cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Geology, climate and vegetation of the Sierra Nevada and the mixed-conifer zone: An introduction to the ecosystem

Abstract The Sierra Nevada bioregion occupies over 6 million hectares, ranging in elevation from nearly sea level to the highest peaks in the contiguous United States. Vegetation patterns and landscape mosaics are the combined result of geography, climate patterns, and human-derived and natural disturbances. The western slope rises gently with deeply incised river drainages. Annual temperatures and precipitation patterns are Mediterranean in nature, with wet winters and dry summers. The eastern escarpment drops steeply into the Great Basin and Mojave Desert and is largely within the rain shadow. Urban centers and extensive agricultural activities border much of the western slope, while the eastern side is sparsely populated. The transport, distribution and effects of air pollution are the consequence of geography, vegetation and patterns of urban and agricultural development. An understanding of air pollution in the Sierra Nevada bioregion begins with an understanding of the physical environment. This chapter details the key elements of the Sierran environment that influence the air pollution.
A fast-transient DVS-capable switching converter with ΔI L -emulated hysteretic control

A ΔI L -emulated hysteretic switching converter, achieving both low-ESR operation and fast load transient response, is presented. Designed with a 0.35µm CMOS process, it achieves sub-10mV output ripple and 7.6µs/14.4µs response times to 400mA load step-up/down changes. Reference tracking speed in DVS is less than 20µs/V, which is 9.4 times faster on down-tracking than conventional counterparts, due to a charge recycling technique. It achieves a maximum efficiency of 92.7% and a fixed frequency that is adaptively controlled at 1.7MHz.
Detection of Apoptosis for the Noninvasive Diagnosis of Cardiac Allograft Rejection

An important feature of transplant rejection is the immune mediated death of graft myocytes and host mononuclear cells invading the graft. In this instance, a major cause of cell death is apoptosis as mentioned in previous chapters. This stereo-typed form of cell death is associated with the expression of phosphatidylserine (PS) on the surface of the apoptotic cell (most likely as a signaling mechanism to adjacent cells and phagocytes). A physiologic protein, annexin V, binds with nanomolar affinity to cell membrane bound PS, and likely plays an important role in the cell-cell signaling and local inhibition of apoptotic cell death. We describe the animal model work and the initial clinical imaging potential of radiolabeled annexin V imaging.
Energy metabolism of the visual system

The visual system is one of the most energetically demanding systems in the brain. The currency of energy is ATP, which is generated most efficiently from oxidative metabolism in the mitochondria. ATP supports multiple neuronal functions. Foremost is repolarization of the membrane potential after depolarization. Neuronal activity, ATP generation, blood flow, oxygen consumption, glucose utilization, and mitochondrial oxidative metabolism are all interrelated. In the retina, phototransduction, neurotransmitter utilization, and protein/organelle transport are energy-dependent, yet repolarization-after-depolarization consumes the bulk of the energy. Repolarization in photoreceptor inner segments maintains the dark current. Repolarization by all neurons along the visual pathway following depolarizing excitatory glutamatergic neurotransmission preserves cellular integrity and permits reactivation. The higher metabolic activity in the magno- versus the parvo-cellular pathway, the ON- versus the OFF-pathway in some (and the reverse in other) species, and in specialized functional representations in the visual cortex all reflect a greater emphasis on the processing of specific visual attributes. Neuronal activity and energy metabolism are tightly coupled processes at the cellular and even at the molecular levels. Deficiencies in energy metabolism, such as in diabetes, mitochondrial DNA mutation, mitochondrial protein malfunction, and oxidative stress can lead to retinopathy, visual deficits, neuronal degeneration, and eventual blindness.
Toward Improved Models for Hemodynamics in Stenotic Vessels: PIV and CFD Results Including Turbulence and Compliance

Due to the mortality and morbidity of cardiovascular disease, there is great interest in the flow dynamics and fluid mechanical forces in stenotic vessels. Critical stress conditions both on [1–2] and within [3] atherosclerotic plaque deposits have been implicated in plaque rupture. The presence of atherosclerotic lesions constricting and accelerating blood flow changes the wall behavior, and can also trigger intermittent, unstable, or transitional flows [4–5]. The current work evaluates the effect of incorporating flow turbulence and wall compliance in hemodynamic models.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Lidar Observations Of Cirrus Cloud Parameters

Cirrus cloud observations obtained with the University of Wisconsin High Spectral Resolution Lidar and High Performance Nd:Yag lidar are presented. These include accurate determination of the optical depths, backscatter phase functions, three-dimensional spatial structure and internal wind fields.
Automated low frequency load cutoff

The power grid is changing, new types of generation are increasingly coming on line at both the commercial and consumer scale. As technology improves, energy harvesting, by various means, will force the grid to adapt. Traditional means of control and management may become strained or inadequate for the future grid. The grid is also becoming smarter with increasing interaction between utilities and consumers, and as it becomes more interconnected and interactive, new threats from these interconnections arise. The drive to reduce costs and make the grid more efficient will inevitably push the operation of the grid closer to the safe limits making it increasingly likely small triggers will cause wide scale problems. One potential solution is making the system controls layered with a series of different control mechanisms including both automated and centralized systems. This article explores and demonstrates the development and potential impact of one such consumer level control mechanism. Specifically, we developed a prototype system by which non-essential, non-time critical “dumb” loads can be made to respond to detected events observable in the system frequency, and thereby assist in the recovery from larger events. This system responds in a totally automated fashion without communications or control signals, and thus provide a measure of immunity from communications problems and could replace a small amount of reserves that would otherwise be required. We examine here the construction, operation and potential benefits of such a device.
Brief psychological intervention with traumatized young women: the efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.

To study the efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) with traumatized young women, 60 women between the ages of 16 and 25 were randomly assigned to two sessions of either EMDR or an active listening (AL) control. Factorial ANOVA interaction effects and simple main effects for outcome measures (Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Penn Inventory for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Impact of Event Scale, Tennessee Self-Concept Scale) indicated significant improvement for both groups and significantly greater pre-post change for EMDR-treated participants. Pre-post effect sizes for the EMDR group averaged 1.56 compared to 0.65 for the AL group. Despite treatment brevity, the posttreatment outcome variable means of EMDR-treated participants compared favorably with nonpatient or successfully treated norm groups on all measures.
Degree of reversibility of left ventricular systolic dysfunction after aortic valve replacement for isolated aortic valve stenosis.

Abstract To determine whether a low preoperative left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) returns to normal late after aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis, 42 patients with critical aortic stenosis (valve area 0.7 cm2 or less), LV systolic dysfunction (EF 0.45 or less), angiographically normal coronary arteries, and no other significant valvular disease were studied at 10 to 84 months (mean 41 ± 21) postoperatively. All patients survived aortic valve replacement and were discharged clinically improved. There were 4 late deaths; these patients were older (79 ± 6 vs 64 ± 13 years, p = 0.007) and had lower preoperative mean valve gradients (51 ± 6 vs 68 ± 23 mm Hg, p = 0.003) than late survivors. Of 23 survivors who returned for follow-up radionuclide angiography and Doppler echocardiography, 21 were asymptomatic. EF returned to normal (0.50 or more) in 14 patients (group 1) and remained low in 9 patients (group 2). Doppler peak prosthetic valve gradient was 24 ± 8 mm Hg in group 1 and 25 ± 10 mm Hg in group 2 (difference not significant). Six of the 9 patients in group 2 underwent early postoperative radionuclide imaging, and LVEF was normal in 4 (0.65 ± 0.14 early vs 0.41 ± 0.06 late, p = 0.02). Of 77 preoperative and intraoperative variables analyzed, only paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (0 of 14 vs 4 to 9, p = 0.01) distinguished group 1 from group 2. Thus, LVEF does not always normalize after aortic valve replacement for AS, implying impaired myocardial contractility. In a subset of patients with low late postoperative LVEF, early postoperative LVEF was normal. Late mortality occurs in older patients with lower valve gradients, but overall clinical results are excellent and independent of postoperative EF.
The effect of hemodialysis on levels of cyclic nucleotide-associated hormones in patients with chronic renal failure.

In order to determine the molecular basis for the loss of catechol-amine responsiveness in skeletal muscle in chronic azotemia, plasma and serum levels of catecholamines and other hormones whose mechanism of action are associated in part with cyclic nucleotide mediation were assessed in 37 patients with chronic azotemia. Samples were obtained prior to and immediately following conventional hemodialysis. Plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine levels in patients predialysis were increased 50% and 25% respectively compared to control subjects. Levels of insulin, prolactin, aldosterone and renin were also in creased in azotemic patients prior to dialysis. Conventional hemodialysis reduced serum levels of growth hormone, but had no effect on the elevated levels of all other hormones found in patients predialysis. In particular, plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine levels were unaffected by hemodialysis. Despite these findings, hemodialysis did reduce to normal levels the elevated plasma levels of cyclic AMP an...
Monitoring social centrality for peer-to-peer network protection

Resilience of networking infrastructures is crucial for ensuring protection and readiness in the case of an emergency. Enabling Peer-to-Peer (P2P) communication is one way of alleviating potential outcomes of depending on a centralized system with a single point of failure, which would be hard to recover in the case of cyberattack. In this article, we consider P2P-enabled networks and discuss how it is possible to benefit from social centrality metrics to prevent catastrophic spreading of malicious content. Using classical Susceptible-Infected- Recovered (SIR) simulation models designed for disease propagation in a social community on two different reallife P2P network topologies, we demonstrate that the nodes that are ranked highly by social centrality metrics should be better protected to prevent malicious content propagation. Our results suggest that nodes that are central are significantly more effective than random nodes in spreading malicious content across the network and among different centrality metrics, Eigenvector centrality is more useful for identifying the nodes that should be better protected in P2P networks.
Propionate mitochondrial toxicity in liver and skeletal muscle: acyl CoA levels.

Abstract Propionic acidemia occasionally produces a toxic encephalopathy resembling Reye syndrome, indicating disruption of mitochondrial metabolism. Understanding the mitochondrial effect of propionate might clarify the pathophysiology. Liver mitochondria are inhibited by propionate (5 m m ) while muscle mitochondria are not. Preincubation is required to inhibit liver mitochondria, suggesting that propionate is metabolized to propionyl CoA. Liver and skeletal muscle mitochondria incubated with [1-14C]propionate contain similar quantities of matrix isotope and release comparable [14C]CO2. However, only liver mitochondria accumulated significant propionyl CoA, which was largely (68%) synthesized from propionate. Carnitine reduced the level of liver matrix propionyl CoA. Inhibition of respiratory control ratios by propionate correlated with propionyl CoA levels. These results support the hypothesis that acyl CoA esters are toxic and that carnitine exerts its protective effect by converting acyl CoA esters to acylcarnitine esters.
The impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy on prevalence and incidence of cervical human papillomavirus infections in HIV-positive adolescents

The implementation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) among HIV-positive patients results in immune reconstitution, slower progression of HIV disease, and a decrease in the occurrence of opportunistic infections. However, the impact of HAART on cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, clearance, and persistence in high-risk adolescents remains controversial. HIV-positive and high-risk HIV-negative female adolescents were enrolled in the Reaching for Excellence in Adolescent Care and Health (REACH) longitudinal cohort study. At each semi-annual clinical visit, cervical lavage samples were tested for 30 HPV types. Type-specific and carcinogenic risk-specific HPV prevalence and incidence were compared in 373 eligible participants: 146 HIV-negative female adolescents with a median follow-up of 721.5 [IQR: 483-1301] days and 227 HIV-positive female adolescents. Of the 227 HIV-positive participants, a fixed set (n = 100) were examined both before and after HAART initiation; 70 were examined only before HAART initiation; and 57 were examined only after HAART initiation, with overall median follow-up of 271 [IQR: 86.5-473] and 427.25 [IQR: 200-871] days respectively for before and after HAART initiation. Of the 373 eligible participants, 262 (70%) were infected with at least one type of HPV at baseline, and 78 of the remaining 111 (70%) became infected with at least one type of HPV by the end of the study. Overall, the incidence and prevalence of HPV types 58, 53/66, 68/70, and 31/33/35 were much higher than the established carcinogenic and HPV vaccine types 16 and 18, especially in HIV-positive females both before and after HAART initiation. Baseline prevalence for individual high-risk HPV types ranged, depending on type, from 0.7-10%, 1-17%, and 1-18% in the HIV-negative group, the HIV-positive before HAART initiation group, and the HIV-positive after HAART initiation group, respectively. Likewise, the incidence ranged, depending on HPV type, from 0.64-9.83 cases/100 PY, 3.00-12.80 cases/100 PY, and 1.49-17.05 cases/100 PY in the three groups, respectively. The patterns of each HPV type infection, clearance, and persistence did not differ considerably before or after the introduction of HAART and were clearly independent of CD4+ change within the short post-HAART follow-up period. HAART did not immediately affect the incidence of type-specific HPV infections within a short-period follow-up; however, future studies are warranted in larger populations to evaluate HAART's impact over longer periods.
SEX RATIO, PARENTAL INVESTMENT, AND INTERPARENT VARIABILITY IN NESTING SUCCESS IN A SOLITARY BEE.

Observations of uniquely marked females of the solitary, twig-nesting bee, Osmia bruneri, were conducted under greenhouse conditions to test several predictions of sex-ratio and parental-investment theory. In support of Fisher's (1958) theory, we found that the observed sex-ratio of progeny in this dimorphic species did not differ from that expected on the basis of average male and female weights. Investment patterns also exhibited a seasonal component: female parents produced more female than male offspring early in the nesting season but reversed this pattern later. Interfemale variability was large for all nesting parameters examined. Neither female-parent size nor the rate at which females completed cells was significantly related to several estimates of parent fitness. Parent-offspring heritability for size was also low. We found no evidence to support the hypothesis that progeny sex-ratios are influenced by maternal condition. Variance in progeny sex-ratios was large, but the population sex-ratio probably departs frequently from the equilibrium value. The results marginally support Kolman's (1960) prediction of large variance in progeny sex-ratios in large panmictic populations. We conclude that variability among females in investment patterns and variability in size among progenies are probably maintained by such factors as resource heterogeneity and the shape of the adult survivorship curve.
Controls on dissolved organic carbon composition and export from rice-dominated systems

Rice field outflow can contain high con- centrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which plays a crucial role in drinking water quality and aquatic ecosystem processes. This study examined the relationship between potential determining factors (i.e. rice area, outflow, drainwater reuse, soil proper- ties, and time, measured as the day in the growing season) and the concentration and composition of DOC exported from 11 rice-dominated subwatersheds. Samples were collected from subwatershed inflow and outflow every 1-2 weeks from May through Septem- ber 2008 and analyzed for DOC concentration, trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP), and also specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA254) and the spectral slope parameter (S), which are indicators of DOC composition. Concentrations of DOC across all subwatersheds and sampling dates ranged from 1.56 to 14.43 mg L -1 (mean = 4.32 mg L -1 ). Linear mixed effects (LME) analysis indicated that DOC concentra- tion decreased over time, and that THMFP, and DOC and THM flux, decreased over time, but increased with outflow. LME analysis of the SUVA254 and S param- eters indicated that the fraction of aromatic DOC moieties increased with time, outflow, and reuse. Additionally, apparent peaks in DOC concentrations, THMFP, and SUVA254 coincided with the onsets of flooding and draining. Lastly, subwatersheds with outflow less than approximately 4,700 m 3 ha -1 behaved as sinks of DOC. Our findings suggest that water management factors such as outflow, reuse, and discrete irrigation events, all of which vary over the course of the growing season, were the dominant determinants of DOC concentration and composition.
An anti-ganglioside antibody-secreting hybridoma induces neuropathy in mice.

Immune responses against gangliosides are strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of some variants of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). For example, IgG antibodies against GM1, GD1a, and related gangliosides are frequently present in patients with post-Campylobacter acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) variant of GBS, and immunization of rabbits with GM1 has produced a model of AMAN. However, the role of anti-ganglioside antibodies in GBS continues to be debated because of lack of a passive transfer model. We recently have raised several monoclonal IgG anti-ganglioside antibodies. We passively transfer these antibodies by intraperitoneal hybridoma implantation and by systemic administration of purified anti-ganglioside antibodies in mice. Approximately half the animals implanted with an intraperitoneal clone of anti-ganglioside antibody-secreting hybridoma developed a patchy, predominantly axonal neuropathy affecting a small proportion of nerve fibers. In contrast to hybridoma implantation, passive transfer with systemically administered anti-ganglioside antibodies did not cause nerve fiber degeneration despite high titre circulating antibodies. Blood-nerve barrier studies indicate that animals implanted with hybridoma had leaky blood-nerve barrier compared to mice that received systemically administered anti-ganglioside antibodies. Our findings suggest that in addition to circulating antibodies, factors such as antibody accessibility and nerve fiber resistance to antibody-mediated injury play a role in the development of neuropathy.
Watch this: A taxonomy for dynamic data visualization

Visualizations embody design choices about data access, data transformation, visual representation, and interaction. To interpret a static visualization, a person must identify the correspondences between the visual representation and the underlying data. These correspondences become moving targets when a visualization is dynamic. Dynamics may be introduced in a visualization at any point in the analysis and visualization process. For example, the data itself may be streaming, shifting subsets may be selected, visual representations may be animated, and interaction may modify presentation. In this paper, we focus on the impact of dynamic data. We present a taxonomy and conceptual framework for understanding how data changes influence the interpretability of visual representations. Visualization techniques are organized into categories at various levels of abstraction. The salient characteristics of each category and task suitability are discussed through examples from the scientific literature and popular practices. Examining the implications of dynamically updating visualizations warrants attention because it directly impacts the interpretability (and thus utility) of visualizations. The taxonomy presented provides a reference point for further exploration of dynamic data visualization techniques.
Elevated temperature instrumented Charpy impact of a sintered silicon carbide

Abstract A commercially available, densely sintered alpha silicon carbide was tested in air from room temperature to 1700°C using a modified instrumented pendulum unit and standard Charpy size test specimens. The resistance heated silicon carbide specimens exhibited only elastic behavior, even at 1700°C. A compliance analysis of the test revealed a linear elastic decrease of the absorbed impact energy and also a decrease of the fracture stress of the silicon carbide with increasing temperature.
Assessment of physician directiveness: using hypoplastic left heart syndrome as a model.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that surgeons are more directive than pediatricians in discussions with parents of critically ill children. STUDY DESIGN: We designed a novel tool to assess physician directiveness in discussions with parents of children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. We sent surveys containing the assessment tool as well as demographic questions to all attending physicians in Neonatology, Pediatric Critical Care, Pediatric Cardiology, and Congenital Cardiac Surgery at 14 of the largest pediatric cardiac surgery centers in the United States. Responses to the tool were used to determine a “directiveness score” for each physician. We then performed univariate and multivariable linear regression analyses to assess the association of physician specialty, race/ethnicity, religion, gender, and years in practice with the directiveness score. RESULTS: Responses from 138 physicians were analyzed. In univariate analyses, with neonatologists as the reference group, surgeons were most directive (regression coefficient 3.02, 95% confidence interval 0.69 to 5.35, P=0.01), followed by cardiologists (regression coefficient 1.67, 95% confidence interval 0.13 to 3.20, P=0.03). No other variable was associated with physician directiveness score. These results were similar in the multivariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that physician specialty is associated with directiveness. It is unclear, however, what amount of direction parents of critically ill children prefer.
A Tandem Repeat of Rat-derived Pneumocystis carinii Genes Encoding the Major Surface Glycoprotein

ABSTRACT. A fragment from the genome of rat-derived Pneumocystis carinii was found to contain two MSG genes arranged as a direct repeat. The sequences from one gene (MSG B), the region between the two genes, and part of the second gene (MSG A) were determined. The two MSG genes were not identical in sequence. The open reading frames of MSG A and MSG B encode non-identical proteins, both of which are similar to that encoded by a previously published cDNA. The MSG B gene sequence showed no evidence of introns. The 5’and 3’untranslated regions of the MSG gene pair were highly conserved, but the regions immediately upstream of the open reading frames of MSG A and B were different from the region upstream of a previously characterized MSG cDNA. Primers designed to extend upstream of the 5’end of MSG and downstream of the 3’end of MSG were used in a polymerase chain reaction with total genomic P. carinii DNA as template. Presumptive intergenic amplification products from this reaction were cloned and sequenced. The sequences of these regions were similar but distinct, indicating that tandem arrangement of MSG genes is a common organizational motif.
MODIFICATION OF THE SURFACE PROPERTIES OF CARBON FIBERS VIA THE CATALYTIC GROWTH OF CARBON NANOFIBERS

The surface of commercial pitch and PAN-based carbon fibers has been modified by coating the structures with catalytically formed carbon nanofibers. Reaction conditions have been established that enable one to achieve optimum coverage by the secondary nanostructures without inducing any degradation in the mechanical properties of the parent fibers. Using this approach it is possible to produce a dramatic increase in the surface area of the fibrous structure from a nominal value of about 1.0 m2/g (untreated condition) up to between 250 and 300 m2/g (complete nanofiber coverage). This process results in a significant enhancement in the adhesion properties at the interface between the fiber and matrix components in a composite material. Mechanical tests performed on single uncoated and coated T300 carbon fibers demonstrated that it was possible to obtain an improvement of over 4.75 times in the interfacial shear strength of the fibers following deposition of a critical amount of nanofibers.
F. and M. Riesz Theorem, analytic balayage, and problems in rational approximation

This paper deals with the problem of describing measures orthogonal to the algebra of rational functionsR(X) on arbitrary compactaX⊂C in terms of a special class ofh-coherent analytic measures and “analytic balayages” introduced in the paper. It is also shown that “analytic balayage” can be used to characterize peak points forR(X) similar to Keldysh's description of regular points in potential theory.
Development of the place principle: acoustic trauma

Developmental changes in the site of receptor damage following pure-tone acoustic overstimulation were examined in the basilar papillae of embryonic and hatchling chickens. During development, a systematic shift in the position of damage toward the apex of the cochlea was produced by each of three frequencies, suggesting that the transduction properties of the sensory epithelium systematically shift with age. These results imply that neurons in the central nervous system may be maximally stimulated by different sounds during development.
Angiotensin II Infusion Induces Marked Diaphragmatic Skeletal Muscle Atrophy

Advanced congestive heart failure (CHF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are characterized by increased angiotensin II (Ang II) levels and are often accompanied by significant skeletal muscle wasting that negatively impacts mortality and morbidity. Both CHF and CKD patients have respiratory muscle dysfunction, however the potential effects of Ang II on respiratory muscles are unknown. We investigated the effects of Ang II on diaphragm muscle in FVB mice. Ang II induced significant diaphragm muscle wasting (18.7±1.6% decrease in weight at one week) and reduction in fiber cross-sectional area. Expression of the E3 ubiquitin ligases atrogin-1 and muscle ring finger-1 (MuRF-1) and of the pro-apoptotic factor BAX was increased after 24 h of Ang II infusion (4.4±0.3 fold, 3.1±0.5 fold and 1.6±0.2 fold, respectively, compared to sham infused control) suggesting increased muscle protein degradation and apoptosis. In Ang II infused animals, there was significant regeneration of injured diaphragm muscles at 7 days as indicated by an increase in the number of myofibers with centralized nuclei and high expression of embryonic myosin heavy chain (E-MyHC, 11.2±3.3 fold increase) and of the satellite cell marker M-cadherin (59.2±22.2% increase). Furthermore, there was an increase in expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1, 1.8±0.3 fold increase) in Ang II infused diaphragm, suggesting the involvement of IGF-1 in diaphragm muscle regeneration. Bone-marrow transplantation experiments indicated that although there was recruitment of bone-marrow derived cells to the injured diaphragm in Ang II infused mice (267.0±74.6% increase), those cells did not express markers of muscle stem cells or regenerating myofibers. In conclusion, Ang II causes marked diaphragm muscle wasting, which may be important for the pathophysiology of respiratory muscle dysfunction and cachexia in conditions such as CHF and CKD.
Detection of DNA adducts using a quantitative long PCR technique and the fluorogenic 5' nuclease assay (TaqMan).

Abstract The detection of DNA adducts is an important component in assessing the mutagenic potential of exogenous and endogenous compounds. Here, we report an in vitro quantitative long PCR (XL-PCR) assay to measure DNA adducts in human genomic DNA based on their ability to block and inhibit PCR amplification. Human genomic DNA was exposed to test compounds and then a target sequence was amplified by XL-PCR. The amplified sequence was then quantified using fluorogenic 5′ nuclease PCR (TaqMan®) and normalized to a solvent-treated control. The extent of DNA adduction was determined based on the reduction in amplification of the target sequence in the treated sample. A 17.7 kb β-globin fragment was chosen as the target sequence for these studies, since preliminary experiments revealed a two-fold increased sensitivity of this target compared to a 10.4 kb HPRT fragment for detecting hydrogen peroxide-induced DNA damage. Validation of the XL-PCR assay with various compounds demonstrated the versatility of the assay for detecting a wide range of adducts formed by direct acting or S9-activated mutagens. The same DNA samples were also analyzed using 32 P -postlabeling techniques (thin-layer chromatography or high-performance liquid chromatography) to confirm the presence of DNA adducts and estimate their levels. Whereas 32 P -postlabeling with nuclease P1 enrichment was more sensitive for detecting bulky adducts induced by the compounds benzo[a]pyrene, dimethylbenzanthracene, 3-methylindole, indole 3-carbinol, or 2-acetylaminofluorene, the XL-PCR procedure was more sensitive for detecting smaller or labile DNA adducts formed by the compounds methyl methanesulfonate, diethyl nitrosamine, ethylnitrosourea, diepoxybutane, ICR-191, styrene oxide, or aflatoxin B1. Compounds not expected to form adducts in DNA, such as clofibrate, phenobarbital, chloroform or acetone, did not produce a positive response in the XL-PCR assay. Thus, quantitative XL-PCR provides a rapid, high-throughput assay for detecting DNA damage that complements the existing 32 P -postlabeling assay with nuclease P1 enrichment.
Activation state of the hyperpolarization-activated current modulates temperature-sensitivity of firing in locus coeruleus neurons from bullfrogs.

Locus coeruleus neurons of anuran amphibians contribute to breathing control and have spontaneous firing frequencies that, paradoxically, increase with cooling. We previously showed that cooling in...
Short-Term Missions in the Orthodox Church in North America

This article examines beliefs, institutions, and social changes shaping short-term missions in the Orthodox Church. It directs attention to key theological principles guiding short-term missions. The article provides a descriptive account of short-term mission activity informed by Orthodox perspective. It frames questions to guide future study of short-term missions in the Orthodox Church.
Expression of Chlorovirus MT325 aquaglyceroporin (aqpv1) in tobacco and its role in mitigating drought stress

Main conclusions A Chlorovirusaquaglyceroporin expressed in tobacco is localized to the plastid and plasma membranes. Transgenic events display improved response to water deficit. Necrosis in adult stage plants is observed. Aquaglyceroporins are a subclass of the water channel aquaporin proteins (AQPs) that transport glycerol along with other small molecules transcellular in addition to water. In the studies communicated herein, we analyzed the expression of the aquaglyceroporin gene designated, aqpv1, from Chlorovirus MT325, in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), along with phenotypic changes induced by aqpv1 expression in planta. Interestingly, aqpv1 expression under control of either a constitutive or a root-preferred promoter, triggered local lesion formation in older leaves, which progressed significantly after induction of flowering. Fusion of aqpv1 with GFP suggests that the protein localized to the plasmalemma, and potentially with plastid and endoplasmic reticulum membranes. Physiological characterizations of transgenic plants during juvenile stage growth were monitored for potential mitigation to water dry-down (i.e., drought) and recovery. Phenotypic analyses on drought mimic/recovery of juvenile transgenic plants that expressed a functional aqpv1 transgene had higher photosynthetic rates, stomatal conductance, and water use efficiency, along with maximum carboxylation and electron transport rates when compared to control plants. These physiological attributes permitted the juvenile aqpv1 transgenic plants to perform better under drought-mimicked conditions and hastened recovery following re-watering. This drought mitigation effect is linked to the ability of the transgenic plants to maintain cell turgor.
Differences between cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator and HisP in the interaction with the adenine ring of ATP.

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl− channel is a member of the ATP-binding cassette transporter family. The most conserved features of this family are the nucleotide-binding domains. As in other members of this family, these domains bind and hydrolyze ATP; in CFTR this opens and closes the channel pore. The recent crystal structures of related bacterial transporters show that an aromatic residue interacts with the adenine ring of ATP to stabilize nucleotide binding. CFTR contains six aromatic residues that are candidates to coordinate the nucleotide base. We mutated each to cysteine and examined the functional consequences. None of the mutations disrupted channel function or the ability to discriminate between ATP, GTP, and CTP. We also applied [2-(triethylammonium)ethyl] methanethiosulfonate to covalently modify the introduced cysteines. The mutant channels CFTR-F429C, F430C, F433C, and F1232C showed no difference from wild-type CFTR, indicating that either the residues were not accessible to modification, or cysteine modification did not affect function. Although modification inactivated CFTR-Y1219C more rapidly than wild-type CFTR, and inactivation of CFTR-F446C was nucleotide-dependent; failure of these mutations to alter gating suggested that Tyr1219 and Phe446 were not important for nucleotide binding. The results suggest that ATP binding may not involve the coordination of the adenine ring by an aromatic residue analogous to that in some bacterial transporters. Taken together with earlier work, this study points to a model in which most of the binding energy for ATP is contributed by the phosphate groups.
Biochemical determinants of apoptosis and necrosis

Abstract Although apoptosis and necrosis were originally thought to be entirely distinct mechanisms of cell death, recent work has shown that the processes are regulated by many of the same biochemical intermediates, most notably the levels of cellular ATP, Ca2+, reactive oxygen species, and thiol antioxidants. Beyond a certain threshold, it appears that stress-induced changes in these modulators `switches' the cell death mechanism from apoptosis to necrosis. Importantly, even when this occurs, cell death can be attenuated by bcl-2 and caspase inhibitors, which are known for their abilities to block apoptosis. This review will summarize these observations within the context of what is currently known about the effector machinery for apoptotic cell death, and possible mechanistic explanations for the switch between apoptosis and necrosis will be provided.
Elevated urinary testosterone and androstanediol in precocious adrenarche.

Extract: Using a newly devised radioligand method for the simultaneous determination of urinary testosterone (T) and and rostanediol (Adiol) nine girls with precocious adrenarche were evaluated. In the base-line state average urinary T excretion (1.29 μg/24 hr) and Adiol excretion (1.33 μg/24 hr) were significantly elevated when compared with 15 age-matched controls (0.30 and 0.33 μg/24 hr, respectively, P increase in urinary T excretion in all and a similar increase in Adiol excretion in four of five patients. Dexamethasone administration in the same five patients produced a 25 > fall in urinary T excretion in all and a comparable fall in Adiol in four.
BOUNDS ON MULTIPLICITIES OF LOCAL RINGS

ABSTRACT We consider an inequality of C. Lech on the Samuel multiplicities of ideals primary to the maximal ideal of a local ring. We give an analogue of the inequality for Hilbert-Kunz multiplicities in prime characteristic, as well as some improvements on Lech's result for Samuel multiplicities of rings of equal characteristic.
Adalimumab for the treatment of Crohn-like colitis and enteritis in glycogen storage disease type Ib

Glycogen storage disease (GSD) type Ib is a congenital disorder of glycogen metabolism that is associated with neutropenia, neutrophil dysfunction, and an inflammatory bowel disease that mimics a Crohn phenotype. Gastrointestinal inflammation in GSD Ib has been successfully treated with 5-aminosalicylic acid and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). However, therapeutic options for patients not responding to traditional therapies have been limited owing to untoward effects of glucocorticoids and immunomodulators in this metabolic disorder. Adalimumab is a monoclonal antibody targeting tumour necrosis factor-α that has shown promise for the treatment of patients with Crohn disease. Due to the limited options for treating GSD-associated inflammatory bowel disease, use of adalimumab was attempted in a case unresponsive to aminosalicylate, G-CSF, and antibiotic therapy. Significant clinical and histological improvement was observed in our patient, and the medication was well tolerated.
Adaptive Keyframe Selection for Video Summarization

The explosive growth of video data in the modern era has set the stage for research in the field of video summarization, which attempts to abstract the salient frames in a video in order to provide an easily interpreted synopsis. Existing work on video summarization has primarily been static - that is, the algorithms require the summary length to be specified as an input parameter. However, video streams are inherently dynamic in nature, while some of them are relatively simple in terms of visual content, others are much more complex due to camera/object motion, changing illumination, cluttered scenes and low quality. This necessitates the development of adaptive summarization techniques, which adapt to the complexity of a video and generate a summary accordingly. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm to address this problem. We pose the summary selection as an optimization problem and derive an efficient technique to solve the summary length and the specific frames to be selected, through a single formulation. Our extensive empirical studies on a wide range of challenging, unconstrained videos demonstrate tremendous promise in using this method for real-world video summarization applications.
Mechanisms of Cholera Toxin Prevention of Thrombin- and PMA-Induced Endothelial Cell Barrier Dysfunction

Abstract Thrombin-induced endothelial cell (EC) activation leads to compromise of monolayer barrier function due to cellular retraction/contraction and intercellular gap formation. Cyclic AMP induces relaxation in other contractile cells and promotes barrier function in EC. To investigate mechanisms involved in cAMP protection in thrumbin-induced permeability, we pretreated bovine pulmonary arterial EC monolayers with 1 μg/ml cholera holotoxin which catalyzed ADP ribosylation of G 5 and increased synthesis of cAMp. The holotoxin, but not the binding subunit, reduced basal permeability and prevented gap formation and permeability following challenge with 1 μ M thrumbin, 100 μ M thrumbin receptor-activating peptide, or 1 μ M phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). Furthermore, thrumbin-induced gap formation and permeability were reversed by cholera toxin post-treatment. Pretreatment with 5 μ M forskolin or 1 m M dibutyryl cAMP, with or without 1 m M isobutyl methylxanthine, but not cGMP analogs, protected against thrumbin-induced EC permeability, mimicking the cholera toxin effect. Although downregulation of protein kinase C attenuated both thrumbin- and PMA-induced permeability, cholera toxin did not alter either PMA-induced protein kinase C activation or thrumbin-induced Ca 2+ mobilization. In contrast, cholera toxin attenuated thrumbin-induced myosin light chain phosphorylation and largely prevented actin redistribution. These studies suggest that cholera toxin: (1) protects endothelial barrier function and reverses established dysfunction via increased cAMP, (2) does not alter thrombin receptor interaction or early signal events such as Ca 2+ mobilization and PKC activation, (3) attenuates myosin light chain kinase activation and actomyosin contractile interaction subsequent to thrumbin activation, and (4) abrogates contractile processes subsequent to PKC activation, which is also an important mechanism in thrumbin-induced permeability but is independent of myosin light chain kinase activation.
Platinum/etoposide therapy in non-small cell lung cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a major health problem in the United States and in many other parts of the world. Identification of systemic therapy that can maintain or improve quality of life
Scheduling simulation in ALMA

The scheduling subsystem within the ALMA software system is designed to manage the execution of approved observing projects. Since weather will play such an important role in science observations with ALMA, the telescope will operate primarily in a dynamic scheduling mode. Current environmental conditions together with the current state of the telescope itself will be used to algorithmically determine the best scheduling block to execute at any time. In addition to the on-line system, a simulation tool is a significant part of this system that will be used for short and long-term planning. It implements the fundamental concepts used to solve this problem of dynamic scheduling and is capable of using historical weather data. The architecture and function of this simulation tool are presented.
Structural properties and vibrational spectra of Al2H2 clusters as evaluated with density functional theory methods

Abstract Three of the most accepted density functional theory (DFT) methods (hybrid, gradient-corrected, and local) were used to evaluate geometries, relative stability, and compute vibrational spectra for five isomers of Al 2 H 2 isomers. The obtained results were compared with high level ab initio computational studies and experimental frequencies of matrix isolated Al 2 H 2 isomers. Based on the comparison of experimental and computed frequencies, two isomers, mono- and double-bridged Al 2 H 2 isomers, were selected as the isomers observed experimentally while the vinylidene-like Al 2 H 2 , although similar in energy to the mono-bridged isomer, was not observed experimentally. The reliability of DFT methods for computing geometries, energies, and frequencies of small aluminum hydrogen clusters was discussed.
Dynamics Analysis of Parallel Three-Phase Converters

In a distributed power system based on power electronics building blocks (PEBBs), it is desirable to use a parallel structure with standardized PEBB modules in order to increase power level, provide redundancy and improve system performance. Nonlinear couplings and interactions, however, may occur among the parallel modules. Compared with their counterpart DC/DC converters, three-phase AC/DC or DC/AC converters exhibit stronger dynamics when they operate in parallel. The objective of this paper is to comprehensively analyze the nonlinear dynamics among two parallel three-phase converters. The paper firstly develops a nonlinear average model in rotating coordinates. Based on the model, the nonlinear dynamics, such as small-signal interaction, zero-sequence circulating current and high frequency noise, are analyzed. To improve the system performance and minimize the interactions, some feedback control strategies are proposed. To deal with high-frequency noise, a feedforward control scheme is proposed. The s...
The transformation sequences in the cubic → tetragonal decomposition

The decomposition of a generic supersaturated binary cubic solid solution into a mixture of cubic and tetragonal phases is investigated by phase field microelasticity modeling and simulations. It is shown that the decomposition in such a system is not necessarily developed by conventional nucleation and growth of the tetragonal phase. There are three temperature and composition ranges where the sequences of transient structures formed are different. The transformation pathways are predicted and the corresponding thermodynamic parameters are identified. In particular, the simulations reveal unusual transformation sequences occurring in the process of isostructural decomposition followed by cubic → tetragonal MT confined within one of the decomposed cubic phases. Mechanisms for the formation of the stress-accommodating multi-domain aggregates of the tetragonal phase and the checkerboard-like structures comprised of parallel rods of cubic and tetragonal phases are discussed.
Fluid forces control endothelial sprouting

During angiogenesis, endothelial cells (ECs) from intact blood vessels quickly infiltrate avascular regions via vascular sprouting. This process is fundamental to many normal and pathological processes such as wound healing and tumor growth, but its initiation and control are poorly understood. Vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) can promote vessel dilation and angiogenic sprouting, but given the complex nature of vascular morphogenesis, additional signals are likely necessary to determine, for example, which vessel segments sprout, which dilate, and which remain quiescent. Fluid forces exerted by blood and plasma are prime candidates that might codirect these processes, but it is not known whether VEGF cooperates with mechanical fluid forces to mediate angiogenesis. Using a microfluidic tissue analog of angiogenic sprouting, we found that fluid shear stress, such as exerted by flowing blood, attenuates EC sprouting in a nitric oxide-dependent manner and that interstitial flow, such as produced by extravasating plasma, directs endothelial morphogenesis and sprout formation. Furthermore, positive VEGF gradients initiated sprouting but negative gradients inhibited sprouting, promoting instead sheet-like migration analogous to vessel dilation. These results suggest that ECs integrate signals from fluid forces and local VEGF gradients to achieve such varied goals as vessel dilation and sprouting.