cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rhesus rhadinovirus R15 encodes a functional homologue of human CD200

A viral CD200 homologue (vCD200) encoded by open reading frame R15 of rhesus rhadinovirus (RRV), a gammaherpesvirus closely related to human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), is described here. RRV vCD200 shares 30% and 28% amino acid identity with human CD200 (huCD200) and HHV-8 vCD200, respectively. In vitro analysis indicated that an Fc fusion (vCD200-Fc) is expressed as a glycoprotein with a core molecular mass of 53 kDa. Utilizing monoclonal antibodies raised against vCD200-Fc, vCD200 expression was detected on the surfaces of and within supernatants from infected fibroblasts. Furthermore, in vitro assays demonstrated that vCD200-Fc treatment of monocyte-derived macrophages reduces tumor necrosis factor transcript and protein levels, implying that RRV encodes a functional vCD200.
Microdialysis update: optimizing the advantages

Microdialysis was introduced in the early 1970s as a method to measure dynamic release of substances in the brain (see Tossman & Ungerstedt, 1986). The technique has been refined over the past three decades due to the development of new materials for dialysis membranes and commercial availability of smaller, more consistently fabricated probes. A typical microdialysis probe consists of rigid metal concentric tubing with a semipermeable region at the tip (Fig. 1). Molecules of restricted size passively diffuse from the brain through the dialysis membrane into an infusion solution which is then directed out of the brain and collected in tubes for serial analysis of substance content. Probes are inserted into the brain region of interest, typically making lesions during their travel through the brain and at the sampling site. Once the trauma of insertion subsides, usually after an hour or so, probes collect substances released from axons projecting to dendrites and cell bodies of the targeted area. Substances surrounding the semipermeable region of the probe passively diffuse down a concentration gradient into the solution infused through the probe. Substance recovery from the brain decreases exponentially with faster infusion rates. A high precision infusion pump is critical for maintaining constant flow through the probes to ensure that altered substance content in the dialysates reflects changes in release by the brain and not variable diffusion gradients resulting from sporadic changes in flow rates through the probes. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is commonly used to measure target substances in the dialysates, but other methods such as radioimmunoassay may be employed. The development of microbore columns for HPLC (Durkin et al. 1985) and their commercial availability by the mid 1990s has made it possible to accurately measure smaller amounts of substances in the dialysates.
New North American Bees of the Genus Dufourea (Apoidea: Halictidae) Part III

Four new species and two new subspecies of the genus Dufourea have come to light since parts I and II of the series under the above title were written. Addition of these plus the recognition of D. spilura (Ckll.) as a valid species raise the total number of recognized species of American Dufourea to sixty-one. It is probable that several more will be found within the next few years. This is especially likely in the Sierra Nevada and Coast Range mountains of California where large areas have been inadequately collected for bees from March to May.
SHADING FACILITATES SESSILE INVERTEBRATE DOMINANCE IN THE ROCKY SUBTIDAL GULF OF MAINE

Dramatic shifts in community composition occur between vertical and horizontal rocky surfaces in subtidal environments worldwide, yet the forces mediating this transition are poorly understood. Vertical rock walls are often covered by lush, diverse communities of sessile suspension-feeding invertebrates, while adjacent horizontal substrates are dominated by algae, or corals in the tropics. Multiple factors, including light, sedimentation, water flow, and predation have been proposed to explain this pattern, but experimental tests of these hypotheses are lacking. We manipulated light level and predation to test whether variation in these mechanisms could be responsible for the shift in composition of sessile communities between vertical and horizontal surfaces in the rocky subtidal Gulf of Maine. Shaded horizontally oriented granite plots were dominated by invertebrates (e.g., ascidians, barnacles, bryozoans) after 25 months. Unshaded plots were dominated by macroalgae, which was virtually absent in shaded plots. Exclusion of grazers with cages had no effect on percent cover of invertebrates or algae. Preferential settlement of invertebrate larvae to shaded plots, due to larval behaviors such as negative phototaxis, did not seem to play a role. Shading likely affects post-settlement mortality of invertebrates by alleviating competition for space with algae, although greater abundance of micropredators in algal- dominated communities could also be important. Communities on shaded plots lacked many taxa present on natural wall communities, likely due to greater disturbance on horizontal substrates and/or lack of sufficient time for colonization of these taxa. These results suggest that light plays a key role in controlling the structure, composition, and function of shallow subtidal communities.
On biologically-inspired design of fault-tolerant digital systems

Biologically-inspired design may be a powerful and practical alternative to traditional approaches in designing digital systems. The term biologically-inspired encompasses a number of different approaches inspired by living organisms that are used to solve complex computation problems. This paper presents the basic concepts of living organisms that may be utilized to implement fault-tolerant digital systems. An FPGA architecture based on these concepts is proposed.
Future of developer testing: building quality in code

Although much progress has been made in software verification, software testing remains by far the most widely used technique for improving software reliability. Among various types of testing, developer testing is a type of testing where developers test their code as they write it, as opposed to testing done by a separate quality assurance organization. Developer testing has been widely recognized as an important and valuable means of improving software reliability, partly due to its capabilities of exposing faults early in the development life cycle. In this position paper, we present our positions on future directions of developer testing along four dimensions (which of course we do not claim to be complete): correctness confidence, specifications,(dis)integration testing, and human factors. Our positions are originated from two recent promising technologies in developer testing: parameterized unit testing and dynamic symbolic execution, also called concolic testing.
Metal ion-mediated substrate-assisted catalysis in type II restriction endonucleases

The 2.15-Å resolution cocrystal structure of EcoRV endonuclease mutant T93A complexed with DNA and Ca2+ ions reveals two divalent metals bound in one of the active sites. One of these metals is ligated through an inner-sphere water molecule to the phosphate group located 3′ to the scissile phosphate. A second inner-sphere water on this metal is positioned approximately in-line for attack on the scissile phosphate. This structure corroborates the observation that the pro-SP phosphoryl oxygen on the adjacent 3′ phosphate cannot be modified without severe loss of catalytic efficiency. The structural equivalence of key groups, conserved in the active sites of EcoRV, EcoRI, PvuII, and BamHI endonucleases, suggests that ligation of a catalytic divalent metal ion to this phosphate may occur in many type II restriction enzymes. Together with previous cocrystal structures, these data allow construction of a detailed model for the pretransition state configuration in EcoRV. This model features three divalent metal ions per active site and invokes assistance in the bond-making step by a conserved lysine, which stabilizes the attacking hydroxide ion nucleophile.
Susto and Mal de Ojo among Florida Farmworkers: Emic and Etic Perspectives

This article addresses emic and etic perspectives on two Mexican folk illnesses, susto and mal de ojo. The approaches of Mexican and Mexican American mothers to treating these illnesses in their own children are compared and contrasted to those stated by physicians in a local clinic. The physicians considered the vast majority of the sets of symptoms given for these folk illnesses to be worthy of medical attention and possibly life threatening if not treated. While folk illness diagnoses may not exactly label biomedical “diseases,” the folk diagnoses do indicate life-threatening conditions to which biomedical healers should be sensitive and attentive. This research suggests that the perception of folk healers that these illnesses cannot be dealt with by biomedical healers may be as incorrect as the perception of biomedical healers that these are mere “culture bound syndromes,” that is, not real medical problems.
Velvet, a Dominant Egfr Mutation That Causes Wavy Hair and Defective Eyelid Development in Mice

In the course of a large-scale program of ENU mutagenesis, we isolated a dominant mutation, called Velvet. The mutation was found to be uniformly lethal to homozygotes, which do not survive E13.5. Mice heterozygous for the Velvet mutation are born with eyelids open and demonstrate a wavy coat and curly vibrissae. The mutation was mapped to the proximal end of chromosome 11 by genome-wide linkage analysis. On 249 meioses, the locus was confined to a 2.7-Mb region, which included the epidermal growth factor receptor gene (Egfr). An A → G transition in the Egfr coding region of Velvet mice was identified, causing the amino acid substitution D833G. This substitution alters an essential triad of amino acids (DFG → GFG) that is normally required for coordination of the ATP substrate. As such, kinase activity is at least mostly abolished, but quaternary structure of the receptor is presumably maintained, accounting for the dominant effect. Velvet is the first known dominant representative of the Egfr allelic series that is fully viable, a fact that makes it particularly useful for developmental studies.
Nitric Oxide Synthase Production and Nitric Oxide Regulation of Preimplantation Embryo Development

Nitric oxide (NO) production plays an important role in regulating preimplantation embryo development. NO is produced from l-arginine by the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS), which has three isoforms: endothelial (eNOS), neuronal (nNOS), and inducible (iNOS). It has been previously shown that inhibition of NO production by NG-nitro-l-arginine (l-NA) inhibits the development of two-cell embryos to the four-cell stage. However, excess NO also halts embryo development, possibly through the production of free radicals. We hypothesize that multiple NOS isoforms are expressed in order to ensure normal preimplantation embryo development and that, in this process, NO acts through the cGMP pathway. Using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, mRNA for all three NOS isoforms was amplified from two-cell, four-cell, morula, and blastocyst embryos. However, blastocyst-stage embryos isolated midmorning on Day 4 of pregnancy expressed only nNOS and eNOS, whereas those isolated midafternoon again expressed all three NOS isoforms. Culture of one-cell embryos in various concentrations of Whitten (positive control), S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNP, a NO donor), l-NA, and/or 8-Br-cGMP demonstrated that NO is acting, at least in part, through cGMP in preimplantation embryo development. In addition, we determined that a critical concentration of NO and cGMP is required for normal embryo development and deviations from this concentration lead to developmental arrest and/or apoptosis of the embryo. This data provides support for a requirement of NO in preimplantation embryo development and one mechanism through which it regulates mitotic division in these embryos.
Fractionated working memory: Even in pebbles, it's still a soup stone

We agree with Caplan & Waters that there are problems with the single-resource theory of sentence comprehension. However, we challenge their dual-resource alternative on theoretical and empirical grounds and point to a more coherent solution that abandons the notion of working memory resources.
Direct Evidence for Control of the Pheromone-Inducible prgQ Operon of Enterococcus faecalis Plasmid pCF10 by a Countertranscript-Driven Attenuation Mechanism

The mating response of Enterococcus faecalis cells carrying the conjugative plasmid pCF10 is controlled by multiple regulatory circuits. Initiation of transcription of the prgQ conjugation operon is controlled by the peptide receptor protein PrgX; binding of the pheromone peptide cCF10 to PrgX abolishes PrgX repression, while binding of the inhibitor peptide iCF10 enhances repression. The results of molecular analysis of prgQ transcripts and genetic studies suggested that the elongation of prgQ transcripts past a putative terminator (IRS1) may be controlled by the interaction of nascent prgQ mRNAs with a small antisense RNA (Anti-Q) encoded within prgQ. Direct evidence for interaction of these RNAs, as well as the resulting effects on readthrough of prgQ transcription, has been limited. Here we report the results of experiments that (i) determine the inherent termination properties of prgQ transcripts in the absence of Anti-Q; (ii) determine the direct effects of the interaction of Anti-Q with nascent prgQ transcripts in the absence of complicating effects of the PrgX protein; and (iii) begin to dissect the structural components involved in these interactions. The results confirm the existence of alternative terminating and antiterminating forms of nascent prgQ transcripts in vivo and demonstrate that the interaction of Anti-Q with these transcripts leads to termination via inhibition of antiterminator formation. In vitro transcription assays support the major results of the in vivo studies. The data support a model for Anti-Q function suggested from recent studies of these RNAs and their interactions in vitro (S. Shokeen, C. M. Johnson, T. J. Greenfield, D. A. Manias, G. M. Dunny, and K. E. Weaver, submitted for publication).
Detecting transient signals in geodetic time series using sparse estimation techniques

We present a new method for automatically detecting transient deformation signals from geodetic time series. We cast the detection problem as a least squares procedure where the design matrix corresponds to a highly overcomplete, nonorthogonal dictionary of displacement functions in time that resemble transient signals of various timescales. The addition of a sparsity-inducing regularization term to the cost function limits the total number of dictionary elements needed to reconstruct the signal. Sparsity-inducing regularization enhances interpretability of the resultant time-dependent model by localizing the dominant timescales and onset times of the transient signals. Transient detection can then be performed using convex optimization software where detection sensitivity is dependent on the strength of the applied sparsity-inducing regularization. To assess uncertainties associated with estimation of the dictionary coefficients, we compare solutions with those found through a Bayesian inference approach to sample the full model space for each dictionary element. In addition to providing uncertainty bounds on the coefficients and confirming the optimization results, Bayesian sampling reveals trade-offs between dictionary elements that have nearly equal probability in modeling a transient signal. Thus, we can rigorously assess the probabilities of the occurrence of transient signals and their characteristic temporal evolution. The detection algorithm is applied on several synthetic time series and real observed GPS time series for the Cascadia region. For the latter data set, we incorporate a spatial weighting scheme that self-adjusts to the local network density and filters for spatially coherent signals. The weighting allows for the automatic detection of repeating slow slip events.
A framework for designing reusable analog circuits

Recent analog design tools have started to allow designers to archive not only the sized schematics but also some of the objectives that the circuit is trying to achieve. This paper first describes STAR (Schematic Tool for Analog Reuse), a system that captures designer's knowledge as part of the archival circuit representation, and then describes how this system can be used to create portable design modules. Creating portable analog modules require more than just the optimization criteria for the cell. It must also include the constraints on the cell's environment (for proper operation), and how these constraints should scale with technology. Furthermore, the system must help the designer in the current task of creating the design, since it is rare that a designer thinks about creating IP for someone else. We demonstrate the capability and utility of this system by examining the reuse of a phase-locked loop.
Capture of Negative Muons by Nuclei

An experiment conducted to obtain precise values for the rates at which negative muons are captured by nuclei is described. These capture rates were deduced from muon disappearance rates measured by determining the time distribution of electrons resulting from the decay of muons in their lowest atomic orbit. 30 elements were investigated, using scintillation counters as detectors. The data are compared with the general theory of Primakoff and the specific predictions of Tolhoek and Luyten for nuclei with $20\ensuremath{\le}Z\ensuremath{\le}28$. Primakoff's predictions for the effect of the Pauli principle are well borne out by this experiment, and the inferred capture rate of muons by protons is in good agreement with the hypothesis of a universal Fermi interaction. New values of effective nuclear charge densities (analogous to Wheeler's ${{Z}_{\mathrm{eff}}}^{4}$) were computed for analyzing the data, using a recent muon mass and up-to-date experimental information on charge distributions (from electron scattering and mesonic x-ray work). These new values are presented in tabular form.
Social Identities—A Framework for Studying the Adaptations of Immigrants and Ethnics: The Adaptations of Mexicans in the United States

Past treatments of immigration and ethnicity (and of the relationship between them) tend to ignore processes by which the effects of history and social structure occur at the individual level. Many scholars call for social psychological analyses that show how history and macro-social features of the environment produce individual modes of adaptation to immigration, including the construction and reconstruction of ethnicity as one of the modes. We use a social psychological analysis to tie macro-social characteristics to micro-social characteristics of immediate social contexts to examine how two groups of Mexicans in the United States—Mexicanos and Chicanos—differ in their social identities and in their cultural adaptations. Our results from the analyses of the data in the National Chicano Survey indicate that, as predicted by social identity theory, the differences in the structural and historical conditions experienced by immigrants and ethnics result in a more differentiated identity structure for Chicanos than for Mexicanos. The content of the social identities of the two groups also shows important differences according to outgroup comparisons through mastery of the English language. Also consistent with social identity theory, the most problematic social identities—for example, class and race—are the most psychologically powerful in determining cultural adaptations for both groups. In conclusion, differences between immigrants and ethnics are largely the outcome of shifts in reference groups as they compare themselves to a wider array of people who either promote acceptance of devalued social categorizations or in feelings of discontent about one's social identity.
Who's driving anyway? Herculean efforts to identify the drivers of breast cancer

The continuing advancement of sequencing technologies has made the systematic identification of all driving somatic events in cancer a possibility. In the June 2012 issue of Nature, five papers show some significant headway in this endeavor, each a herculean effort of genome sequencing, and transcriptome and copy number analysis resulting in data on thousands of breast cancers. Integrating these massive datasets, the authors were able to further subdivide breast cancer and identify a number of novel driver genes. While the studies represent a leap forward in describing the genomics of breast cancer, and clearly highlight the tremendous diversity between tumors, the studies only scrape the surface of molecular changes in breast tumors, with more granularity to come from the study of epigenomics, single cell sequencing, and so on. The immediate importance of the data to clinical care is currently unknown, and will depend upon detailed identification and functional analysis of driver mutations.
Lesioning of TRPV1 expressing primary afferent neurons prevents PAR-2 induced motility, but not mechanical hypersensitivity in the rat colon.

Background Proteinase activated receptor 2 (PAR-2) is expressed by many neurons in the colon, including primary afferent neurons that co-express transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). Activation of PAR-2 receptors was previously found to enhance colonic motility, increase secretion and produce hypersensitivity to mechanical stimuli. This study examined the functional role of TRPV1/PAR-2 expressing neurons that innervate the colon by lesioning TRPV1 bearing neurons with the highly selective and potent TRPV1 agonist resiniferatoxin. Methods Colonic motility in response to PAR-2 activation was evaluated in vitro using isolated segments of descending colon and in vivo using manometry. Colonic mechanical nociceptive thresholds were measured using colorectal distension. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 expressing neurons were selectively lesioned with resiniferatoxin. Key Results In vitro, the PAR-2 agonists, trypsin and SLIGRL did not alter contractions of colon segments when applied alone, however, the agents enhanced acetylcholine stimulated contraction. In vivo, PAR-2 agonists administered intraluminally induced contractions of the colon and produced hypersensitivity to colorectal distention. The PAR-2 agonist enhancement of colonic contraction was eliminated when TRPV1 expressing neurons were lesioned with resiniferatoxin, but the PAR-2 agonist induced hypersensitivity remained in the lesioned animals. Conclusions & Inferences Our findings indicate that TRPV1/PAR-2 expressing primary afferent neurons mediate an extrinsic motor reflex pathway in the colon. These data, coupled with our previous studies, also indicate that the recently described colospinal afferent neurons are nociceptive, suggesting that these neurons may be useful targets for the pharmacological control of pain in diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome.
Identification of two new protective pre-erythrocytic malaria vaccine antigen candidates

Despite years of effort, a licensed malaria vaccine is not yet available. One of the obstacles facing the development of a malaria vaccine is the extensive heterogeneity of many of the current malaria vaccine antigens. To counteract this antigenic diversity, an effective malaria vaccine may need to elicit an immune response against multiple malaria antigens, thereby limiting the negative impact of variability in any one antigen. Since most of the malaria vaccine antigens that have been evaluated in people have not elicited a protective immune response, there is a need to identify additional protective antigens. In this study, the efficacy of three pre-erythrocytic stage malaria antigens was evaluated in a Plasmodium yoelii/mouse protection model. Mice were immunized with plasmid DNA and vaccinia virus vectors that expressed one, two or all three P. yoelii vaccine antigens. The immunized mice were challenged with 300 P. yoelii sporozoites and evaluated for subsequent infection. Vaccines that expressed any one of the three antigens did not protect a high percentage of mice against a P. yoelii challenge. However, vaccines that expressed all three antigens protected a higher percentage of mice than a vaccine that expressed PyCSP, the most efficacious malaria vaccine antigen. Dissection of the multi-antigen vaccine indicated that protection was primarily associated with two of the three P. yoelii antigens. The protection elicited by a vaccine expressing these two antigens exceeded the sum of the protection elicited by the single antigen vaccines, suggesting a potential synergistic interaction. This work identifies two promising malaria vaccine antigen candidates and suggests that a multi-antigen vaccine may be more efficacious than a single antigen vaccine.
Cultured human tumour cells may be arrested in all stages of the cycle during stationary phase: demonstration of quiescent cells in G1, S and G2 phase.

Six human colon carcinoma cell lines were induced to enter stationary phase of growth by nutrient deprivation and cell crowding. Growth kinetics parameters (cell number, flow cytometric analysis of DNA distribution, and labelling and mitotic indices) were measured sequentially for all lines during the various stages of in vitro growth. Our results demonstrated that a substantial fraction of cells (9–18%) were located in G2, phase when they changed from an exponential to a stationary mode of growth. Moreover, a large number of cells in stationary phase of growth had an S-phase DNA content, as determined by flow cytometry, but failed to incorporate radioactive DNA precursors (up to 15-fold difference). to substantiate these findings. cells in stationary phase of growth were induced to enter exponential growth by re-seeding in fresh medium at a lower density. Subsequently observed changes in DNA-compartment distribution, and in labelling and mitotic indices were those expected from cells that had been arrested at different stages of the cycle during their previous stationary phase. Thus, the non-proliferating quiescent state (Q), traditionally located ‘somewhere’ in G1, phase, appears to be composed also of cells that can be arrested at other stages of the cycle (Qs, and QG). Although the proportion of such cells is rather small, their contribution to the growth kinetics behaviour of human in vivo tumours will become apparent following ‘recruiting’ or ‘synchronizing’ clinical manoeuvres and will prevent the formation of a clear-cut wave of synchronized cells.
Thermal injury with contemporary cast-application techniques and methods to circumvent morbidity

Background: Thermal injuries caused by application of casts continue to occur despite the development of newer cast materials. We studied the risk of these injuries with contemporary methods of immobilization. Methods: Using cylindrical and L-shaped limb models, we recorded the internal and external temperature changes that occurred during cast application. Variables that we assessed included the thickness of the cast or splint, dip-water temperature, limb diameter and shape, cast type (plaster, fiberglass, or composite), padding type, and placement of the curing cast on a pillow. These data were then plotted on known time-versus-temperature graphs to assess the potential for thermal injury. Results: The external temperature of the plaster casts was an average (and standard deviation) of 2.7° ± 1.9°C cooler than the internal temperature. The external temperature of twenty-four-ply casts peaked at an average of 84 ± 42 seconds prior to the peak in the internal temperature. The average difference between the internal and external temperatures of the thicker (twenty-four-ply) casts (4.9° ± 1.3°C) was significantly larger than that of the thinner (six and twelve-ply) casts (1.5° ± 1°C) (p < 0.05). Use of dip water with a temperature of <24°C avoided cast temperatures that can cause thermal injury regardless of the thickness of the plaster cast. A dip-water temperature of 50°C combined with a twenty-four-ply cast thickness consistently yielded temperatures high enough to cause burns. Use of splinting material that was folded back on itself was associated with a significant risk of thermal injury. Likewise, placing a cast on a pillow during curing resulted in temperatures in the area of pillow contact that were high enough to cause thermal damage, as did overwrapping of a curing plaster cast with fiberglass. Attempts to decrease internal temperatures with the application of isopropyl alcohol to the exterior of the cast did not decrease the risk of thermal injury. Conclusions: Excessively thick plaster and a dip-water temperature of >24°C should be avoided. Splints should be cut to a proper length and not folded over. Placing the limb on a pillow during the curing process puts the limb at risk. Overwrapping of plaster in fiberglass should be delayed until the plaster is fully cured and cooled.
Mortality and Replacement Patterns of an Old-growth Acer-Fagus Woods in the Holden Arboretum, Northeastern Ohio

Abstract The objective of this study was to establish baseline data for the structure and dynamics of an old-growth beech (Fagus grandifolia)-sugar maple (Acer saccharum) woods in northeastern Ohio before the anticipated future impacts of disturbances such as beech bark disease. Several parameters were selected for study based on their likelihood of being influenced by these disturbances including: (1) species composition; (2) mortality and growth rates of trees, overall, by species and by size class; (3) canopy replacement patterns; (4) coarse woody debris (CWD) characteristics; and (5) the understory response to existing openings and its implications for change in the forest under present conditions. This study extends our understanding of beech-sugar maple old growth because our site is, perhaps, the most northeasterly one not yet affected by beech bark disease and because it is the only studied site influenced by weather conditions generated by Lake Erie. The overall annual mortality rate (from 1992 t...
What Lies Beneath: Exploring Experiences of Faculty Learning From Informal Relationships

Programming to enhance teaching on college campuses often aligns with learning models that privilege formal and structured learning activities. This qualitative study explores the informal relational learning experiences of a small sample of faculty members in the Northeast United States. Participants’ stories emphasize the relational nature of informal learning interactions which have the potential to result in perspective change. The findings highlight the value of trusting, ongoing interpersonal interaction and dialogue for meaningful faculty learning.
Protein metabolism in children with edematous malnutrition and acute lower respiratory infection.

This study tested the hypothesis that whole- body protein kinetics remain low in children with edematous malnutrition and acute infection. Thirteen children with edematous malnutrition and acute infection (subjects) were compared with 14 uninfected children with edematous malnutrition early in recovery (control children). Protein kinetics were determined by using a primed, constant intravenous infusion of (13C)leucine and ('5N,)urea in the postabsorptive state. Calculations of rates of whole-body protein synthesis and breakdown were based on the rate of leucine appearance; the rate of leucine oxidation was estimated from the rate of urea appearance. Protein synthesis and breakdown rates were lower in subjects than in control children (97 ± 30 compared with 153 ± 67, P < 0.01, and 103 ± 30 compared with 160 ± 67 �mol leucine ' kg � . h �, P < 0.01). No difference was found between the two groups in the rate of urea appearance, but this analysis only had a statistical power of 54%. The absence of the expected increase in the rate of protein turnover during acute infection in edematous malnutrition implies that acute phase proteins are made with a corresponding depletion of muscle, hepatic, and other body proteins such as albumin, and that there may also be a blunting of the acute phase response. Am J C/in Nut,' 1997;65:lOOS-l0.
Legal Writing and Disciplinary Knowledge-Building: A Comparative Study

Because of the disciplinary inclusiveness of legal studies, the knowledge-building activities reflected in the textual practices of legal writers present a particularly interesting and potentially challenging subject for comparison with other disciplines. Such comparative studies are not only likely to increase our understanding of the discipline-specific rhetoric of law, but may also contribute to the study of the relationship between professional writing and disciplinarity generally.In this article, I examine Susan Peck MacDonald’s recent study of disciplinary knowledge-building in Professional Academic Writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences and apply the methods used in her study and other studies of professional writing in the disciplines to analyze a sample of law review and journal articles involving a discrete legal question that is currently emerging in the United States and internationally, specifically, how and when arbitration may be compelled in disputes involving nonsignatories to an arbitration agreement. The purpose of this study is to identify the knowledge-building activities of a discrete legal discourse community and to compare the knowledge-building activities of that community to the knowledge-building activities of professional writing in other disciplines in order to identify the position the law review and journal articles occupy on the disciplinary knowledge-building continuum. In my conclusion, I also offer reflections on the findings of the study and its implications for the application of interdisciplinary studies to legal writing.
Just Give Me a Hint! An Alternative Testing Approach for Simultaneous Assessment and Learning

The Millennial generation has grown up using computers as an essential part of their daily activities. Educators have successfully adapted formative assessments by incorporating Internet resources, gamification and pervasive technology to meet the needs of these students. However, summative assessments have changed very little. Point Barter is an online testing system that incorporates game-like features to equitably assist students in answering test questions. It allows students to dynamically trade test points for hints about the correct answer. This paper presents the results of a study that evaluated Point Barter with two sections of the same course. One section used Point Barter throughout a semester while the other used the standard testing system. Upon completion of the course, all participants took a standardized cumulative final exam. The experimental group scored significantly higher than the control group, indicating that using Point Barter throughout the semester may have led to increased learning.
A general corridor model for designing plug-in electric vehicle charging infrastructure to support intercity travel ☆

Abstract This paper proposes to optimally configure plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) charging infrastructure for supporting long-distance intercity travel using a general corridor model that aims to minimize a total system cost inclusive of infrastructure investment, battery cost and user cost. Compared to the previous work, the proposed model not only allows realistic patterns of origin–destination demands, but also considers flow-dependent charging delay induced by congestion at charging stations. With these extensions, the model is better suited to performing a sketchy design of charging infrastructure along highway corridors. The proposed model is formulated as a mixed integer program with nonlinear constraints and solved by a specialized metaheuristic algorithm based on Simulated Annealing. Our numerical experiments show that the metaheuristic produces satisfactory solutions in comparison with benchmark solutions obtained by a mainstream commercial solver, but is more computationally tractable for larger problems. Noteworthy findings from numerical results are: (1) ignoring queuing delay inducted by charging congestion could lead to suboptimal configuration of charging infrastructure, and its effect is expected to be more significant when the market share of PEVs rises; (2) in the absence of the battery cost, it is important to consider the trade-off between the costs of charging delay and the infrastructure; and (3) building long-range PEVs with the current generation of battery technology may not be cost effective from the societal point of view.
Epidemiological analysis of 4 cases of human avian influenza in Guiyang City

Objective The study was conducted to analyze the epidemiology of 4 confirmed cases of human infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza in Guiyang City between 2009 and 2013, aiming to provide a reference for the scientific control of human avian influenza. Methods Confirmed case were investigated in accordance with the protocol described in the Epidemiological Survey on Human Infection with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza published by the Ministry of Health, and nucleic acids of influenza virus in respiratory tract specimens of the cases and in external environmental specimens were detected by RT-PCR and Real Time-PCR. Results Fever and other flu-like symptoms were the earliest symptoms of the 4 cases, among which 1 was cured and 3 were died from the disease. The cases were reported and confirmed 6 and 8.5 days, respectively, after the onset of the first symptoms. All 4 cases did not travel or had been in contact with dead poultry before the onset of the disease; however, 3 cases had been in close contact with live poultry, and 1 case had been in contact with flash-frozen poultry. H5-positive specimens were detected in suspicious exposed external environments. Conclusion Strengthening the monitoring of pneumonia of unknown causes, early detection of human infections with avian influenza, and early development of effective treatments may lower the mortality of human avian influenza. Avian influenza virus-tainted external environment of farmers' markets and flash-frozen poultry are the possible sources of transmission.
276 UTEROPLACENTAL INSUFFICIENCY ALTERS KIDNEY CYCLOOXYGENASE 2 EXPRESSION AND CAUSES ADULT-ONSET HYPERTENSION.

Background IUGR predisposes the fetus towards increased corticosterone levels, decreased nephron number, and adult-onset hypertension. Rats rendered IUGR by uteroplacental insufficiency (UPI) also have increased corticosterone levels and suffer reduced nephron number. A possible mechanism through which steroids decrease nephron number is regulation of the inducible enzyme cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), a pivotal protein in nephrogenesis; however, the effect of UPI upon COX-2 expression is unknown. Furthermore, the association of reduced nephron number and adult-onset hypertension has not been assessed in our animal model. Hypothesis We hypothesized that IUGR and subsequent glucocorticoid overexposure of the fetus lead to decreased kidney COX-2 expression and protein levels at birth and predispose towards adult-onset hypertension. Methods Bilateral uterine artery ligation was performed on day e19 pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats and pups were harvested at term (e21.5). Levels of COX-2 mRNA, and protein were quantified using real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting from whole kidneys on d0 and d21 of life (juvenile rat). Systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP), and mean blood pressure (MBP) were measured on d21 and d120 of life by tail cuff method. Results On d0, IUGR was associated with decreased kidney COX-2 mRNA levels (79 ± 7* % of control) and protein levels (69 ± 3%** of control). Kidney COX-2 mRNA and protein levels were unaffected in d21 IUGR juvenile rats. Though blood pressure was not significantly different on d21 of life among groups, SBP was significantly higher in both males and females IUGR adults on d120 of life when compared to control animals (176 ± 7 vs 159 ± 4*** and 149 ± 9 vs 128 ± 7**, respectively). MBP and DBP were also significantly higher in IUGR female rats but not affected in IUGR males on d120 (*p Conclusions In vitro studies demonstrate that steroid exposure decreases COX-2 expression in renal cells. In vivo studies demonstrate that COX-2 inhibition impairs nephrogenesis. In our animal model, UPI decreases fetal COX-2 expression during a period of active nephrogenesis in the IUGR rat, which is also characterized by decreased nephron number and adult-onset hypertension. We speculate that decreased IUGR kidney COX-2 levels reduce nephron number and lead to adult-onset hypertension. Supported by the University of Utah Department of Pediatrics CHRC.
Introduction to epigenetics in psychiatry

This introductory chapter provides a brief review of the current state of genetics research on psychiatric disorders. It reports on the progress that has been accomplished in the last few years which has led to the identification of new genes and genetic variants for many disorders, with schizophrenia being in the lead. It describes the different approaches that have been used and often points out how the genetics can predict an important role for epigenetics. This is followed by a quick overview of evidence for the importance of epigenetics in psychiatric disease and the links with many epigenetically relevant environmental factors. Finally, after a comparison highlighting similarities and differences between epigenetic and genetic approaches, the chapter provides some insights into moving psychiatric epigenetic research forward.
Image reconstructions from super-sampled data sets in PET imaging

Spatial resolution in positron emission tomography (PET) is still a limiting factor in many imaging applications. To improve the spatial resolution for an existing scanner with fixed crystal sizes, mechanical movements such as scanner wobbling and object shifting have been considered for PET systems. Multiple acquisitions from different positions provide both redundant and complementary information. The objective of this paper is to explore efficient and useful reconstruction framework to reconstruct super-resolution images from super-sampled low-resolution data. We first create a super-sampling data acquisition model based on the physical processes with tomographic, down-sampling and shifting matrices as its building blocks. Based on the model, we extend ML-EM and Landweber algorithms to reconstruct images from multiple data sets. We also derive a backprojection-filtration-type (BPF) method for the super-resolution reconstruction. Further, we explore variant methods for super-sampling reconstructions: the separate super-sampling resolution-modeling reconstruction and the reconstruction without down-sampling to further improve image quality at the cost of more computation. We used simulated reconstruction of a resolution phantom to evaluate the three types of algorithms with different super-samplings. Contrast recovery coefficient (CRC) versus background variability, as an image-quality metric, is calculated at each iteration. We observe that all three algorithms can significantly and consistently achieve increased CRCs and reduce background artifacts with super-sampled data sets at the same total counts. ML-EM achieves better image quality than Landweber, which in turn achieves better image quality than BPF. We also demonstrate that the reconstructions from super-sampled data sets using a fine system matrix yield improved image quality compared to the reconstructions using a coarse system matrix.
Aqueous complexation of trivalent lanthanide and actinide cations by N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine

Abstract The aqueous complexation reactions of trivalent lanthanide and actinide cations with the hexadentate ligand N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN) have been characterized using potentiometric and spectroscopic techniques in 0.1 M NaClO4. At 25°C, the stability constant of Am(TPEN)3+ is two orders of magnitude larger than that of Sm(TPEN)3+, reflecting the stronger interactions of the trivalent actinide cations with softer ligands as compared to lanthanide cations.
The use of APACHE III to evaluate ICU length of stay, resource use, and mortality after coronary artery by-pass surgery.

Objective To identify patient characteristics that are associated with increased ICU length of stay, resource use, and hospital mortality after coronary artery bypass surgery. Design Prospective, multicenter study. Setting Six tertiary care hospitals. Participants A consecutive sample of 2,435 unselected ICU admissions following coronary artery by-pass surgery. Materials and methods Demographic, operative characteristics and APACHE III score were collected during the first postoperative day; and APACHE III scores and therapeutic interventions during the first three postoperative days. Hospital survival and ICU length of stay were also recorded. Multivariate equations were derived and cross-validated to predict hospital mortality, ICU length of stay, and ICU resource use. Results Unadjusted hospital mortality rate was 3.9% (range 1.0% to 6.0%), mean ICU length of stay was 3.7 days (range 3.2 to 4.7 days), and first 3-day ICU resource use (TISS points) was 99 (range 68 to 116). The range of actual to predicted ICU length of stay varied from 0.86 to 1.26; and resource use from 0.71 to 1.16. Conclusions A limited number of operative characteristics, the post-operative acute physiology score (APS) of APACHE III and patient demographic data can predict hospital death rate, ICU length of stay, and resource use immediately following coronary by-pass surgery. These estimates may compliment assessments based on pre-operative risk factors in order to more precisely evaluate and improve the efficacy and efficiency of cardiovascular surgery.