cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Renal kinin antagonism does not impair pressure-induced natriuresis

We studied the contribution of the renal kallikrein-kinin system to short-term electrolyte and water balance during baseline and during acutely elevated renal perfusion pressure (RPP) in the anesthetized dog. Renal blood flow, glomerular filtration rate, urine flow rate, renin secretion rate, and urinary excretion of sodium, potassium, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and kinins were measured at baseline RPP during intrarenal infusion of 0.9% saline or the competitive bradykinin analogue [D-Arg0,Hyp3,Thi5,D-Phe7,Thi8]bradykinin (50 micrograms/min), which blocks vascular and interstitial kinin receptors. RPP was then raised above baseline (control group 25%; kinin analogue group 22%) by ligating the celiac artery, the superior mesenteric artery, and the aorta distal to the renal arteries. Renal parameters were again measured during infusion of saline or the kinin analogue. The analogue had no effect on renal hemodynamic or excretory parameters at baseline perfusion pressures. Increasing RPP significantly increased urine flow rates and urinary sodium excretion rates (control group, 43 mumol/min; kinin analogue group, 55 mumol/min) in both groups of animals. Increasing pressure also tended to decrease renin secretion rate in both groups of animals; however, neither increased pressure nor infusion of the analogue affected urinary excretion of PGE2 or kinins. The results suggest that intrarenal kinins are not powerful short-term regulators of electrolyte and water balance and that an intact kallikrein-kinin system is not necessary to induce pressure diuresis and natriuresis.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus G and/or SH Glycoproteins Modify CC and CXC Chemokine mRNA Expression in the BALB/c Mouse

Chemokine mRNA expression by pulmonary leukocytes following infection of BALB/c mice with two strains of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and one strain of parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV-3) was determined. The results suggest that RSV G and/or SH proteins inhibit early MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta, MIP-2, MCP-1, and IP-10 mRNA expression. TCA-3 mRNA expression was found to be increased during PIV-3 infection.
Real-Time Optical Coherence Tomography of the Anterior Segment at 1310 nm

Background Recent advances in high-speed scanning technology have enabled a new generation of optical coherence tomographic (OCT) systems to perform imaging at video rate. Here, a handheld OCT probe capable of imaging the anterior segment of the eye at high frame rates is demonstrated for the first time. Objective To demonstrate real-time OCT imaging of anterior segment structures. Design Survey of anterior segment structures in normal human subjects. Setting Laboratory. Main Outcome Measures Achieving real-time imaging of the anterior segment, satisfactory image quality, and convenience of a handheld probe. Results Optical coherence tomographic imaging of the anterior segment of the eyes of human subjects was performed using 1310-nm wavelength light with an image rate of 8 frames per second. Imaging trials demonstrated clear resolution of corneal epithelium and stroma, sclerocorneal junction, sclera, iris pigment epithelium and stroma, and anterior lens capsule. The anterior chamber angle was clearly visualized. Limited imaging of the ciliary body was performed. Real-time imaging of pupillary constriction in response to light stimulus was also performed. Conclusion High-speed OCT at 1310-nm wavelength is a potentially useful technique for noninvasive assessment of anterior segment structures. Clinical Relevance Our results suggest that real-time OCT has potential applications in glaucoma evaluation and refractive surgery.
Gluttonous Feeding Behavior in the Rhabdocoel, Macrostomum sp., Induced by Larvae of the Asiatic Clam, Corbicula fluminea

ABSTRACT Larvae of the Asiatic clam, Corbicula fluminea, and their tissue products stimulated gluttonous feeding behavior in a predatory rhabdocoel turbellarian, Macrostomum sp. This gluttony resulted in death of the worms. I suggest that lethal gluttony may be induced by some prey species and serve as an altruistic mechanism sacrificing numerous individuals to eliminate predators and provide greater survival for the remaining prey. This mechanism may be advantageous especially to a species which is expanding its range into regions where it encounters potential predators for the first time. Lethal gluttony could eliminate the predator population before it adapts to the newly introduced prey.
Chapter 5 – Multiferroics

Multiferroics (MFs) are insulating materials that are simultaneously magnetically ordered and ferroelectric (FE). From a fundamental standpoint, it is interesting to understand the properties and coupling of these two disparate types of order. These materials could also be useful for a variety of applications such as for spintronics, sensors, and multifunctional memory. Type-I MFs are characterized by robust FE order that develops at high temperatures and usually a separate magnetic sublattice which orders at lower temperature. There is often weak coupling between the two order parameters. For type-II MFs, the magnetic order develops first and permits a very weak FE order to develop. Typically, the transition temperatures are low, but the magnetoelectric coupling is strong. Neutron scattering plays an essential role in elucidating all aspects of this class of materials; crystal structure and FE order, magnetic structure, and the dynamics and energetics associated with both types of order.
Development of the iris in the chicken embryo. I. A study of growth and histodifferentiation utilizing immunocytochemistry for muscle differentiation.

The development of the iris was studied in chicken embryos from 4 days of incubation through hatching and in chicks up to 17 days posthatching. Serial sections of the eye were stained routinely or by immunocytochemical methods using myosin antiserum to enhance detection of differentiating muscle by light microscopy. Eyes from embryos at each stage were also examined by scanning electron microscopy. Outgrowth of the iris occurs in a sequential pattern around the eye, beginning at 6½ days of incubation in the region temporal to the choroid fissure and proceeding around the eye. Since differentiation of the iris follows the same pattern, similar areas of the iris were compared at each stage of development. At 6½ days of incubation, pigment granules can be seen in the anterior epithelium at the root of the iris, but it is not until 8 days of incubation that pigment is identified in the same area of the posterior epithelium. As development proceeds, the pigmentation of both epithelial layers progresses from the root of the iris to the pupillary margin. Early features of the development of the sphincter muscle can first be recognized in the 7-day embryo, when epithelial buds form from the anterior epithelium adjacent to the pupillary margin. Cells from these buds detach from the epithelium and populate the entire irideal stroma; these cells are the precursors of the sphincter muscle. The epithelial buds increase in size and distribution, and coalesce into a continuous ridge of cells around the iris by 10 days of incubation. The first muscle cells differentiate at 11 days of incubation when striated fibres can be identified by immunocytochemistry. The first striated fibres of the dilator muscle are seen in the 13-day embryo. Differentiation of the dilator muscle begins near the root of the iris and proceeds toward the pupillary margin, ultimately arising from the entire anterior epithelium except near the pupillary margin. Further differentiation of the sphincter and dilator muscles continues throughout incubation and for several weeks beyond hatching.
Strained- $\hbox{Si}_{1 - x}\hbox{Ge}_{x}/\hbox{Si}$ Band-to-Band Tunneling Transistors: Impact of Tunnel-Junction Germanium Composition and Doping Concentration on Switching Behavior

Strained pseudomorphic Si/Si1-xGex/Si gate-controlled band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) devices have been analyzed with varying Ge composition up to 57% and p+ tunnel-junction (source) doping concentration in the 1019-1020 cm-3 range. Measurements show the impact of these parameters on the transfer and output characteristics. Measurements are compared to simulations using a nonlocal BTBT model to analyze the mechanisms of device operation and to understand the impact of these parameters on the device switching behavior. The measured characteristics are consistent with simulation analysis that shows a reduction in energy barrier for tunneling (Egeff) and a reduction in tunneling distance with increasing Ge composition and source doping concentration. Increases in the pseudomorphic layer Ge content and doping concentration of the tunnel junction produce large improvements in the measured switching-behavior characteristics (Ion, slope, turn-on voltages, and sharpness of turn-on as a function of Vds). Simulations are also performed to project the potential performance of more optimized structures that may be suitable for extremely low power applications (Vdd < 0.4 V).
Embracing Addiction: Drug Courts and the False Promise of Judicial Interventionism

This article analyzes two of the central claims made on behalf of drug courts: that they divert offenders from incapacitatory prison regimes and that they treat drug addicts. Taken together, these claims form the central justification of the drug court's existence and the basis of the court's unusual style of procedure. The court often resembles something between a revivalist meeting and an Alcoholics Anonymous session. The judge has tremendous discretion over the manner in which rewards and sanctions are meted out. Sanctions can involve repeating parts of the program, referral to a variety of progressively more residential treatment programs, or short terms of imprisonment. Liberal critics tolerate these sanctions and the courtroom theater more generally as part of their rejection of imprisonment as a solution to the severity revolution in penal policy. Yet the effect of formalizing the diversion process has led, not to increasing the numbers of drug addicts escaping the reach of the criminal justice system, but rather in bringing more low-level offenders into the system. Thanks to a policing based on risk management, law enforcement agents are pressured to divert offenders up into the system, rather than out of the system. This net widening effect resulting in increased numbers of offenders in drug court, many of whom have no criminal record and no record of addiction. Despite the increased numbers of citizens caught under the drug court net, liberal critics embrace the drug court's practice of invasive behavior modification as a therapeutic alternative to incarceration. The drug court, however, often functions more as a form of coercive drug monitoring than a drug treatment regime. These courts' express goal may be understood as an attempt to change the addicts social norms by isolating the offender from malign social influences and substitute the judge as the sole authoritative arbiter of appropriate behavior. Yet many of these clients may not be addicted to drugs, and so any treatment is better understood as a form of incapacitation in which the length of the treatment is often much longer than the alternative prison sentence. I suggest that the emphasis on therapy is blinding liberal critics to the highly incapacitative effects of the drug court. If they are to embrace the drug court, legal liberals need to reformulate a theory of punishment that is able to endorse the prison as an alternative to drug court. Of the available theories, some form of retributivism would appear to provide the most likely candidate. Such a theory would permit us to balance, on a court-by-court basis, the social harm of drug crime, the punishment imposed by a particular jurisdiction for such crime, and the alternative drug court sanction, so as to endorse or reject the drug court in terms of its treatment program and incapacitatory effect.
Slave mode expansion for obtaining ab initio interatomic potentials

Here we propose an approach for performing a Taylor series expansion of the first-principles computed energy of a crystal as a function of the nuclear displacements. We enlarge the dimensionality of the existing displacement space and form new variables (i.e., slave modes) which transform like irreducible representations of the point group and satisfy homogeneity of free space. Standard group theoretical techniques can then be applied to deduce the nonzero expansion coefficients a priori. At a given order, the translation group can be used to contract the products and eliminate terms which are not linearly independent, resulting in a final set of slave mode products. While the expansion coefficients can be computed in a variety of ways, we demonstrate that finite difference is effective up to fourth order. We demonstrate the power of the method in the strongly anharmonic system PbTe. All anharmonic terms within an octahedron are computed up to fourth order. A proper unitary transformation demonstrates that the vast majority of the anharmonicity can be attributed to just two terms, indicating that a minimal model of phonon interactions is achievable. The ability to straightforwardly generate polynomial potentials will allow precise simulations at length and time scales which were previously unrealizable.
The Spatial Context of Adolescent Alcohol Use

The purpose of this chapter is to explore the spatial context of adolescent alcohol use. Using a regional sample of adolescents and geocoding individuals and matching the data to census tracts, we use geographic methods to explore spatial patterns of alcohol use among adolescents and features of the neighborhood environment. With hierarchical linear modeling, we examine the relationship between neighborhood alcohol availability, disadvantage, and crime on alcohol use while controlling for individual, family, and peer characteristics, including an individual’s distance to sources of alcohol. Analyses revealed that neighborhood disadvantage has a direct negative effect inconsistent with typical neighborhood disorganization or environmental stress frameworks, while there is a weak positive effect of alcohol liquor law violations on adolescent use. Neighborhood disadvantage, crime, and alcohol availability also appear to moderate the effects of key individual risk and protective factors, specifically deviant peers and family resources. For example, living in areas with greater neighborhood disadvantage decreases the effect of deviant peers on adolescent substance use. In addition, there is evidence that living in high alcohol outlet density areas reduces the protective effect of family resources, but neighborhood crime increases the protective effects of family support. These moderating effects highlight the importance of assessing the influence of peer and family factors on adolescent behaviors within the broader neighborhood context. We discuss the implications of our findings for ongoing research on neighborhood spatial analysis and contextual effects and adolescent behaviors.
Teaching through Interactions: Testing a Developmental Framework of Teacher Effectiveness in over 4,000 Classrooms

This is a copy of an article published in the Elementary School Journal © 2013 University of Chicago Press. The final publication is available at University of Chicago Press.
Machine-learning identifies substance-specific behavioral markers for opiate and stimulant dependence.

Abstract Background Recent animal and human studies reveal distinct cognitive and neurobiological differences between opiate and stimulant addictions; however, our understanding of the common and specific effects of these two classes of drugs remains limited due to the high rates of polysubstance-dependence among drug users. Methods The goal of the current study was to identify multivariate substance-specific markers classifying heroin dependence (HD) and amphetamine dependence (AD), by using machine-learning approaches. Participants included 39 amphetamine mono-dependent, 44 heroin mono-dependent, 58 polysubstance dependent, and 81 non-substance dependent individuals. The majority of substance dependent participants were in protracted abstinence. We used demographic, personality (trait impulsivity, trait psychopathy, aggression, sensation seeking), psychiatric (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, antisocial personality disorder, psychopathy, anxiety, depression), and neurocognitive impulsivity measures (Delay Discounting, Go/No-Go, Stop Signal, Immediate Memory, Balloon Analogue Risk, Cambridge Gambling, and Iowa Gambling tasks) as predictors in a machine-learning algorithm. Results The machine-learning approach revealed substance-specific multivariate profiles that classified HD and AD in new samples with high degree of accuracy. Out of 54 predictors, psychopathy was the only classifier common to both types of addiction. Important dissociations emerged between factors classifying HD and AD, which often showed opposite patterns among individuals with HD and AD. Conclusions These results suggest that different mechanisms may underlie HD and AD, challenging the unitary account of drug addiction. This line of work may shed light on the development of standardized and cost-efficient clinical diagnostic tests and facilitate the development of individualized prevention and intervention programs for HD and AD.
von Hippel–Lindau Disease

von Hippel–Lindau (vHL) is an autosomal dominant heritable disorder that results in the formation of multiple tumors including neuraxial hemangioblastoma, retinal hemangioblastoma, endolymphatic sac tumors, pheochromocytoma, extra-adrenal paraganglioma, renal cell carcinomas, pancreatic cysts, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, epididylmal cystsadenomas, and broad ligament cystadenomas. Multiple different causative mutations have been described resulting in different patterns of neoplasia development. These lesions are more frequently multifocal, recurrent, and present at a younger age than the equivalent sporadic forms of these lesions.
Guidelines for use of dietary intake data.

Abstract This article presents the guidelines from the report of the ad hoc Expert Panel on Guidelines for Use of Dietary Intake Data. The report was prepared under terms of a contract with the Life Sciences Research Office of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology to provide the Food and Drug Administration with a working reference for evaluating dietary intake data. The guidelines represent the Expert Panel's conclusions on appropriate ways to interpret dietary data relating to (a) prevalence of consumption of particular levels of foods or food components, (b) comparisons of intake of different groups within the U.S. population, (c) time trends in consumption of foods or food components, and (d) relationships of intake of a food or food component to a given health outcome. The guidelines address general issues concerning dietary data collection and statistical concerns as well as specific issues important in interpretation of dietary data. J Am Diet Assoc 88:1258, 1988.
Possibilities and Challenges of Learning German in a Multimodal Environment: A Case Study.

Despite a growing body of research on task-based language learning (TBLT) (Samuda & Bygate, 2008; Ellis, 2003), there is still little information available regarding the pedagogical design behind tasks and how they are implemented (Samuda & Bygate, 2008). Scholars in computer-mediated second language (L2) learning have called for research to fill in this gap by reflecting critically on task design and the subsequent implementation process (Fuchs, Hauck & Muller-Hartmann, 2012; Hampel, 2010; Hampel & Hauck, 2006; Hampel & Plaines, 2013; Hauck, 2010), instead of considering a task an “unproblematic fait accompli” (O’Dowd & Ware, 2009: 174). In response to this charge, the present case study provides a critical analysis of tasks carried out in a first-year German language course built around the weekly TV-series, Rosenheim-Cops (ZDF). These tasks drew from research on multimodality (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2001; Norris & Maier, 2014) providing a framework for understanding how multiple semiotic systems work together to create meaning. The insights provided by this study have relevance for research on multimodal task design (Hampel & Hauck, 2006) through examining the possibilities and limitations of beginner second language (L2) learners’ effective use of authentic resources. The results suggest that the tasks encouraged semiotic awareness, helped activate referential knowledge useful for accessing multimodal resources, and elicited a positive response to authentic L2 use in context. The challenges of implementing these tasks included variation in learners’ engagement with authentic multimedia resources, either due to L2 skills levels or the level of interest in the particular resource used.
The Need for Comprehensive Reform: From Access to Completion

This chapter examines why typical reforms at community colleges in recent years have not improved institutional graduation rates. It argues that substantially increasing college completion requires comprehensive institutional reform with a focus on measurable student success, an intentional and cohesive package of programmatic components, and a culture of evidence.
Extensive caustic esophageal stricture in children can be treated by serial dilatations interspersed with silicone-covered nitinol stenting

Recurrent esophageal stenosis secondary to caustic ingestion may be challenging to treat. Self-expandable esophageal stents may be an alternative to repetitive endoscopic esophageal dilatation. We report a case of a 2-year-old male child with an extensive esophageal caustic stricture successfully treated using a combination of endoscopic dilatation and stenting. After 5 months of serial balloon dilatations, three nitinol internal silicone covered self-expandable stents were placed through the patient's gastrostomy spanning the entire esophagus. The stents were positioned using a combination of both endoscopic and fluoroscopic guidance. The procedure was repeated with only one stent 3 months later. A new stricture in the proximal esophagus needed surgical resection and anastomosis, followed by two pneumatic dilatations with progressively longer asymptomatic intervals. The results are promising with the patient able to use his own esophagus; however, this is a single case and optimal stent standing time is still to be determined.
Sympathy, Sympathetic. Evolution of a Concept and Relevance to Current Understanding of Autonomic Disorders (S57.005)

OBJECTIVE: We wanted to explore how this term became part of our medical vocabulary. BACKGROUND: Cosmic sympathy (Gr. Sympatheia) was at first used by Plato and the Stoic philosophers to express the idea of a universal connection between all living organisms. The term sympathetic however is currently used to indicate a part of the nervous system. DESIGN/METHODS: We reviewed the history of the discovery of the autonomic nervous system. After identifying original text sources, we specifically focused on the history of the discovery of the sympathetic nervous system in relationship to the concept of sympathy. RESULTS: Even though sympathy was understood by Hippocrates, it was Galen who introduced it to medicine in order to understand how the central nervous system communicates with the viscera. Early on the anatomic distributor for sympathy was believed to be the ganglionated paravertebral chain. From here on the history of the concept of sympathy is intimately related to our evolving understanding of the function of these ganglia. The idea that the ganglia may be independent of the central nervous system allowed Winslow to name them sympathetic nerves. This allowed the word sympathy to be connected with the nervous system until today. The sympathetic nervous system was later named vegetative by Reil. Separation of vagal from a seemingly antagonistic sympathetic innervation was the basis of the concept of the autonomic nervous system by Langley. Sympathetic innervation was further defined after pharmacological dissection of its neurotransmitters. The better part of the 20th century brought to light the central sympathetic centers and their function. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that the concept of sympathy, despite multiple refinements over time, has retained its original meaning: specifically symptoms are not always organ centered but may be the result of abnormal autonomic control and that malfunction of one organ has implications on the body as a whole. Disclosure: Dr. Barboi has nothing to disclose.
Horror stories that grow legs

Most scientists know at least one media horror story. Here's a typical instance, involving an incident that took place at a waste-management facility in Tarapur, India.
Validation of antibiotic charges in administrative data for outpatient pediatric urologic procedures

Summary Introduction The use of administrative health data for research has prompted questions about its validity for this purpose. Objective/Study design The purpose of this study was to determine the concordance of Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) perioperative antibiotic charges with the institution's medication administration data for males Results There was 93.9% positive and negative agreement between perioperative antibiotic charges versus administration. The sensitivity and specificity were 96.8% and 87.2%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 94.6% and 92.2%, respectively. Conclusion This study indicated strong agreement between PHIS pharmacy charges and medication administration.
Countable and Uncountable Sets

We have already come across several infinite sets: N the set of naturals, Z the set of integers, Q the set of rationals, and R the set of reals. It turns out that, in some sense to be made precise, the first three sets may be said to have the same cardinality, while the last one has a strictly larger cardinality.
Depletion of cyclin E in breast cancer cells by treatment with the transcription inhibitor, 8-chloro-adenosine

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 14-18, 2007; Los Angeles, CA 3274 Cyclin E expression is dysregulated in many types of cancer with overexpression in all phases of the cell cycle. In breast cancer, high levels of cyclin E, particularly its hyperactive low molecular weight (LMW) isoforms, have been associated with a poor prognosis and an aggressive phenotype. Thus, therapies targeting cyclin E should be beneficial for the treatment of breast cancer. In recent years, it has become apparent that RNA transcription is a potential target for cancer therapeutics as RNA directed agents exploit the tumor cells’ dependency on short-lived oncogenes, growth regulators, and survival factors. Because the half-life of cyclin E mRNA and protein is as short as 30 min, its expression is likely to be affected by transcription inhibitors. The nucleoside analog, 8-chloro-adenosine (8-Cl-Ado), is cytotoxic to a number of epithelial, hematological, and neuronal cell lines. Previously, we demonstrated that in hematopoeitic cells 8-Cl-Ado inhibits global RNA synthesis, with a maximum effect on mRNA production. This inhibition was due to analog incorporation into RNA causing premature termination [Cancer Res. 63:7968, 2003] and obstruction of poly(A) polymerase activity [JBC 279:40405, 2004]. Metabolic studies in the breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and BT-474, show that the triphosphate form of this analog rapidly accumulated to >100 μM by 3 h incubation with 10 μM 8-Cl-Ado. This accumulation was time dependent and reached > 200 and 300 μM by 12 h, respectively. Parallel to accumulation, there was a 50 - 70% decrease in the endogenous ATP pool. To determine the extent of RNA synthesis inhibition in these cell lines, [3H]-uridine incorporation was measured at various times of treatment. RNA synthesis was rapidly inhibited in 3 h to 60 and 40% of control, and by 12 h to 40 and 30% in MCF-7 and BT-474 cells, respectively. To determine if this decrease in RNA synthesis resulted in a depletion of cyclin E expression, real-time RT-PCR and immunoblot analyses were performed. The cyclin E mRNA rapidly decreased in the first 12 h of treatment and reached a maximal decrease of ~70% by 24 h. Concomitantly, there was a decrease in the protein levels of both full length and LMW cyclin E isoforms, demonstrating the efficacy of the analog in depleting cyclin E expression in breast cancer cells. Interestingly, during this time period there was no change in the cell cycle profile, except that by 2 days the sub-G1 population started to increase and was 7 and 35 fold higher by 4 days in BT-474 and MCF-7 cells, respectively. PARP cleavage, another apoptosis marker, was induced within 2 day of 8-Cl-Ado treatment in these cells. In conclusion, our data suggest 8-Cl-Ado inhibits transcription and induces apoptosis in the breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and BT-474. This was associated with a reduced cyclin E expression, indicating that the cytotoxic activities may be mediated through the depletion of cyclin E expression.
From ignored to banner story: The role of natural disasters in influencing the newsworthiness of climate change in the Philippines:

The hierarchy of influences model has been used to examine sociological influences on journalistic output originating from both inside and outside the newsroom. While providing useful snapshots of ...
CDKN2 Deletions in Leukemia-Derived Cell Lines: Detection by Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization with Interphase Cells

Hemizygous and homozygous deletions of chromosomal band 9p21 have been detected in various tumor types as well as in more than 20% of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Recently, the CDKN2 gene (pl6INK4A, MTS I, CDK4I) has been proposed as a candidate tumor suppressor gene because it is frequently deleted in cell lines derived from multiple tumor types. We examined 18 leukemia-derived cell lines (13 T-ALL, 3 B-cell-precursor ALL,1 AML,1 CML-blast crisis) by polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot analysis to further define the frequency and size of 9p deletions in hematological malignancies. Homozygous CDKN2 deletions were detected in 16 cell lines (89%). Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a powerful method to detect chromosomal rearrangements, including submicroscopic deletions. Using a cosmid contig of the CDKN2 region, we performed interphase FISH in nine cell lines to study the accuracy of this method in detecting 9p deletions. Interphase FISH determined accurately all deletions of the tumor suppressor region previously detected by Southern blot or PCR. In six cell lines the cosmid contig was completely deleted. In one cell line, the intensity of the hybridization signals was significantly reduced, indicating a partial deletion of the hybridization region. One cell line had a hemizygous deletion which is difficult to detect by molecular techniques. Genomic deletions seem to be the predominant mechanism of CDKN2 inactivation in acute leukemias. Interphase FISH will play an important role in defining the frequency of CDKN2 deletions in primary tumors, because it is able reliably to analyze clinical samples that are contaminated by normal cells.
CRISPRed Macrophages for Cell-Based Cancer Immunotherapy

We present here an integrated nanotechnology/biology strategy for cancer immunotherapy that uses arginine nanoparticles (ArgNPs) to deliver CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing machinery into cells to generate SIRP-α knockout macrophages. The NP system efficiently codelivers single guide RNA (sgRNA) and Cas9 protein required for editing to knock out the “don’t eat me signal” in macrophages that prevents phagocytosis of cancer cells. Turning off this signal increased the innate phagocytic capabilities of the macrophages by 4-fold. This improved attack and elimination of cancer cells makes this strategy promising for the creation of “weaponized” macrophages for cancer immunotherapy.
Neoreticularism and neuronal polarization.

Santiago Ramon y Cajal made immense contributions to neuroscience, and the era in which his work is cited is likely to be longer than that for any other present or future neuroscientist. This commentary notes that there is qualification to the doctrine that neurons are distinct entities rather than reticular. Namely, gap junctions provide a private pathway between coupled cells that, at an ultramicroscopic scale, can be considered cytoplasmic continuity. Cytoplasmic continuity permits, but does not require, conduction in either direction across an electrical synapse. Furthermore, sites of impulse initiation can differ in the same or different cells; there is no universal direction of impulse propagation and it may differ in the same cell under different conditions; thus, there are exceptions to the law of "dynamic polarization". Cajal leaves ample evidence in his writings that he would have no difficulty in accepting these very minor modifications to the vast body of his contributions.
Catecholamines-up, a Negative Regulator of Tyrosine Hydroxylase and GTP Cyclohydrolase I in Drosophila Melanogaster

Catecholamines serve critical neural and developmental roles in Drosophila, as they do in all higher organisms (1, 2, 3). The pathway for catecholamine synthesis is shared by Drosophila and mammals, and pathway regulation is evolutionarily conserved. In Drosophila, as in mammals, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the first and rate-limiting enzyme in catecholamine biosynthesis. TH is subject to positive and negative regulation via mechanisms acting at all levels of expression from transcriptional to post-translational. One important source of positive regulation at the post-translational level is the cofactor, 6(R)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) (4). The activity of the enzyme absolutely depends upon and is modulated by BH4, the synthesis of which, in turn, is regulated by the activity of the first and rate-limiting enzyme in pteridine biosynthesis, GTP cyclohydrolase I (GTPCH). There are numerous reports of up-regulation of the production and activation of GTPCH and of BH4 synthesis in parallel with or preceding stimulation of catecholamine synthesis (c.f.,5,6). Moreover, ample evidence of the consequences for human catecholamine production when the GTPCH gene is mutated has come to light over recent years (7).
Fundamental flow and heat transfer results relevant to oscillating flow regenerators

Complete understanding of the operation of Stirling and other heat engine regenerators has evaded engineers working on engine development because making measurements in or near such a regenerator is so difficult. Some illumination of the physics that may be involved, however, can be found by studying fundamental experimental results in the literature, results that were examined for other applications in addition to Stirling. Preliminary reviews of literature on the subjects of oscillating flows, periodic flows and porous media have brought to light interesting papers presenting a number of phenomena that may be of importance in heat engine regenerators. Some are also relevant to flows in other Stirling heat exchangers. These topics include heat transfer during compression and expansion, enhanced conduction in oscillating laminar flows, approaches to analysis of nonuniform porous media, and heat transfer enhancement mechanisms in porous media. Each topic is briefly described and discussed in this paper, and a summary of physical phenomena that may affect regenerator performance is presented. 27 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.
Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitors of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe

The yeasts Saccharornices cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe have been favored organisms for the study of the basic biology, genetics, and biochemistry of the mitotic cycle. Much of what we understand about eukaryotic cell division derives from studies in these organisms. Cyclin-dependent protein kinase (CDK) inhibitors (CKI), the focus of this volume, were first described in yeast, and yeast is still the best system for dissecting out the complex in vivo relationships between the CKI and other cell cycle components. This article summarizes the current state of the literature on four CKI — Pho85, Sicl, Farl, and Rum1 (Table 1) — with a particular emphasis on placing their activities in the perspective of larger cellular processes.
Single-Agent Consumption and Investment

This chapter solves the problem of an agent who begins with an initial endowment and who can consume while also investing in a standard, complete market as set forth in Chapter 1. The objective of this agent is to maximize the expected utility of consumption over the planning horizon, or to maximize the expected utility of wealth at the end of the planning horizon, or to maximize some combination of these two quantities. Except for the completeness assumption, the market model is quite general, allowing the coefficient processes to be stochastic processes that are not even assumed to be Markovian. Specializations of this model to the case of deterministic and even constant coefficients are provided in Sections 3.8 and 3.9. The problem of this chapter is revisited in the context of incomplete markets in Chapter 6.
Movement-Generalized Minimalist Grammars

A general framework is presented that allows for Minimalist grammars to use arbitrary movement operations under the proviso that they are all definable by monadic second-order formulas over derivation trees. Lowering, sidewards movement, and clustering, among others, are the result of instantiating the parameters of this framework in a certain way. Even though weak generative capacity is not increased, strong generative capacity may change depending on the available movement types. Notably, TAG-style tree adjunction can be emulated by a special type of lowering movement.
Notch Signaling Negatively Regulates Pathogenic IL-17 Production from Th17 cells during γ-Herpesvirus Induced Pneumonitis and Pulmonary Fibrosis Following Bone Marrow Transplantation

The Notch signaling pathway is an important mediator of T-cell cytokine responses in a variety of immunological maladies such as GVHD, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Using a genetically altered mouse model wherein CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells were ablated for all Notch signaling through expression of a dominant negative version of the Notch transcriptional regulator Mastermind Like Ligand (DNMAML) we have identified Notch as a regulator of cytokines during Murine Gamma Herpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) infection following bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Wild type syngeneic BMT mice infected with MHV-68 develop severe pneumonitis and pulmonary fibrosis by 21 dpi driven in part by a switch from TH1 to TH17 mediated immunity. Expression of the Notch ligands DLL1, DLL4, Jagged1, and Jagged2 were decreased in the lungs following BMT and CD4+ T-cells isolated from the lungs and spleens of infected WT BMT mice displayed defects in Notch signaling resulting in decreased expression of Notch target genes. T-cell Notch deficient DNMAML BMT mice developed increased fibrosis 21 dpi in comparison to wild type BMT mice, and displayed elevated levels of IL-17 and IL-6 in the lungs as well as an expansion of TH17 cells and a decrease in TH1 cells. Further, both in vitro culture of BMT lung leukocytes with recombinant DLL4 and adoptive transfer of WT CD11C+ APCs after BMT restored T-cell Notch signaling, decreasing production of IL-17 and rescuing fibrotic pathology. Thus, alterations in T-cell Notch signaling during γ-herpesvirus challenge following BMT correlated with increased expression of IL-17 from TH17 cells shifting the immunologic balance from a protective TH1 response towards a pathogenic TH17 response.
Can Sanitation Technology Play a Role in User Perceptions of Resource Recovery? An Evaluation of Composting Latrine Use in Developing World Communities in Panama

There remains a large unmet need for sanitation access throughout the world that compromises both human and environmental health. Opportunities exist to employ sanitation systems that better utilize and recover scarce resources from excreta such as water, energy, and nutrients. However, technologies such as a composting latrine may require more maintenance and close handling of feces compared to other sanitation technologies. This study aims to evaluate how use of on-site composting latrine technology and other demographic characteristics are associated with users’ perceptions of excreta for resource recovery. Field observations and interviews of composting latrine users (N = 201) and 200 perceptions surveys were administered to composting and non-composting latrine users in Indigenous and Latino communities in Panama. Of the completed composting latrines, 78% were in use and 65% of these were used properly. Compost latrine design and operational factors identified to improve were: anal wash capability, d...
Functional materials, device architecture, and flexibility of perovskite solar cell

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are an emerging photovoltaic technology that promises to offer facile and efficient solar power generation to meet future energy needs. PSCs have received considerable attention in recent years, have attained power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) over 22%, and are a promising candidate to potentially replace the current photovoltaic technology. The emergence of PSCs has revolutionized photovoltaic research and development because of their high efficiencies, inherent flexibility, the diversity of materials/synthetic methods that can be employed to manufacture them, and the various possible device architectures. Further optimization of material compositions and device architectures will help further improve efficiency and device stability. Moreover, the search for new functional materials will allow for mitigation of the existing limitations of PSCs. This review covers the recently developed advanced techniques and research trends related to this emerging photovoltaic technology, with a focus on the diversity of functional materials used for the various layers of PSC devices, novel PSC architectures, methods that increase overall cell efficiency, and substrates that allow for enhanced device flexibility.
MECHANISM OF MICROSOMAL ACTIVATION OF BENZO[a] PYRENE TO DIOL-EPOXIDES: THE SEPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF INTERMEDIATES AND PRODUCTS

ABSTRACT Benzo[a]pyrene is metabolically and stereospecifically converted by rat liver microsomal mixed-function oxidases and epoxide hydratase to the single enantiomer (-) r -7, t -8-dihydroxy-7, 8-dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene. Its identification as the optically pure trans isomer was accomplished by chromatographic separation of the cis and trans isomers and the di(-)menthoxyacetates of the (+) and (-) trans isomers. The metabolically formed dihydrodiol is further metabolized highly stereoselectively by the mixed-function oxidases predominantly to a single enantiomer of the diol-epoxide, r -7, t -8-dihydroxy- t -9,10-oxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene. Small amounts of r -7, t -8-dihydroxy- c -9,10- oxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene and other unidentified metabolites are also formed. The diol-epoxides are unstable in aqueous medium and their identification and characterization were accomplished by the identity of their tetrahydroxy-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrenes hydrolysis products with those of the authentic synthetic compounds. The diol-epoxides are non-enzymatically reduced in the presence of NADPH to distinct trihydroxy-pentahydrobenzo[a]- pyrenes. Since r -7, t -8-dihydroxy- t -9,10-oxy-7,8,9,10- tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene is very highly mutagenic in mammalian cells, and it is the major metabolically formed diol-epoxide, we suggest that this compound is the predominant ultimate carcinogenic form of benzo[a]pyrene.
Understanding the past and present and predicting the future: farmers’ use of multiple nutrient best management practices in the Upper Midwest

Understanding what drives farmers’ voluntary adoption of nutrient and soil best management practices has important consequences for many environmental outcomes including water quality. We build on ...
Advances in Nuclear Radiation Sensing: Enabling 3-D Gamma-Ray Vision

The enormous advances in sensing and data processing technologies in combination with recent developments in nuclear radiation detection and imaging enable unprecedented and "smarter" ways to detect, map, and visualize nuclear radiation. The recently developed concept of three-dimensional (3-D) Scene-data fusion allows us now to "see" nuclear radiation in three dimensions, in real time, and specific to radionuclides. It is based on a multi-sensor instrument that is able to map a local scene and to fuse the scene data with nuclear radiation data in 3-D while the instrument is freely moving through the scene. This new concept is agnostic of the deployment platform and the specific radiation detection or imaging modality. We have demonstrated this 3-D Scene-data fusion concept in a range of configurations in locations, such as the Fukushima Prefecture in Japan or Chernobyl in Ukraine on unmanned and manned aerial and ground-based platforms. It provides new means in the detection, mapping, and visualization of radiological and nuclear materials relevant for the safe and secure operation of nuclear and radiological facilities or in the response to accidental or intentional releases of radioactive materials where a timely, accurate, and effective assessment is critical. In addition, the ability to visualize nuclear radiation in 3-D and in real time provides new means in the communication with public and facilitates to overcome one of the major public concerns of not being able to "see" nuclear radiation.
Pharmacoepigenetics of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Abstract The discovery of the genetic alterations that occur in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and the ability, using modern molecular techniques, to profile the genomic and epigenomic landscape has provided new treatment avenues and therapeutic targets for the disease. Advances in biotechnology have led to the availability of molecular agents specifically directed at these targets. In recent years these agents have been made available clinically for treating patients with AML. In this chapter we will provide an overview of the regulatory mechanisms in epigenetics in AML and discuss the pharmacoepigenetics of the disease. We will survey the results of clinical trials using epigenetic modifiers as monotherapy, in conjunction with combination chemotherapy, or in dual epigenetic targeting studies. We will also discuss the outcome of patients who received epigenetic modifiers as primers of induction chemotherapy for AML. Finally, we will explore how targeting epigenetic mechanisms might enhance the immunotherapeutics of AML.
Circulating Tumor Cells: State-of-the-art Update on Technologies and Clinical Applications

Circulating tumor cells represent rare events in the peripheral blood of patients with cancer that can provide insight into tumor biology. CTC enumeration, isolation, and analysis represent liquid biopsy approaches whose role in the management of patients with cancer continues to evolve in the era of precision medicine. This review presents an overview of technologies central to studying CTCs. Technologies for CTC isolation can be divided into two categories: label-dependent and label-independent. Label-dependent techniques utilize biological properties such as cell surface proteins, while label-independent techniques utilize distinctive physical properties such as cell size, density, and plasticity. Advances in microfluidics designs as well as hybrid combinations of label-dependent and label-independent techniques have resulted in unprecedented improvements in CTC isolation, permitting not only the detection and enumeration of these rare events but also providing the means for studying them and exploring them as a new dimension of cancer biomarkers. With advances in tools for isolating and studying CTCs in hand, questions regarding the clinical utility of CTC enumeration in peripheral blood, detection of CTC-associated biomarkers, and analysis of dynamic changes in CTCs during the course of cancer therapy represent exciting new opportunities for cancer research.