntroductionThe free -electron laser is a swept -gain laser which offers unique possibilities forscaling to short -wavelength operation. Atomic charge- exchange swept -gain devices' 2 whichhave been proposed for operation at x -ray wavelengths are limited by rapid spontaneous decayof the upper lasing level. By contrast, energy input to the FEL is in the stable form ofelectron kinetic energy, and the electrons themselves (not just the gain) propagate atnearly the speed of light. No atomic nuclei or bound electrons are present to complicatethe physics (except in the resonator materials).We shall consider here possible regimes for an x -ray FEL lasing at the fundamentalfrequency
High frequency, synchronized bursting drives eye-specific segregation of retinogeniculate projections

Blockade of retinal waves prevents the segregation of retinogeniculate afferents into eye-specific layers in the visual thalamus. However, the key features of retinal waves that drive this refinement are controversial. Some manipulations of retinal waves lead to normal eye-specific segregation but others do not. By comparing retinal spiking patterns in several mutant mice with differing levels of eye-specific segregation, we show that the presence of high-frequency bursts synchronized across neighboring retinal ganglion cells correlates with robust eye-specific segregation and that the presence of high levels of asynchronous spikes does not inhibit this segregation. These findings provide a possible resolution to previously described discrepancies regarding the role of retinal waves in retinogeniculate segregation.
The Cell-Free Integration of a Polytopic Mitochondrial Membrane Protein into Liposomes Occurs Cotranslationally and in a Lipid-Dependent Manner

The ADP/ATP Carrier (AAC) is the most abundant transporter of the mitochondrial inner membrane. The central role that this transporter plays in cellular energy production highlights the importance of understanding its structure, function, and the basis of its pathologies. As a means of preparing proteoliposomes for the study of membrane proteins, several groups have explored the use of cell-free translation systems to facilitate membrane protein integration directly into preformed unilamellar vesicles without the use of surfactants. Using AAC as a model, we report for the first time the detergent-free reconstitution of a mitochondrial inner membrane protein into liposomes using a wheat germ-based in vitro translation system. Using a host of independent approaches, we demonstrate the efficient integration of AAC into vesicles with an inner membrane-mimetic lipid composition and, more importantly, that the integrated AAC is functionally active in transport. By adding liposomes at different stages of the translation reaction, we show that this direct integration is obligatorily cotranslational, and by synthesizing stable ribosome-bound nascent chain intermediates, we show that the nascent AAC polypeptide interacts with lipid vesicles while ribosome-bound. Finally, we show that the presence of the phospholipid cardiolipin in the liposomes specifically enhances AAC translation rate as well as the efficiency of vesicle association and integration. In light of these results, the possible mechanisms of liposome-assisted membrane protein integration during cell-free translation are discussed with respect to the mode of integration and the role of specific lipids.
Properties of alumina–titania coatings prepared by laser-assisted air plasma spraying

Abstract Studies have shown that microstructures formed by post-laser remelting of air plasma sprayed coatings exhibit densification but also numerous macrocracks due to the rapid cooling and thermal stresses. In laser-assisted air plasma spraying (LAAPS) process, the laser beam interacts simultaneously with the plasma torch in order to increase the temperature of the coating and possibly remelt the coating at the surface. As a result, the microstructure is partially densified and macrocracks, which are generally produced in the post-laser irradiation treatment, may be inhibited. In this paper, LAAPS was performed to improve the hardness and wear resistance of Al2O3–13%TiO2 coatings. These coatings prepared by air plasma spraying (APS) are widely used to protect components against abrasive wear at low temperatures. The coating microstructure was characterized by SEM and X-ray diffraction. The mechanical characterization was done by hardness measurements, erosive wear tests and abrasion wear tests. Results showed that laser assistance may improve the microstructural and mechanical properties. Phenomena involved in LAAPS of alumina–titania coatings are discussed in this paper.
Hidden places, uncommon persons.

Abstract Specialized hospital units recently created to house and maintain ventilator or other technology-dependent persons in the United States are new cultural forms that enable beings who are neither fully alive, biologically dead, nor “naturally” self-regulating, yet who are sustained by modern medical practices, to exist. These institutions both fabricate and complicate the persons who are patients there through surveillance and maintenance of their conditions. This article concerns the relationship of person to place when the consciousness of an individual, considered to be the essence of personhood in the modern Western philosophical tradition, is problematic because the person resides in a technologically produced border zone between life and death. The article explores the ways in which place and person become implicated one another: first, how consciousness and thus personhood is assessed and negotiated through the inter-subjective knowledge of hospital staff; second, how that knowledge is tied to the particular situate-dness of patients; and third, how embodiment itself—the reflexive knowledge of the-self-in-the-body—is perceived as emplaced in social and spatial relations.
LDV measurements and analysis of gas and particulate phase velocity profiles in a vertical jet plume in a 2D bubbling fluidized bed Part III: The effect of fluidization

Abstract In the present work, the effect of emulsion fluidization on the gas and particle phase transport in a high-speed gas jet plume in a bubbling bed is examined. Implementing a Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) technique, the gas and particulate phase velocities of a gas jet injected into a bubbling bed of 838 μm high-density polyethylene (HDPE) micropellets were measured. These velocity profiles were used to determine the volume fraction, mass flow, and momentum transport rate for each phase at various axial locations as well as an average particle drag coefficient in the measurement region of the plume. Maintaining consistent gas jet inlet conditions, the HDPE emulsion fluidization was varied from a spouted bed to 50% beyond minimum fluidization. In addition to the integral flow values, centerline phase velocity scaling is also examined. The scaling is based on the development of similarity velocity profiles for the two phases. Additional experiments to investigate this idea were carried out with 1) the particle emulsion and fluidization level is held constant while the jet inlet velocity is varied and 2) the jet inlet velocity and fluidization ratio is held constant while the bed particles are varied.
Water flux through porcine aortic tissue due to a hydrostatic pressure gradient

Abstract The water flux through preparations of porcine aorta has been investigated. After an initial unsteady period a stable flux of approximately 2 μl/cm 2 -h was reached and this flux rate remained constant for several hours. Under the experimental conditions which were maintained (110 mm Hg pressure drop across a 2 mm thick section of tissue) this total flux corresponds to a hydraulic conductivity of \ 7.0 × 10 −13 cm 4 /dyne-sec. Since these data were obtained in tissue samples where the endothelial layer was not intact, they represent values which are in fact larger than the actual in vivo condition where the endothelial barrier would serve as an additional resistance. Thus, they demonstrate that the transmural flux of water across the aorta wall in vitro due to a pressure gradient is extremely small and, therefore, that other mass transfer mechanisms may be significant.
Exact results for extensions of twofold nested anova for variance components

Consider the standard twofold nested design for analysis of variance with random effects (a variance components model). The usual assumption of zero means and equal variances is made for each of the three types of random variables that occur in this balanced model, and the random variables are assumed to be mutually uncorrelated. The customary normality assumption is also made when tests or confidence regions are desired. This standard model is extended, in several ways, by adding one, two or three additional random terms (of an “error” nature) to the standard model. The extensions apply to very much more general situations than does the standard model. Exact procedures are obtained, however, for investigating all of the mean effect and the three types of variance components, and for investigating various subsets of these parameters. The generality level for an extended model depends on which of the parameters are investigated simultaneously, and is greater for a subset of a set of the parameters than for the set. Most of the investigation procedures are different from those customarily used for the standard model.
Pulmonary penetration and deposition of aerosols in different gases: fluid flow effects.

Abstract Steady state mouth breathing deposition experiments were carried out in normal human subjects in two different gases, air and 80% He-20% O2 using monodisperse aerosols of diameter 1.7 μm. The overall deposition of particles, occurring primarily in the pulmonary spaces, was found in every case to be greater for the He-O2 gas compared with air at the same breathing conditions. Since intrinsic particle transport is equal at this diameter for the two gas mixtures, differences must be due to fluid flow effects. On the basis of its lower Reynolds number (Reair/ReHe-02 = 3.80), the He-O2 gas is believed to have a more rapid profile development in the airways which carries the aerosol front deeper into the pulmonary spaces. This produces a larger interface between tidal and reserve air leading to greater deposition. Differences in mechanical mixing at the bronchial or alveolar level do not explain the observed differences in these experiments, since they would predict the opposite effect.
EVOLVING EMOTIONS IN ANIMAL AND ROBOT

The article outlines an evolutionary account relating motivational systems to emotions and the cortical systems which elaborate them. It then addresses the issue of whether and how to characterise emotions in such a way that one might say that a robot has emotions even if they are not empathically linked to human emotions.
Statistical tests for biological interactions : A comparison of permutation tests and analysis of variance

Interaction terms from statistical tests are often used to make inferences about biological processes. For interaction terms to be biologically meaningful, it is critical that the statistical method used tests a model that corresponds to a realistic null hypothesis. A commonly used data analysis method, the analysis of variance F-test (ANOVA), is limited when examining interactions because there are a limited number of statistical models that it can test. This is further complicated by the fact that data transformations, which affect the model being tested, are sometimes required to meet ANOVA's assumptions. Thus, when using ANOVA, it can be difficult to determine whether interactions that are found in data were produced by biological mechanisms or are statistical artifacts due to an unrealistic model. A survey of the literature indicated that these shortcomings are often not recognized despite ANOVA's widespread use. In this paper, we evaluate the suitability of an alternate method, permutation tests, compared to ANOVA. We compare the range of potential statistical models that each method can test and the power of each method to detect interactions when using an appropriate model. We provide two simulated experiments on species interactions that show that ANOVA and permutation tests have similar power when testing an appropriate statistical model, but that permutation tests provide an advantage over ANOVA in their ability to test a wider range of models. We conclude that permutation tests can be used to make inferences, potentially impossible with ANOVA, concerning biological interactions.
Primary structure of E. coli alanine transfer RNA: relation to the yeast phenylalanyl tRNA synthetase recognition site.

Nucleotide sequence comparison of tRNAs aminoacylated by yeast phenylalanyl tRNA synthetase (PRS) have lead to the proposal that the specific nucleotides of the dihydrouridine (diHU) stem region and adenosine at the fourth position from the 3′ end are involved in the PRS recognition site. Kinetic analysis and enzymatic methylation have shown that the size of the diHU loop and the methylation of guanine at position 10 from the 5′ end both directly affect the PRS aminoacylation kinetics. E. coli tRNA1A1a, which is aminoacylated by PRS, should therefore have 1- the specific nucleotides of the diHU stem region and, 2- adenosine at position 4 from the 3′ end. The PRS aminoacylation kinetics of this tRNA indicates that this molecule 3- has a diHU loop of 8 nucleotides and 4- has an unmethylated guanine at position 10 from the 5′ end. We report here the complete sequence of E. coli tRNA1A1a and confirmation of each of these four predictions.
Entropic factors provide unusual reactivity and selectivity in epoxide-opening reactions promoted by water

Despite the myriad of selective enzymatic reactions that occur in water, chemists have rarely capitalized on the unique properties of this medium to govern selectivity in reactions. Here we report detailed mechanistic investigations of a water-promoted reaction that displays high selectivity for what is generally a disfavored product. A combination of structural and kinetic data indicates not only that synergy between substrate and water suppresses undesired pathways but also that water promotes the desired pathway by stabilizing charge in the transition state, facilitating proton transfer, doubly activating the substrate for reaction, and perhaps most remarkably, reorganizing the substrate into a reactive conformation that leads to the observed product. This approach serves as an outline for a general strategy of exploiting solvent-solute interactions to achieve unusual reactivity in chemical reactions. These findings may also have implications in the biosynthesis of the ladder polyether natural products, such as the brevetoxins and ciguatoxins.
Life, Liberty, and Property

The words “liberty” and “liberalism” have a common root, reflecting the commitment of the original or classical liberals to a free society. Over the last century, the latter term has come to represent a political position that is willing to sacrifice liberty in the economic realm for the sake of equality and/or collective welfare. As a consequence, those who wish to reaffirm the classical version of liberalism – those who advocate liberty in economic as well as personal and intellectual matters – have invented a new word from the old root; they call themselves libertarians. Both in doctrine and in etymology, then, partisans of this view define themselves by their allegiance to liberty. Yet they spend most of their day-to-day polemical energies defending property rights and the economic system of laissez-faire capitalism that is based upon such rights. Evidently there is a strong link between liberty and property at work here. What is that link?The history of political thought is full of ideas and controversies about precisely this question. My goal here is to raise the question in a specific form, one that I think captures a basic difference in approach between classical liberals and most libertarians today. The difference is not in the substance of the position – it is not a disagreement about how the ideal society would be constituted – but rather in the way the position is to be defended. The key question is: can the right to property be derived from the right to liberty?Of course a property right is a right to kind of freedom.
Transmission of UV/visible light through model human epidermis at varying ambient humidity

Model human epidermal samples are used for transmission measurements at varying ambient humidity. Light is used from four different light emitting diodes (LEDs), of UVA wavelength of 365nm, and three visible wavelengths of 460nm, 500nm, and 595nm. A humidity-controlled chamber was used to house the samples while transmission measurements were taken. Many different types of measurements were taken, including raising ambient humidity from 20% to 75% then adding 0.5mL of water to the sample; lowering humidity from near 100% to 60%; and alternately raising and lowering of the ambient humidity. The results show higher transmission of light through the samples at very high ambient humidity, about 100%; whereas the transmission is much lower at lower ambient humidity. A simple model of epidermis as a turbid medium and reduced light scattering by refractive index matching is used to explain the results. Implications of these results are discussed.
Management of the Epididymal Tubule During an End-to-Side Vasoepididymostomy

AbstractMicrosurgical repairs of epididymal obstruction have improved because of specific tubule anastomoses. However, these techniques require considerable microsurgical skills and any modifications to organize and simplify these procedures seem desirable. Four modifications are described for the management of the epididymal tubule during end-to-side vasoepididymostomy, including closed tubule fixation, micro-tubulotomy, micro-suction and placement of double-armed sutures through the epididymal tubule before attachment of the vas. These procedures have been performed on 51 patients. "Mixed procedures," or a modified vasoepididymostomy on 1 side and a vasovasostomy on the other, were done in 32 cases and "pure procedures," which included bilateral modified end-to-side vasoepididymostomy (16) and unilateral procedures (3), were done in 19. The semen and pregnancy data for the 19 cases of pure procedures were patency rate 58 percent in 11 and pregnancy rate 42 percent in 8. These modifications appeared to b...
Percent Agreement, Pearson's Correlation, and Kappa as Measures of Inter-examiner Reliability

Percent agreement and Pearson's correlation coefficient are frequently used to represent inter-examiner reliability, but these measures can be misleading. The use of percent agreement to measure inter-examiner agreement should be discouraged, because it does not take into account the agreement due solely to chance. Caution must be used in the interpretation of Pearson's correlation, because it is unaffected by the presence of any systematic biases. Analyses of data from a reliability study show that even though percent agreement and kappa were consistently high among three examiners, the reliability measured by Pearson's correlation was inconsistent. This study shows that correlation and kappa can be used together to uncover non-random examiner error.
Measuring the emergence of tobacco dependence: the contribution of negative reinforcement models

This review of negative reinforcement models of drug dependence is part of a series that takes the position that a complete understanding of current concepts of dependence will facilitate the development of reliable and valid measures of the emergence of tobacco dependence. Other reviews within the series consider models that emphasize positive reinforcement and social learning/cognitive models. This review summarizes negative reinforcement in general and then presents four current negative reinforcement models that emphasize withdrawal, classical conditioning, self-medication and opponent-processes. For each model, the paper outlines central aspects of dependence, conceptualization of dependence development and influences that the model might have on current and future measures of dependence. Understanding how drug dependence develops will be an important part of future successful tobacco dependence measurement, prevention and treatment strategies.