cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Increased Efficiency for Biallelic Mutations of the CCR5 Gene by CRISPR-Cas9 Using Multiple Guide RNAs As a Novel Therapeutic Option for Human Immunodeficiency Virus

CCR5 is a coreceptor of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells homozygous for a 32-bp deletion in CCR5 resulted in a loss of detectable HIV-1 in two patients, suggesting that genetic strategies to knockout CCR5 expression would be a promising gene therapy approach for HIV-1-infected patients. In this study, we targeted CCR5 by CRISPR-Cas9 with a single-guide (sgRNA) and observed 35% indel frequency. When we expressed hCas9 and two gRNAs, the Surveyor assay showed that Cas9-mediated cleavage was increased by 10% with two sgRNAs. Genotype analysis on individual clones showed 11 of 13 carried biallelic mutations, where 4 clones had frameshift (FS) mutations. Taken together, these results indicate that the efficiency of biallelic FS mutations and the knockout of the CCR5 necessary to prevent viral replication were significantly increased with two sgRNAs. These studies demonstrate the knockout of CCR5 and the potential for translational development.
Probabilistic Genotyping of Single Cell Replicates from Complex DNA Mixtures Recovers Higher Contributor LRs than Standard Analysis

DNA mixtures are a common source of crime scene evidence and are often one of the more difficult sources of biological evidence to interpret. With the implementation of probabilistic genotyping (PG), mixture analysis has been revolutionized allowing previously unresolvable mixed profiles to be analyzed and probative genotype information from contributors to be recovered. However, due to allele overlap, artifacts, or low-level minor contributors, genotype information loss inevitably occurs. In order to reduce the potential loss of significant DNA information from donors in complex mixtures, an alternative approach is to physically separate individual cells from mixtures prior to performing DNA typing thus obtaining single source profiles from contributors. In the present work, a simplified micro-manipulation technique combined with enhanced single-cell DNA typing was used to collect one or few cells, referred to as direct single-cell subsampling (DSCS). Using this approach, single and 2-cell subsamples were collected from 2-6 person mixtures. Single-cell subsamples resulted in single source DNA profiles while the 2-cell subsamples returned either single source DNA profiles or new mini-mixtures that are less complex than the original mixture due to the presence of fewer contributors. PG (STRmixTM) was implemented, after appropriate validation, to analyze the original bulk mixtures, single source cell subsamples, and the 2-cell mini mixture subsamples from the original 2-6-person mixtures. PG further allowed replicate analysis to be employed which, in many instances, resulted in a significant gain of genotype information such that the returned donor likelihood ratios (LRs) were comparable to that seen in their single source reference profiles (i.e., the reciprocal of their random match probabilities). In every mixture, the DSCS approach gave improved results for each donor compared to standard bulk mixture analysis. With the 5- and 6- person complex mixtures, DSCS recovered highly probative LRs (> 1020) from donors that had returned non-probative LRs (
Heat Transfer Within the Lunar Surface Layer

Publisher Summary Heat transfer within the lunar surface layer depends on several thermophysical properties of the lunar regolith—that is, the material making up the surface layer. These include the thermal conductivity, specific heat, thermal diffusivity, and thermal parameter. This chapter illustrates that the thermal conductivity and specific heat are key transport properties for energy-transfer calculations in solid media. The thermal parameter is of particular historical interest in lunar research as it appears as a parameter in constant property solutions of the transient energy equation describing heat transfer on the moon. Furthermore, the value of the thermal parameter that gave best agreement with measurement is then used as a clue as to the constitution of the lunar surface layer. Finally, this chapter concludes that the thermal conductivity and specific heat both increase with temperature.
Defining Religion Down: Hasanna-Tabor, Martinez, and the U.S. Supreme Court

While two recent Supreme Court cases on religious freedom appear sharply at odds, in one material respect they harmonize around an understanding that religion is fully protected only when exercised in private. CLS v. Martinez involved Hastings College of Law. Hastings' regulation of extracurricular organizations was unusual in requiring that any student can join an organization. This all-comers rule had a discriminatory impact on organizations with exclusionary memberships, such as the Christian Legal Society (CLS) which required subscribing to a statement of faith and conduct. The Court acknowledged the discriminatory effect, but said that the Free Speech Clause protects speech not acts. Requiring members to sign a statement of faith was an act, but an act professing religious beliefs. The Court thought that of no concern because Hastings was permitted to exclude CLS because of its acts so long as Hastings' purpose was unrelated to the suppression of CLS's beliefs. That rationale works only if the definition of religion permits the Court's hermetic separation between beliefs that are religious and acts that profess the religion. The nature of religion, however, is to integrate doctrine and practice. If protected religion is confined to passive belief, such is a privatized religion. Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC involved a teacher suing her church-based school alleging retaliation for a complaint under Americans with Disability Act (ADA). The church raised the ministerial exception, which recognizes that religious organizations are free to fire ministers. The Court concluded that the teacher was a minister, thus the exception applied. But Hosanna-Tabor is of interest to this Essay for a different reason. Hosanna-Tabor had to distinguish Employ. Div. v. Smith. Smith held that there is no free exercise violation where a law is generally applicable and neutral as to religion. The ADA was a neutral law of general applicability. But the Court said Hosanna-Tabor involved an internal church decision that implicates the faith and mission of the church itself. Thus Hosanna-Tabor carves out an exception to Smith. Although involving more situations than a church firing its minister, free-exercise protection extends only to an internal decision affecting the church itself. This limits fully protected religion to internal decisions made in relative privacy by those who govern the church. This paring down of religion safeguarded by the first amendment is also at work in the ongoing dispute over employer-provided health insurance plans that must cover the full range of contraception, including abortifacients. The mandated coverage has made conscientious objectors of hundreds of religious organizations. The Executive Branch's response was a definition of religion that accommodates only churches. Religious charities, medical facilities, and colleges remain exposed. This survey suggests resurgence of the privatization of religious faith because religion harbors illiberal ideas.
Der Cross Road Blues der Cultural Studies

Ich kann nicht an eine wichtige Entscheidung denken (und nun stehe ich vor einer), ohne dass mir der „Cross Road Blues“ und die Legende des Musikers Robert Johnson in den Sinn kommt, der seine Seele an den Teufel verkaufte, um der groste Bluesmusiker aller Zeiten zu werden. Allerdings gelang es ihm nicht, sehr lange zu spielen. Man sollte die besondere okonomische Logik beachten, die hier am Werk ist: Robert Johnson musste seine Seele bewahren, solange er lebte. Denn ohne Seele kann man den Blues nicht singen. Ich habe das Gefuhl, dass diejenigen von uns, die sich den Cultural Studies verpflichtet fuhlen, insbesondere in den Vereinigten Staaten, einen Pakt mit dem Teufel (der neuen kapitalistischen Hochschule?) schliesen, um eine neue Position einzunehmen und mit ihr, so die Hoffnung, eine gewisse Legitimitat und Macht zu erwerben. Aber ich furchte, dass wir unsere Seele verlieren, bevor es uns gelingt, in dieser Position uberhaupt etwas zu erreichen.
STORM: An empirical storm‐time ionospheric correction model 2. Validation

[1] STORM is an empirical ionospheric correction model designed to capture the changes in F region electron density during geomagnetic storms. The model is driven by the previous 33 hours of ap, and the output is used to scale the quiet time F region critical frequency (foF2) to account for increases or decreases in electron density resulting from a storm. The model provides a simple tool for modeling the perturbed ionosphere. The quality of the model has been evaluated by comparing the predictions of the model with the observed ionospheric response during the six storms in the year 2000. The model output has been compared with the actual ionospheric response at 15 ionosonde stations for each storm. The comparisons show that the model captures the decreases in electron density particularly well in summer and equinox at midlatitudes and high latitudes but is less accurate in winter. The value of the model has been quantified by comparing the daily root mean square error of the STORM predictions with the monthly mean. The results of the validation show that there is a 33% improvement of the STORM model predictions over the monthly median during the storm days and that the model captures more than half of the increase in variability on the storm days, a significant advance over climatology.
Rhetoric and the Rise of Tribes: Using Organizational Alchemy (Part 3 of 3 in the Rhetoric Series)

Historically, rhetoric as an art has been considered both weak and nefarious. The authors, in a three part series on rhetoric, describe the 'lobotomization' of rhetoric, its true power, and its application with individuals and organizations. This third paper offers rhetorical applications to change organizations quickly and effectively. The article points out that one's 'character armor' (defined in the second article) is shaped, maintained and changed in a social group larger than the family but smaller than society, what we call a 'tribe.' An organization, then, is a special kind of tribe, or a tribe of tribes, (depending on its size) with each member acting out his or her character armor in an on-going drama. Some organizational tribes are 'lead'-slow to change, encumbered by politics, fearful, and stressed - with others are 'gold'-leadership-embracing, market-dominating, innovation-producing. By working with the entire tribe to determine its purpose (which 'is a world of meaning created through language' - our definition of rhetoric from the first paper in this series), and construct 'scenes' through which this purpose will resonate outside the tribe, people craft a new drama. From a rhetorical perspective, 'organizational alchemy' is replacing one drama with another, resulting in profound change. This process can only be accomplished by a leader (with or without formal authority) designing communication strategies (using all five canons of rhetoric) to move the organization to a more advanced cultural stage.
Contactless testing of printed wiring boards

The potential for physically contacting electrical components and printed wiring boards (PWB) during functional testing has been significantly diminished with the increased use of fine-pitch, high performance packaging technologies. In response to this trend, a method has been developed to access PWB interconnections via the passage of electrical signals through a laser-induced, non-contact plasma pathway. This paper presents a brief description of the non-contact electrical pathway physics, along with the results from a non-contact testing (NCT) application study which was completed to investigate the viability of the method.
The Genus Cerion (Gastropoda: Cerionidae) in the Florida Keys.

The systematic relationships and phylogeography of Cerion incanum, the only species of Cerion native to the Florida Keys, are reviewed based on partial sequences of the mitochondrial COI and 16S genes derived from 18 populations spanning the range of this species and including the type localities of all four described subspecies. Our samples included specimens of Cerion casablancae, a species introduced to Indian Key in 1912, and a population of C. incanum x C. casablancae hybrids descended from a population of C. casablancae introduced onto Bahia Honda Key in the same year. Molecular data did not support the partition of C. incanum into subspecies, nor could populations be apportioned reliably into subspecies based on morphological features used to define the subspecies. Phylogenetic analyses affirmed the derived relationship of C. incanum relative to other cerionids, and indicated a Bahamian origin for the Cerion fauna of southern Florida. Relationships among the populations throughout the Keys indicate that the northernmost populations, closest to the Tomeu paleoislands that had been inhabited by Cerion petuchi during the Calabrian Pleistocene, are the oldest. The range of Cerion incanum expanded as the archipelago that is the Florida Keys was formed since the lower Tarantian Pleistocene by extension from the northeast to the southwest, with new islands populated as they were formed. The faunas of the High Coral Keys in the northeast and the Oolite Keys in the southwest, both with large islands that host multiple discontinuous populations of Cerion, are each composed of well supported clades that are characterized by distinctive haplotypes. In contrast, the fauna of the intervening Low Coral Keys consist of a heterogeneous series of populations, some with haplotypes derived from the High Coral Keys, others from the Oolite Keys. Individuals from the C. incanum x C. casablancae hybrid population inhabiting the southeastern coast of Bahia Honda Key were readily segregated based on their mitogenome lineage, grouping either with C. incanum or with C. casablancae from Indian Key. Hybrids with C. casablancae mitogenomes had haplotypes that were more divergent from their parent mitogenome than were hybrids with C. incanum mitogenomes.
Current guidelines for the management of small cell lung cancer.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for 20% to 25% of cases of bronchogenic carcinoma and results in pronounced morbidity and mortality in the United States. More than 90% of cases of SCLC are caused by cigarette smoking. Common pulmonary manifestations are dyspnea, persistent cough, hemoptysis, and postobstructive pneumonia. At the time of diagnosis, patients usually have extensive disease. To date, therapeutic approaches have made only modest advances in outcome. Combined modality approaches, such as radiotherapy administered con-comitantly with the initiation of chemotherapy, induction chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy administered during the subsequent courses of chemotherapy, sequential chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and courses of radiotherapy split between cycles of chemotherapy, are important for improving survival in patients with SCLC.
Information and Communication Technology to Link Criminal Justice Reentrants to HIV Care in the Community

The United States has the world's highest prison population, and an estimated one in seven HIV-positive persons in the USA passes through a correctional facility annually. Given this, it is critical to develop innovative and effective approaches to support HIV treatment and retention in care among HIV-positive individuals involved in the criminal justice (CJ) system. Information and communication technologies (ICTs), including mobile health (mHealth) interventions, may offer one component of a successful strategy for linkage/retention in care. We describe CARE+ Corrections, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) study now underway in Washington, that will evaluate the combined effect of computerized motivational interview counseling and postrelease short message service (SMS) text message reminders to increase antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence and linkage and retention in care among HIV-infected persons involved in the criminal justice system. In this report, we describe the development of this ICT/mHealth intervention, outline the study procedures used to evaluate this intervention, and summarize the implications for the mHealth knowledge base.
Blunted ACTH response to hypoglycemic stress in depressed patients but not in patients with schizophrenia.

In this study, 7 hospitalized patients with major depression (MD), 5 hospitalized patients with schizophrenia (S), and 13 control subjects (C) were administered 0.15 units/kg of regular insulin at 1600 h by intravenous bolus infusion. ACTH, cortisol, and glucose levels were measured intermittently for 2h following infusion. Baseline ACTH, cortisol and glucose levels were similar in Cs, MDs, and Ss. The mean glucose nadir was equivalent for Cs, patients with MD, and patients with S. Patients with MD had a blunted ACTH response (F = 3.28; df = 12,126; p = .0004) and cortisol response (F = 4.20; df = 12,132; p = .0001) to hypoglycemia when compared to Cs and patients with S. Carroll Depression Rating Scale scores in patients with S (23 +/- 10) were similar to patients with MD (30 +/- 8) and significantly higher than in controls (1 +/- 2) (F = 55.2; df = 2.22; p = .0001). These findings suggest that patients with MD show different ACTH and cortisol responses to hypoglycemic stress which are not explained by negative feedback of baseline ACTH or cortisol, glucose nadir, or the number of depressive symptoms per se.
Food Security, Health, and Medication Expenditures of Emergency Department Patients

Background: In the United States, 35 million people live in food-insecure households. Although food insecurity and hunger are undesirable in their own right, they also are potential precursors to nutritional, health, and developmental problems. Study Objectives: To examine the prevalence of household food insecurity and its association with health problems and medication expenditures among Emergency Department (ED) patients. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in four Boston-area EDs and enrolled consecutive adult patients during two 24-h periods at each site. Food security status was measured using the validated 18-item US Household Food Security Survey Module. Results: Overall, 66 (13%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 10–17%) of 520 ED patients screened positive for food insecurity. Among these 66 patients, 32 (48%; 95% CI 36–61%) reported food insecurity with hunger. Patients from food-insecure households differed from food-secure patients with respect to sociodemographic factors. Food-insecure patients were more likely than food-secure patients to report a variety of chronic and mental health problems (all p < 0.05), including obesity. Food-insecure patients, compared to food-secure patients, also were more likely (all p < 0.001) to put off paying for medication to have money for food (27% vs. 4%, respectively), to take medication less often because they couldn't afford more (32% vs. 4%, respectively), to report needing to make a choice between buying medication and food (27% vs. 2%, respectively), and to report getting sick because they couldn't afford to take medication (27% vs. 1%, respectively). Conclusions: ED patients from food-insecure households report more chronic and mental health problems, and difficulty purchasing medication.
Clinical utility of auditory memory testing in a heart failure population.

BACKGROUND The self-care regimen necessary in heart failure (HF) is notably complex. A complication to integrating new knowledge and behaviors is that impaired cognition has been frequently reported in patients with HF, which significantly impacts patients' health, admission and mortality rates, and instrumental activities of daily living. OBJECTIVE The identification of reliable cognitive screening tools to assess potential difficulties in performing self-care for cardiac populations is essential. As such, the current purposes were to evaluate the validity and stability of the International Shopping List (ISL) auditory learning subtest from the computerized CogState battery as a screening tool in HF populations, determine the ISL's ability to predict functional declines, and evaluate the task's sensitivity in myocardial infarction. METHODS Forty patients with chronic HF were enrolled in a longitudinal study evaluating the impact of a cognitive training intervention. Baseline neuropsychological and behavioral measurements before treatment were used in the current study, including measures of auditory memory, orientation, verbal fluency, processing speed, and activities of daily living, and a subset of patients (n = 17) received repeat testing at 8 weeks on some tasks. Analyses also were performed with patients organized based on myocardial infarction status. RESULTS The current study indicated that the ISL performed comparably with an established measure of auditory memory (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised; r = 0.70, P < .001), displayed adequate coefficients of stability (r = 0.53-0.68), and successfully predicted declines over time in daily functioning (β = .47, P < .001) in our HF sample. CONCLUSIONS The computerized CogState auditory memory subtest, the ISL, seems to be a beneficial tool in evaluating cognitive change in HF patients. Particularly given its cross-cultural sensitivity and ease of administration and scoring, this task may provide assistance to quickly and reliably monitor memory functioning in these vulnerable patients and gauge their potential for self-care behaviors.
Neural habituation in garter snakes

Abstract Garter snakes subjected to continuous light flashes exhibited altered forms of evoked responses. The presentation of a novel vibratory stimulus during light-flash stimulation caused the return of original evoked response forms. With successive presentations, the vibratory stimulus became less effective in reinstating original evoked response forms. The changes in visual evoked responses were characteristic of habituation and dishabituation observed in other animals. The arousal level or “state” of the snakes appeared to be a critical factor in the appearance of habituation.
Effect of Porosity on Charge Transport in Porous Ultra-Low-k Dielectrics

It is demonstrated that the free volumes or pores in porous ultra-low-k dielectrics disturb the local electric field around them. This disturbed local electric field is shown to facilitate the transport of charge particles such as copper ions, electrons, or holes. This leads to the conclusion that porosity in dielectrics can degrade the insulating property and enhance the dielectric breakdown mechanism
The effect of extrinsic motivation on user behavior in a collaborative information finding system

In collaborative information finding systems, evaluations provided by users assist other users with similar needs. This article examines the problem of getting users to provide evaluations, thus overcoming the so-called free-riding behavior of users. Free riders are those who use the information provided by others without contributing evaluations of their own. This article reports on an experiment conducted using the "AntWorld" system, a collaborative information finding system for the Internet, to explore the effect of added motivation on users' behavior. The findings suggest that for the system to be effective, users must be motivated either by the environment, or by incentives within the system. The findings suggest that relatively inexpensive extrinsic motivators can produce modest but significant increases in cooperative behavior.
Magnetic scattering of electrons from ferromagnets in the presence of magnetic surface reconstruction

Abstract We have examined the theory of the diffuse scattering of electrons from the surface of ferromagnets within a simple model, for the case where the spins in the outer surface layer undergo magnetic surface reconstruction, e.e. the magnetic unit cell in the surface is larger than in the bulk. We comment on both the magnetic field and temperature dependence to be expected. Critical scattering near the half order Bragg peaks is predicted when the canting angle ϑ 0 of the surface spins is driven to zero, either by application of a magnetic field, or by raising the temperature.
Hemisphericity and personality.

Hemisphericity was originally defined with regard to cognitive processes only. This paper describes a brief personality questonnaire derived from work on personality changes in temporal lobe epilepsy as a method of demonstrating the existence of hemisphericity as a personality characteristic. A factor analysis of the Personal Inventory (Bear & Fedio, 1977) in a normal sample suggests the existence of a right and a left hemisphere component to the personality traits tapped by the scale. Three separate validity studies of a questionnaire developed from the factor analysis, utilizing cognitive, affective and general personality measures provide confirmation. Left hemisphericity types are characterized as possessing greater control over their impulses, experiencing less generalized tension, being more trusting and imaginative and viewing themselves in a positive light. Right hemisphericity types are characterized as possessing less control over their impulses, being tense, suspicious, shy and pragmatic and vi...
Common molecular and cellular substrates of addiction and memory.

Drugs of abuse cause long-lasting changes in the brain that underlie the behavioral abnormalities associated with drug addiction. Similarly, experience can induce memory formation by causing stable changes in the brain. Over the past decade, the molecular and cellular pathways of drug addiction, on the one hand, and of learning and memory, on the other, have converged. Learning and memory and drug addiction are modulated by the same neurotrophic factors, share certain intracellular signaling cascades, and depend on activation of the transcription factor CREB. They are associated with similar adaptations in neuronal morphology, and both are accompanied by alterations in synaptic plasticity (e.g., long-term potentiation, long-term depression) at particular glutamatergic synapses in the brain. There has also been recent convergence in the brain regions now considered important sites for molecular and cellular plasticity underlying addiction and memory. Complex circuits involving the hippocampus, cerebral cortex, ventral and dorsal striatum, and amygdala are implicated both in addiction and in learning and memory. The complexity of the plasticity that occurs in these circuits can be illustrated by CREB, which induces very different behavioral effects in these various brain regions. A better understanding of the molecular and cellular adaptations that occur in these neural circuits may lead to novel interventions to improve memory and combat addiction in humans.
Influence of irrigation solutions on oscillating bone saw blade performance

The influence of irrigation on bone cutting was determined by measuring the biomechanical performance of a bone cutting saw during irrigation with various solutions. Solutions of 0.9% saline and 10, 20, and 30% poloxamer-188 were used as the irrigant. A 10% solution of poloxamer-188 was judged to be the superior irrigant because it successfully maintained bone temperature at a controlled level without interfering with the rate of bone removal.
Data-Driven CT Protocol Review and Management—Experience From a Large Academic Hospital

Abstract Purpose Protocol review plays a critical role in CT quality assurance, but large numbers of protocols and inconsistent protocol names on scanners and in exam records make thorough protocol review formidable. In this investigation, we report on a data-driven cataloging process that can be used to assist in the reviewing and management of CT protocols. Methods We collected lists of scanner protocols, as well as 18 months of recent exam records, for 10 clinical scanners. We developed computer algorithms to automatically deconstruct the protocol names on the scanner and in the exam records into core names and descriptive components. Based on the core names, we were able to group the scanner protocols into a much smaller set of "core protocols," and to easily link exam records with the scanner protocols. We calculated the percentage of usage for each core protocol, from which the most heavily used protocols were identified. Results From the percentage-of-usage data, we found that, on average, 18, 33, and 49 core protocols per scanner covered 80%, 90%, and 95%, respectively, of all exams. These numbers are one order of magnitude smaller than the typical numbers of protocols that are loaded on a scanner (200-300, as reported in the literature). Duplicated, outdated, and rarely used protocols on the scanners were easily pinpointed in the cataloging process. Conclusions The data-driven cataloging process can facilitate the task of protocol review.
Impact of emergency medicine residency program on rotators' emergency medicine education

Study objective: To assess the perceived impact of emergency medicine residency programs on other program directors' perceptions of emergency medicine as a distinct service and educational entity. Design: Self-administered questionnaire. Type of participants: Residency directors in medicine, surgery, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology at sites containing emergency medicine residency programs. Results: Two hundred twenty-four of 372 questionnaires (60.1%) were returned completed, with equal distributions among all specialties. Respondents stated that the presence of the emergency medicine training program has positively influenced their attitude toward emergency medicine as a specialty (61% agree, 26% neutral), improved their residents' training in emergency medicine (47% agree, 31% neutral), and improved emergency care at their institution (65% agree, 26% neutral). Fifty-seven percent think emergency physicians should teach emergency medicine (27% were neutral). There were statistically significant associations between age of the emergency medicine program and perceived improvement in rotating residents' education and institutional delivery of emergency care. Conclusion: Residency directors in other specialties have a generally positive view of emergency medicine as a specialty and as an important component of their residents' education. The presence of an emergency medicine training program appears to have positively influenced their attitudes, improved their residents' education, and improved emergency care. Older programs have positively influenced attitudes to a greater degree than have newer programs.
Calcium Handling Deficits Induced by Systemic Inflammatory Mediators in Rat Cardiomyocytes

Background. Cardiac dysfunction in sepsis is thought to be caused by detrimental effects of systemic inflammatory mediators on cardiac muscle. Here we studied the effects of prolonged (18-24h) exposure of adult rat ventricular myocytes (ARVM) to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and cytokines (tumor necrosis factor, TNF, interleukin 1, IL-1 and 6, IL-6).Methods. We measured ARVM sarcomere shortening (SS) and calcium (Ca2+) transients (ΔCai, with fura-2AM) elicited by external pacing at 37 oC.Results. SS decreased after incubation with LPS (100 μg/ml), IL-1 (100 ng/ml) and IL-6 (30 ng/ml), but not with lesser doses of these mediators, or TNF (10 −100 ng/ml). A combination of LPS (100 μg/ml), TNF, IL-1 and IL-6 (each 100 ng/ml; “Cytomix-100”) decreased SS to 58 ± 5% and ΔCai to 81 ± 4% of control (p 38 cells). Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ load (CaSR, measured with caffeine) was unchanged by Cytomix-100, however, SR fractional release (ΔCai/CaSR) was decreased to 78 ± 5% of control (p 18 cells). SR Ca2+ pump (SERCA) activity (as the time constant of Ca2+ decay) and expression (immunoblotting), and the expression of phospholamban were not changed by Cytomix, whereas Ca2+ entry into the cell (via L-type Ca2+ channels) was decreased (64 ± 4% of control, p 24 cells). Cytomix induced a 24 ± 8 fold increase in nitric oxide (NO) synthase 2 (NOS2) expression (n=6, p 18 cells).Conclusions. Exposure of ARVM to a mixture of LPS and inflammatory cytokines inhibits Ca2+ handling through activation of NO and ROS pathways.
Behavioral effects of acute and chronic buspirone.

Abstract The effects of buspirone were studied in squirrel monkeys trained to lever-press under a fixed-interval schedule involving suppressed responding. Buspirone (0.01–0.1 mg/kg) generally did not increase rates of suppressed responding. Buspirone (0.01–0.1 mg/kg) generally did not increase rates of suppresed responding; 0.3 mg/kg of buspirone decreased rate. In comparison, diazepam (0.1–1.0 mg/kg) and CL 218872 (0.3–3.0 mg/kg) increased responding. Additionally, the effects of buspirone (0.01–0.3 mg/kg) were unchanged over a 12-day period of daily administration. The results show that buspirone has effects on schedule-controlled behavior of squirrel monkeys that differ from those of typical anxiolytic drugs.
Geostrophic Circulation in a Rectangular Basin with a Circumpolar Connection

Abstract A simple theory is presented for steady geostrophic circulation of a stratified fluid in a rectangular basin with a circumpolar connection. The interior flow obeys the β-plane Sverdrup vorticity balance, and the circulation is closed by geostrophic boundary currents. The circulation is forced by surface thermal gradients and wind-driven Ekman transport near the latitudes of the circumpolar connection. A thermal circumpolar current arises in response to imposed surface thermal gradients and northward Ekman transport across the gap latitudes. The transport of this model circumpolar current depends on the imposed surface thermal gradients and the gap geometry, but not on the strength of the wind forcing. In contrast, the circulation induced in a related reduced-gravity model by Sverdrup transport into the gap latitudes has zero zonally integrated zonal transport. The thermal current arises as a consequence of the geostrophic constraint, which requires that the northern region fill with warm fluid un...
Internal structure and interfacial velocity development for bubbly two-phase flow

Abstract This paper describes an experimental study of the internal structure of air-water flowing horizontally. The double-sensor resistivity probe technique was applied for measurements of local interfacial parameters, including void fraction, interfacial area concentration, bubble size distributions, bubble passing frequency and bubble interface velocity. Bubbly flow patterns at several flow conditions were examined at three axial locations, L D = 25, 148 and 253 , in which the first measurement represents the entrance region where the flow develops, and the second and third may represent near fully developed bubbly flow patterns. The experimental results are presented in three-dimensional perspective plots of the interfacial parameters over the cross-section. These multi-dimensional presentations showed that the local values of the void fraction, interfacial area concentration and bubble passing frequency were nearly constant over the cross-section at L D = 25 , with slight local peaking close to the channel wall. Although similar local peakings were observed at the second and third locations, the internal flow structure segregation due to buoyancy appeared to be very strong in the axial direction. A simple comparison of profiles of the interfacial parameters at the three locations indicated that the flow pattern development was a continuous process. Finally, it was shown that the so-called “fully developed” bubbly two-phase flow pattern cannot be established in a horizontal pipe and that there was no strong correspondence between void fraction and interface velocity profiles.
Applying natural language processing techniques to augmentative communication systems

A large population of non-speaking, motor-impaired individuals must rely on computer-based communication aids. These aids, in essence, present the user 'with a list of letters, words, or phrases that may be selected to compose the desired utterance. The resulting utterance may then be passed to a speech synthesizer or document preparation system. While m~my of these individuals desire to communicate in complete well-lormed sentences, the expenditure in effort and time is often prohibitive. The goal of this project is to increase the communication rate of physically disabled individuals by cutting down the number of items that must be selected in order to compose a well-formed utterance. We wish to do this while placing as little a burden on the user as possible.
Coupling parameters of the MIT OBS at two nearshore sites

A model representing the coupling of an ocean-bottom seismometer (OBS) to the seafloor as a mass-spring-dashpot system satisfactorily explains the results of transient tests performed on different instruments during the Lopez Island intercomparison test. In this paper, we compare the results obtained for the MIT OBS at Lopez Island to results from similar tests at a dockside site at Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The vertical instrument response at the Lopez Island site shows a highly damped resonance at a frequency of 22 Hz, whereas the response at the Woods Hole site shows a marked resonance at 13 Hz. The difference between the responses at the two sites can be qualitatively attributed to the difference between the surficial sediments.
Illuminating interfaces between phases of a U ( 1 ) × U ( 1 ) gauge theory

We study reflection and transmission of light at the interface between different phases of a $U(1)\ensuremath{\bigotimes}U(1)$ gauge theory. On each side of the interface, one can choose a basis so that one generator is free (allowing propagation of light), and the orthogonal one may be free, have a Higgs phase, or be confined. However, the basis on one side will in general be rotated relative to the basis on the other by some angle $\ensuremath{\alpha}.$ We calculate reflection and transmission coefficients for both polarizations of light and all 8 types of boundary, for arbitrary $\ensuremath{\alpha}.$ We find that an observer measuring the behavior of light beams at the boundary would be able to distinguish 4 different types of boundary, and we show how the remaining ambiguity arises from the principle of complementarity (indistinguishability of confined and Higgs phases) which leaves observables invariant under a global electric/magnetic duality transformation. We also explain the seemingly paradoxical behavior of Higgs/Higgs and confined/confined boundaries, and clarify some previous arguments that confinement must involve magnetic monopole condensation.
High‐throughput analysis using gated multi‐inlet mass spectrometry

Gated multi-inlet mass spectrometry is introduced for high-throughput chemical analysis. In this design, multiple high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) columns or capillary electrophoresis (CE) capillaries are attached to multiple electrosprayers (one for each column or capillary) that spray toward a gated multi-inlet time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS). Although all of the sprayers are spraying continuously, only one inlet is exposed at any given time for a specific duration set by the MS data system. The gated multi-sprayer, multi-inlet design significantly enhances the performance of the multi-ESI, multi-inlet TOF-MS with minimal cost and reduces analysis time. The gated multi-sprayer, multi-inlet design was applied to the investigation of column-to-column reproducibility of multiple HPLCs using a peptide mixture and to the simultaneous analysis of four protein digests. In addition, it was applied to the analysis of peptide mixtures using eight CE capillaries. The gated multi-inlet MS has several advantages compared to our previous non-gated multi-inlet MS. For example, because only one inlet is open at one time, the original manufacturer's inlet inner diameter and pumping system can be used, which enhances the sensitivity of detection for each inlet and minimizes the manufacturing cost. In addition, the number of inlets can be increased as desired. The maximum number of liquid streams that can be concurrently analyzed is limited by: (1) the number of inlets, (2) the chromatographic (electrophoretic) peak width, and (3) how fast the gate can move from one position to the next. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Economic Analysis of Solar PV and Batteries for Common Residential Electricity Rate Structures Using Green Button Data

Rising electricity prices, falling photovoltaic (PV) system costs and the availability of net metering are encouraging consumers to consider PV systems. However, the variety and complexity of utility rate structures can be a formidable barrier to consumers in making economically informed decisions. This paper describes a methodology to integrate Green Button energy use data from electric utilities, with solar and temperature data to analyze the economics of PV systems, with and without battery storage, under different rate structures. Case study results indicate that the economics of PV systems are nearly identical under PG&E’s time-of-use and inverted-block rate structures, and are more favorable than under flat rate structures with the same average annual cost per kWh. However, simple paybacks remain well short of the typical life of PV systems. The simple payback for the addition of batteries is initially competitive with PV systems, but rises rapidly as battery size is increased.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
The effects of stimulus luminance and duration on iconic encodability

Stimulus luminance, stimulus duration, and pre- and postfield luminance were varied in a whole report paradigm. Preformance in all conditions improved with longer durations. With pre- and postfield luminance equal to stimulus luminance, stimulus duration affected performance, but stimulus luminance did not. However, when pre- and postfield luminance was held constant, performance exhibited reciprocity between stimulus luminance and duration according to Bloch’s Law.
Molecular-weight determinations during the approach to sedimentation equilibrium☆

Abstract Discussed herein are different methods for treating the data obtained in an ultracentrifugal study during the approach to sedimentation equilibrium. All of these methods are based on the original proposal of Archibald. Equations are presented and the advantages and disadvantages of the various procedures are illustrated with results from experiments on purified proteins and known mixtures of homogeneous materials. Since it is difficult to obtain reliable data at the bottom of existing ultracentrifuge cells, special efforts have been directed toward this problem. It was found that the addition of a small amount of a dense, inert, transparent liquid, such as silicone fluid, to the ultracentrifuge cell facilitates the determination of precise molecular weights at the bottom of the cell. In effect, this dense liquid creates in the ultracentrifuge cell a false bottom of the correct shape. Moreover, the transparency of this cell bottom greatly simplifies the detection of aggregated material in the solution. Precise values of the molecular weights of ribonuclease and β-lactoglobulin have been obtained, and the results are in excellent agreement with values derived by other methods. Furthermore, correct weight-average molecular weights have been determined for various known mixtures of these proteins. It was also found that inhomogeneity can be readily demonstrated. For certain types of mixtures the Archibald method gives not only accurate values of the weight-average molecular weight but it also provides a reasonable estimate of the molecular weight of the heavy component.
Getter pumping to allow economical sputtering with xenon

Abstract Increases in sputter rate, under equivalent commercial operating conditions, can often be achieved by using inert gases heavier than Ar. High atomic weight targets and high sputter voltages result in Kr and Xe having higher sputter yields than Ar. The larger ionization cross sections of Kr and Xe also result in a plasma enhancement. The high consumption rate of sputter gas has previously prevented the economical utilization of Kr and Xe. A d.c.-powered Ti sputter target was added to an r.f. planar diode sputtering system. The sputtered titanium was deposited directly on the vacuum chamber walls to form a large room temperature getter pumping surface. Calculations showed an increase of two orders of magnitude in the pumping speeds of O 2 , N 2 , H 2 O and H 2 over that of a conventional throttled 10 cm diffusion pump. This pumping speed allowed improved sputter cleaning of substrates and the deposition of higher purity films. Operating the Ti getter pump with the diffusion pump closed allowed sputtering with very little inert gas consumption. R.f. sputtering of a Ti target with 750 W at 8 mTorr gas pressure resulted in a sputter gas consumption rate of 3 × 10 -3 cm 3 min -1 for both Ar and Xe. This consumption rate corresponds to a Xe cost of less than 1 ¢ h -1 .
The Efficacy of Unconditional Maximum Likelihood Bias Correction: Comment on Jansen, van den Wollenberg, and Wierda

Index terms: Item response theory, item parameter estimation; Item response theory, one-parameter logis tic model; Maximum likelihood estimation, condi tional; Maximum likelihood estimation, unconditional; Minimum chi-square estimation; One-parameter logis tic model; Rasch model.
T-lymphocyte recognition of sperm-whale myoglobin. Specificity of T-cell recognition following neonatal tolerance with either myoglobin or synthetic peptides of an antigenic site.

SUMMARY Recently, in investigating the responses of T-cell from high responder mice that were primed with myoglobin (Mb) or with synthetic peptides containing antigenic site 5 and increasing in length stepwise by increments of two residues, we observed that T-cell recognition was highly dependent on conformation. In the present studies, tolerization experiments were carried out to further investigate this finding. Neonatal mice (BALB/cByJ) were either tolerized with Mb or with synthetic peptides of Mb containing antigenic site 5. Tolerization with Mb and subsequent immunization with Mb gave T-cells that did not proliferate in vitro to Mb or any of the peptides. T-cells from mice that were tolerized with a truncated peptide 139-153 (having deletions at Tyr-151 and Ala-144) and subsequently immunized with Mb proliferated in vitro to Mb and to peptides 132-153, 135-153 and 143-153. T-cells from mice that were tolerized with native Mb and subsequently immunized with peptides (which are unfolded in solution) did not proliferate in vitro to Mb, but responded well to the peptides. Conversely, tolerization with peptides had no effect on the recognition of, and the response to, native Mb by the T-cells, whereas the response to the peptides was completely removed. It was thus concluded that the recognition of protein antigens (or at least of Mb) by T-cells is (like the recognition by antibody) dependent on the conformation of the antigen.