cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cardiovascular drug delivery with ultrasound and microbubbles

Microbubbles lower the threshold for cavitation of ultrasound and have multiple potential therapeutic applications in the cardiovascular system. One of the first therapeutic applications to enter into clinical trials has been microbubble-enhanced sonothrombolysis. Trials were conducted in acute ischemic stroke and clinical trials are currently underway for sonothrombolysis in treatment of acute myocardial infarction. Microbubbles can be targeted to epitopes expressed on endothelial cells and thrombi by incorporating targeting ligands onto the surface of the microbubbles. Targeted microbubbles have applications as molecular imaging contrast agents and also for drug and gene delivery. A number of groups have shown that ultrasound with microbubbles can be used for gene delivery yielding robust gene expression in the target tissue. Work has progressed to primate studies showing delivery of therapeutic genes to generate islet cells in the pancreas to potentially cure diabetes. Microbubbles also hold potential as oxygen therapeutics and have shown promising results as a neuroprotectant in an ischemic stroke model. Regulatory considerations impact the successful clinical development of therapeutic applications of microbubbles with ultrasound. This paper briefly reviews the field and suggests avenues for further development.
Chronic effects of direct vasodilation (pinacidil), alpha-adrenergic blockade (prazosin) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition (captopril) in systemic hypertension.

Abstract Chronic responses of systemic hemodynamics and blood pressure counterregulatory ("pseudo-tolerance") mechanisms were investigated in matched groups of patients with essential hypertension after 1 month of vasodilator therapy with pinacidil (a direct arterial dilator), prazosin (an α 1 -adrenergic blocking drug) or captopril (an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor). For equivalent decreases in mean arterial pressure compared with placebo baseline (approximately 8 mm Hg supine and 12 mm Hg upright), prazosin and captopril did not increase cardiac index or heart rate. In contrast, marked decreases in systemic vascular resistance with pinacidil (approximately 25%, p
Surgical management of ventricular septal defects

Abstract The surgical management of ventricular septal defects (VSDs) has evolved significantly since the first attempts at closure in the 1950s, now VSDs in virtually any anatomic location are largely closed transatrially with low morbidity. Defects are repaired with one definitive corrective procedure even during infancy. A better understanding of the natural history and hemodynamic sequelae, and improved surgical technique has contributed significantly to these results.
Abstract 3843: Targeting FACT complex suppresses mammary tumorigenesis in Her2/neu transgenic mice

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL We have recently found that expression of Facilitates Chromatin Transcription (FACT) complex consisting of SSRP1 and SPT16 protein subunits is elevated in many types of cancer comparing with normal tissues. Moreover, survival of tumor cell, but not normal cells is significantly compromised upon genetic knockdown of any of the FACT subunits. In our recent studies we have shown that FACT is essential for the transcriptional activity of NF-κB and Heat Shock Factor 1 and identified small molecules that inhibit activity of both transcription factors by causing functional inactivation of FACT. Since both NF-kB and HSF1 are activated in the process of transformation, we proposed that FACT may be involved in tumor transformation and that inhibition of FACT activity may prevent or reduce tumorigenesis. Objectives of our study were: (i) to check if FACT level is changed in the process of oncogene-induced transformation in vitro and in vivo; and (ii) to test safety and efficacy of anti-FACT therapy with Curaxin-137 in prevention of tumor formation in mice prone to cancer due to oncogene overexpression. We used in vitro (Ha-ras12V) and in vivo (MMTV-neu transgenic mouse model) models of transformation to monitor changes in FACT subunits. We treated the MMTV-neu transgenic mice, in which mammary carcinomas are spontaneously developed due to estrogen receptor-regulated expression of the Her2 proto-oncogene, with Curaxin-137 to determine whether the drug has any toxic effect on normal tissues and/or impact on mammary carcinogenesis. Expression of FACT was elevated in the process of transformation in all models tested. Chronic administration of Curaxin-137 to MMTV-neu mice at doses not having any toxic effect, inhibited tumor onset, delayed tumor progression, and prolonged survival of mice in a dose-dependent manner. Curaxin-137 induced much stronger changes in FACT in tumors than in normal organs, expressing FACT (spleen). Thus, Curaxin-137 may be considered as a potential preventive and/or early stage therapeutic agent for breast cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3843. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-3843
Decoupled magnetic transitions in layered bimetallic composites

Abstract The layered bimetallic magnet ferrocenium tetrachloroferrate [FeCp2][FeCl4], has been shown to act as a composite material with separate cation and anion sublattice ordering temperatures through a combination of low field dc and ac susceptibility measurements as well as zero-field Mossbauer spectroscopy. While the anion sublattice orders near 4.2 K, the cation sublattice remains paramagnetic down to 3.8 K, a relative shift of ordering temperature of nearly ten percent. Each sublattice orders in a three-dimensional antiferromagnetic state for which there is no absorbtion in the ac-susceptibility.
On the Idea of Man (1915)

(1978). On the Idea of Man (1915) Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology: Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 184-198.
Characterization of phosphorylated cross-linked resistant starch by 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (31P NMR) spectroscopy

Abstract The structure of phosphate esters in resistant starch (RS 4 ) is important to understand its digestibility by pancreatic α-amylase. Wheat starch was reacted at pH 11.5, 45 °C, and 3 h with 12% (starch basis, sb) of a 99/1 (w/w) mixture of sodium trimetaphosphate/sodium tripolyphosphate (STMP/STPP) to give modified starches with ∼0.4% phosphorus (P). Exhaustive digestion of the phosphorylated starch with α-amylase followed by amyloglucosidase gave the α,γ-dextrin whose 31 P NMR spectrum indicated the presence of a ∼1/1 molar mixture of distarch monophosphate (DSMP) and monostarch monophosphate (MSMP). Approximately one-half of STMP/STPP was recovered unreacted after the typical reaction, and it was reacted with a second batch of starch after replenishing with 7% (sb) STMP/STPP. RS 4 wheat starches prepared at pH 9.5–10.5 showed a decreasing ratio of DSMP/MSMP plus an increasing level of monostarch diphosphate (MSDP) and cyclic monostarch monophosphate as reaction pH decreased. Starch triphosphate ester was not detected in the RS 4 products, all of which had been prepared at reaction times greater than three hours. A series of RS 4 wheat starches were prepared where all contained ∼0.4% P but with varying levels of DSMP from 41% to 80% of organophosphates. The level of DSMP was positively correlated with the level of RS 4 ( r = 0.96) and with the level of total dietary fiber ( r = 0.90).
Compact Hybrid Cell Based on a Convoluted Nanowire Structure for Harvesting Solar and Mechanical Energy

www.MaterialsViews.com C O M M U Compact Hybrid Cell Based on a Convoluted Nanowire Structure for Harvesting Solar and Mechanical Energy N IC A Chen Xu and Zhong Lin Wang* IO N The harvesting of energy from the environment dates back to the age of the windmill and the waterwheel. Their modern counterparts are hydro-power plants, wind farms, solar farms, and more recently, novel piezoelectric devices [ 1 ] for power generation from mechanical vibration. [ 2 ] Fully utilizing power sources such as light, [ 3–5 ] thermal, and mechanical energy is of great importance to our long-term energy needs [ 6 ] and sustainable development [ 7 ] At a small scale, the development of a wireless self-powered system [ 8 ] that harvests its operating energy from the environment is of great importance and an attractive proposition for sensing, [ 9 ] personal electronic, [ 10 ] and defense technologies. Recently, harvesting multiple type energy using a single device has been a new trend in energy technologies. The fi rst multimode energy harvester [ 11 ] has been demonstrated for simultaneously harvesting solar and mechanical energy. Recently, the hybrid cell has been developed for concurrently harvesting biochemical and mechanical energy for in vivo applications. [ 12 , 13 ] This multimode energy harvester has the potential of fully utilizing the energy in the environment under which the devices will be operating. The prototype of the nanowire-based hybrid cell demonstrated to harvest both solar and mechanical energy is using a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) [ 14 , 15 ] and piezoelectric nanogenerator. [ 16 ] However, due to the encapsulation problem posed by the use of the liquid electrolyte [ 17 ] in conventional DSSCs, solvent leakage and evaporation are two major obstacles, thus the present hybrid cell is actually a back-to-back physical integration of a nanogenerator and a DSSC on the same substrate, which may limit its performance. We report here an innovative approach that convolutes a solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell [ 18 ] and an ultrasonic wave driven piezoelectric nanogenerator into a single compact structure for concurrently harvesting solar and mechanical energy. The structure is fabricated based on vertical ZnO nanowire arrays [ 19 ] with the introduction of solid electrolyte and metal coating. Under light illumination of a simulated sun emission (100 mW/cm 2 ), the optimum power is enhanced by 6% after incorporating the contribution of the nanogenerator. This research provides a platform towards multimode energy harvesting as practical power sources. The design of the compact hybrid cell (CHC) was to convolute the roles played by the nanowire arrays to simultaneously
Delayed alternation performance in patients with cerebral lesions

Abstract Thirty-three patients with acute or chronic intracranial disease were tested on a ten-second delayed alternation task. Patients with either frontal or non-frontal lesions did significantly worse than control subjects, although patients with frontal lesions tended to perform more poorly than those with lesions elsewhere in the cerebrum. However, the differences in performance of patients with frontal and non-frontal lesions were not statistically significant. Adequacy of performance was not reliably correlated with dysphasia, dementia or attentional factors. The conclusion drawn from this experiment is that performance on the delayed alternation task probably bears no systematic relationship to the locus of cerebral lesion in previously non-psychotic patients. The observed impairments may reflect general, rather than specific, effects of brain lesions in man.
Pathophysiology of rosacea: introduction.

Several considerations prompt investigative dermatologists to study rosacea: it is common; its etiology remains unknown; its pathophysiology is poorly understood; and it has a significant impact on quality of life, all of which leave considerable space for investigation. Rosacea includes several distinct clinical subtypes, which lead to questions addressed by research that takes advantage of several of the disciplines within experimental dermatology, including immunology, inflammation, neuroimmunology, neuroscience, matrix biology and fibrosis, genetics, and vascular biology. Although epidemiological studies favor a genetic component in rosacea, no ‘‘rosacea predisposing’’ gene(s) have been identified. Rosacea can be triggered by any one of several environmental ‘‘insults’’, including UVR, spicy foods, alcohol, ‘‘stress’’, exercise, and temperature change, just to name a few. As a facial, chronic disease, rosacea has been characterized as having different clinical and histopathological expressions. These include erythema (vasodilation), telangiectasia, lymphedema, lympho-monocytic infiltrates with occasional appearance of neutrophils, and as a late stage, fibrosis. The pathophysiology of rosacea appears to be complex, as virtually all cutaneous cells, including immune cells, appear to have roles. Ultimately, rosacea is a good ‘‘model’’ through which investigators can learn more about the complexities of neuroimmune communication, inflammation, and immunity, as well as about chronic inflammation and the development of fibrosis. Indeed, accumulating evidence now leads to the conclusion that in chronic inflammatory diseases, there is close molecular and cellular interaction among innate immune defense mechanisms, innervation, immunity, and vascular biology. Ultimately, treatment is an important goal, and it is revealing to acknowledge that none of the several treatments for rosacea is satisfactory. The aim of this collection of reports is to focus on understanding each element in its pathogenesis in order to aid the development of novel treatment strategies for this and other inflammatory and fibrotic skin diseases.
The bad guys and their henchmen: A Déjà‐Vu on imperialism and dependency

Offiong, Daniel A. Imperialism and Dependency. Obstacles to African Development. Washington, D.C.: Howard University Press, 1982. xii + 304 pp. including 35 tables. $12.95 cloth, $6.95 paper.
No Lords A-Leaping: Fanon, C.L.R. James, and the Politics of Invention

What happens to Fanonism when, instead of resistance or liberation, it becomes a discourse of invention? What happens to Fanon’s critique of colonialism and his imagining of a decolonial future, when that critique and imagining are staked not on the refusal of racial humanity itself (in the sense of an appeal to a “new humanism”…), but in the sense that Fanonism itself, as such, would be a discourse and reading of invention? In this essay I compare Fanon’s reading of invention with that of C.L.R. James’s reading of spontaneity in Notes on Dialectics.
Response of the ionosphere to a density pulse in the solar wind: Simulation of traveling convection vortices

We show the response of the Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere to a density pulse in the solar wind using a global 3D MHD simulation model. Flow vortices are generated in the ionosphere and they exhibit many properties similar to those observed during impulsive traveling convection vortices. Two oppositely rotating flow vortices are formed at about 70° magnetic latitude near noon. They separate and move down the morning and evening flanks, greatly weakening as they pass the terminator. Meanwhile a second pair of flow vortices appears at noon at a slightly higher latitude and with opposite flow directions than the first pair. The second pair follows the first and also fades as it reaches the nightside. The results are interpreted as a hydromagnetic wave propagating in the inhomogeneous magnetosphere plasma.
Triarylphosphine-stabilized platinum nanoparticles in three-dimensional nanostructured films as active electrocatalysts.

Ligand-stabilized platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) can be used to build well-defined three-dimensional (3-D) nanostructured electrodes for better control of the catalyst architecture in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Platinum NPs of 1.7 ± 0.5 nm diameter stabilized by the water-soluble phosphine ligand, tris(4-phosphonatophenyl)phosphine (TPPTP, P(4-C6H4PO3H2)3), were prepared by ethylene glycol reduction of chloroplatinic acid and subsequent treatment of the isolated nanoparticles with TPPTP. The isolated TPPTP-stabilized Pt NPs were characterized by multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P and 195Pt NMR), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). The negatively charged TPPTP−Pt NPs were electrostatically deposited onto a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with protonated 4-aminophenyl functional groups (APh). Multilayers were assembled via electrostatic layer-by-layer ...
“One country, two systems” and its antagonists in Tibet and Taiwan:

In turning the vast and diverse territory of the Qing Empire into a singular nation-state, Beijing has kept redefining its conception and institution of nationhood in response to challenges from th...
Detection of the Wolbachia protein WPIP0282 in mosquito spermathecae: implications for cytoplasmic incompatibility.

Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is a conditional sterility induced by the bacterium Wolbachia pipientis that infects reproductive tissues in many arthropods. Although CI provides a potential tool to control insect vectors of arthropod-borne diseases, the molecular basis for CI induction is unknown. We hypothesized that a Wolbachia-encoded, CI-inducing factor would be enriched in sperm recovered from spermathecae of female mosquitoes. Using SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry, we detected peptides from the 56 kDa hypothetical protein, encoded by wPip_0282, associated with sperm transferred to females by Wolbachia infected males. We also detected peptides from the same protein in Wolbachia infected ovaries. Homologs of wPip_0282 and the co-transcribed downstream gene, wPip_0283, occur as multiple divergent copies in genomes of CI-inducing strains of Wolbachia. The operon is located in a genomic context that includes mobile genetic elements. The absence of wPip_0282 and wPip_0283 homologs from genomes of Wolbachia in filarial nematodes, as well as other members of the Rickettsiales, suggests a role as a candidate CI effector.
Structure and Cation Effects on Phosphorus-31 NMR Chemical Shifts and Chemical-Shift Anisotropies of Orthophosphates*

Abstract We have obtained high-resolution “magic-angle” sample-spinning phosphorus-31 NMR spectra of a variety of orthophosphates, and have derived chemical-shift tensor elements and anisotropies from spinning-sideband patterns. An empirical correlation between isotropic chemical shift and Z/tsr is noted, where Z is the cation charge and r the cation radius. The chemical-shift anisotropy varies in an approximately linear fashion with the PO bond length, and with the deviation of the OPO bond angle from the tetrahedral value. These results may be of use in testing models of phosphate bonding in amorphous systems, such as glasses and ceramics.
Closed-form moment solution for continuous beams and bridge structures

Moment distribution continues to be a valuable structural analysis tool for spot-checking member-end-moments of continuous beams and frame structures from computer results. Prior to the widespread use of mainframe and, later, personal computers in the 1980s and 1990s, moment distribution provided a simple hand method for practicing civil engineers to analyze and design statically indeterminate structures, since its public introduction in the early 1930s by Hardy Cross, directly leading to new types of designs and construction. The chief benefits of this method of analysis over the other available methods are that (1) member-end-moments are found directly from the applied loads without first determining various displacement components, (2) no simultaneous equations need to be formed and solved, (3) it is easy to remember and apply, (4) an approximate solution can be obtained at any stage in the analysis and (5) a remarkable variety of statically indeterminate structures can be solved by hand. While the development and introduction of moment distribution represents a great advancement in the history of structural engineering, the distribution process can be tedious, especially if only a few final member-end-moments of a multi-redundant structure are desired. Additionally, when results are wanted to a greater accuracy, the number of distribution cycles required and the number of significant figures that must be carried through the process make it a daunting procedure. In this paper, a new method is presented that gives exact member-end-moments for continuous beams and bridge structures, without the need to distribute moments back and forth as in moment distribution or to set up and solve simultaneous equations, as with the stiffness method. It is anticipated that the primary application of the proposed method will be to spot-check computer results.
Clients' Satisfaction with Monopolistic Services and Commitment to the Organization: A University Context.

This study investigates the relationship between monopolistic service providers and customer satisfaction and commitment. The authors investigated how the ethical perceptions of service consumers, their perceptions of service quality, and satisfaction effect commitment to the long-term relationship with monopolistic service providers. Results indicate significant relationships between the constructs, supporting previous study findings and logical thought. Results, managerial implications and research implications are included.
Purification of the cytochalasin B binding component of the human erythrocyte monosaccharide transport system.

Abstract The cytochalasin B binding component of the human erythrocyte monosaccharide transport system has been purified. The preparation appears to contain one major protein with an apparent polypeptide chain molecular weight of 55 000 and about 0.4 binding sites per chain. Cytochalasin B binds to the reconstituted preparation with a dissociation constant of 1.3·10 −7 M, a value which is similar to that reported for the transport system in the intact erythrocyte.
Extraction of the D 13 ( 1520 ) photon-decay couplings from pion- and η -photoproduction data

We compare results for the ${D}_{13}(1520)$ photon-decay amplitudes determined in analyses of $\ensuremath{\eta}$- and pion-photoproduction data. The ratio of helicity amplitudes ${(A}_{3/2}{/A}_{1/2}),$ determined from $\ensuremath{\eta}$-photoproduction data, is quite different from that determined in previous analyses of pion-photoproduction data. We consider how strongly the existing pion-photoproduction data constrain both this ratio and the individual photon-decay amplitudes.
A three-level BDDC algorithm for a saddle point problem

BDDC algorithms have previously been extended to the saddle point problems arising from mixed formulations of elliptic and incompressible Stokes problems. In these two-level BDDC algorithms, all iterates are required to be in a benign space, a subspace in which the preconditioned operators are positive definite. This requirement can lead to large coarse problems, which have to be generated and factored by a direct solver at the beginning of the computation and they can ultimately become a bottleneck. An additional level is introduced in this paper to solve the coarse problem approximately and to remove this difficulty. This three-level BDDC algorithm keeps all iterates in the benign space and the conjugate gradient methods can therefore be used to accelerate the convergence. This work is an extension of the three-level BDDC methods for standard finite element discretization of elliptic problems and the same rate of convergence is obtained for the mixed formulation of the same problems. Estimate of the condition number for this three-level BDDC methods is provided and numerical experiments are discussed.
Mouse behavioural analysis in systems biology

Molecular techniques allowing in vivo modulation of gene expression have provided unique opportunities and challenges for behavioural studies aimed at understanding the function of particular genes or biological systems under physiological or pathological conditions. Although various animal models are available, the laboratory mouse (Mus musculus) has unique features and is therefore a preferred animal model. The mouse shares a remarkable genetic resemblance and aspects of behaviour with humans. In this review, first we describe common mouse models for behavioural analyses. As both genetic and environmental factors influence behavioural performance and need to be carefully evaluated in behavioural experiments, considerations for designing and interpretations of these experiments are subsequently discussed. Finally, common behavioural tests used to assess brain function are reviewed, and it is illustrated how behavioural tests are used to increase our understanding of the role of histaminergic neurotransmission in brain function.
Making Talk Cheap (and Problems Easy): How Legal and Political Institutions Can Facilitate Consensus

In many legal, political, and social settings, people must reach a consensus before particular outcomes can be achieved and failing to reach a consensus may be costly. In this article, we present a theory and conduct experiments that take into account the costs associated with communicating, as well as the difficulty of the decisions that groups make. We find that when there is even a small cost (relative to the potential benefit) associated with sending information to others and/or listening, groups are much less likely to reach a consensus, primarily because they are less willing to communicate with one another. We also find that difficult problems significantly reduce group members’ willingness to communicate with one another and, therefore, hinder their ability to reach a consensus.
Atmospheric Effects on Tm Measurements: Characterization And Comparison with the Effects on Mss

The effects of the Earth's atmosphere on the Thematic Mapper (TM) measurements are studied with two radiative transfer models. A doubling model is used to compute the effective reflectance of the Earth-atmosphere system, as measured by the TM for the reflective bands. An emission-transmission model is used to compute the satellite -received radiance for the thermal band. The influences of the aerosol loading, the amount of water vapor, and the solar illumination angle on the effective reflectance are investigated. The effect of varying atmospheric water vapor on the measurements of the thermal band is studied. The scattering and absorption effects on TM bands are compared with those on Multispectral Scanner System (MSS) bands. While the changes in the aerosol loading introduce comparable variation of the effective reflectance for both sensors, the changes in the water vapor amount give less impact on TM4 than MSS7.
Exploring Dissertation Process Outcomes

This study explores the effect of the dissertation process on career outcomes for doctoral candidates in management. The study proposes a classification system of doctoral candidate types (i.e., willing clone, conscripted clone, free agent, or the unattached) composed of two dimensions: the extent to which the doctoral candidate selects the dissertation topic and the degree to which the topic chosen represents a match with the area of research of the dissertation chair. Then, the authors explore the relationship between type of candidate and individual process-related outcomes. Implications for knowledge creation for the field given specific candidate types also are discussed.
Volatile species from conductive die attach adhesives

An investigation of microelectronic conductive die attach adhesives to determine the volatile species that evolve during cure and after postcure processing, such as preseal bakeout and burn-in, is described, and the results are presented and discussed. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to measure the volatile species, and complementary thermal analysis measurements were also obtained. The adhesives investigated were Adlebond 84-1LMINB1, Emerson and Cuming C-868-1, and Epo-tek H35-175MP, all silver-loaded epoxies used for electrically conductive component attachment. A comparison with previous mass spectrometry results shows that the sensitivity of the combined method is much higher, especially for higher molecular weight molecules, and that the identification of the outgassing species is simplified. >
The Significance of Observations of the Phase of Radio Echoes

A method of observing the phase of radio echoes has been developed by Messrs. Tuve and Hafstad. The present note is intended to show to what extent the phase can be expected to be constant throughout the echo if the frequency-dispersion of the Kennelly-Heaviside layer is taken into account. It is shown that for reflections of 4000-kc waves with a small retardation ffective height of 200 km) the phase can be expected to be the same for the whole echo and that in this case the observed phase is a measure of the optical path. For echoes which spend a longer time in the layer (effective height of 1800 km) the phase should not be constant and the average phase is not expected to be a measure of the optical path. It is shown that by measurements on reflections with low retardation the ratio between the changes of (1) the equivalent height for interference and (2) the effective height for echo retardation is a measure of how much of the change is due to the layer moving as a whole and how much is due to a redistribution of electron-densities through the layer. A compression or expansion of a layer having an electron-density increasing in proportion to the height above the lower boundary should give a result by the interference-method of approximately one-third the value obtained by the echo-retardations.
Distinct roles for Syk and ZAP-70 during early thymocyte development.

The spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) and ζ-associated protein of 70 kD (ZAP-70) tyrosine kinases are both expressed during early thymocyte development, but their unique thymic functions have remained obscure. No specific role for Syk during β-selection has been established, and no role has been described for ZAP-70 before positive selection. We show that Syk and ZAP-70 provide thymocytes with unique and separable fitness advantages during early development. Syk-deficient, but not ZAP-70–deficient, thymocytes are specifically impaired in initial pre-TCR signaling at the double-negative (DN) 3 β selection stage and show reduced cell-cycle entry. Surprisingly, and despite overlapping expression of both kinases, only ZAP-70 appears to promote sustained pre-TCR/TCR signaling during the DN4, immature single-positive, and double-positive stages of development before thymic selection occurs. ZAP-70 promotes survival and cell-cycle progression of developing thymocytes before positive selection, as also shown by in vivo anti-CD3 treatment of recombinase-activating gene 1–deficient mice. Our results establish a temporal separation of Syk family kinase function during early thymocyte development and a novel role for ZAP-70. We propose that pre-TCR signaling continues during DN4 and later stages, with ZAP-70 dynamically replacing Syk for continued pre-TCR signaling.
Some effects of soybean pubescence on populations of the potato leafhopper.

Populations of Empoasca fabae (Harris) were compared on soybean varieties having different types and amounts of pubescence. The orientation of the hairs was more important in resistance to the leafhopper than the number of hairs. Glabrous strains of soybeans were damaged by leafhoppers more than other strains. Fewer pods were aborted, and the glabrous strains had a significant increase in yield, number of pods per node, pods per main stem, and weight per 100 seeds when the leafhoppers were controlled with an insecticide.
Toque una Ranchera, Por Favor

This paper explores the literal spaces of transnational social reproduction for Latinos and Latinas in central North Carolina and the US South. Examining these spaces and circuits of social reproduction can enhance our understanding of globalization by making globalization processes at once less abstract and less indisputable. Attention to social reproduction is important for understanding and theorizing globalization and, more significantly, for imagining and constructing alternative forms of globalization. Inspired to pursue certain freedoms and immediate goals, transnational migrants live and breath alternative models of globalization in their everyday activities. Responding less to neo-liberal and more to human-centered values, transnational migrants demonstrate that different principles can guide the construction of contemporary globalizations. Ethnographic evidence from Mexican transnational migrants suggests that the intimate and distant social connections that constitute Latinos' translocal way of living help to facilitate the very same globalizing labor markets that entice and propel migrants to seek “greener pastures” in the US South.
A particular solution for polarization calculations in radiative transfer

A pair of biorthogonality relations, relevant to some elements of a generalized spherical-harmonics solution of the homogeneous equation of transfer, is derived and used, along with linear-algebra techniques, to develop a particular solution appropriate to the scattering of polarized light. The considered radiative-transfer model is based on a general treatment of polarization effects in a plane-parallel medium that contains a source that varies with position and both direction variables. A particular solution is useful in developing solutions to boundary-value problems since it enables one to solve the inhomogeneous radiative-transfer equation using methods developed for solving the homogeneous equation, provided of course that the boundary conditions of the new problem are appropriately adjusted. This flexibility becomes important for problems involving inhomo- geneous transport equations which have complicated sources. We consider in this work situations in radiative transfer for which a complete azimuthally- dependent solution is required to analyze the radiation field I in a homogeneous plane-parallel medium, and we extend our earlier work 2 on particular solutions (for a theory that did not include polarization effects) so as to be able to solve the polarization case for a general inhomogeneous source term in the equation of transfer. For the case of a radiative-transfer model that includes polarization effects and a source of radiation located within the medium, we consider the equation of transfer ~
Review: the influence of armed conflict on the development of critical care medicine.

ABSTRACTThis manuscript reviews the historic underpinnings of critical care medicine (CCM) during armed conflict, the means and techniques healthcare providers in the military have used to practice CCM in austere environments, and the ongoing developments in the practice of CCM by military health care clinicians. These developments influence contemporary civilian trauma practice and practice in intensive care units and vice versa. A symbiosis between civilian and military intensivists and traumatologists involves much crosstalk and sharing of experiences and best practices that has influenced and improved care in combat zones and in civilian emergency departments, operating rooms, and intensive care units.
Racial prejudice predicts opposition to Obama and his health care reform plan

The present study examines the relationship between racial prejudice and reactions to President Barack Obama and his policies. Before the 2008 election, participants’ levels of implicit and explicit anti-Black prejudice were measured. Over the following days and months, voting behavior, attitudes toward Obama, and attitudes toward Obama’s health care reform plan were assessed. Controlling for explicit prejudice, implicit prejudice predicted a reluctance to vote for Obama, opposition to his health care reform plan, and endorsement of specific concerns about the plan. In an experiment, the association between implicit prejudice and opposition to health care reform replicated when the plan was attributed to Obama, but not to Bill Clinton—suggesting that individuals high in anti-Black prejudice tended to oppose Obama at least in part because they dislike him as a Black person. In sum, our data support the notion that racial prejudice is one factor driving opposition to Obama and his policies.
Implications of altered hemoglobin concentration with variations in oxygen consumption, arterial oxygen saturation, and age based on a mathematical model for the utilization of reserve oxygen transport capacity.

The optimal hemoglobin concentration in critically ill patients has remained controversial with levels from 10 to 15 grams % being recommended.1,2,3,4 with this in mind a previously described mathematical model for the percent utilization of reserve oxygen transport* capacity (% URO2TC)5 was used to examine the interrelationships of hemoglobin concentration, cardiac output, oxygen consumption (VO2), arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2), and age with the % URO2TC. The model is a set of five equations that interrelate two sets of values for oxygen delivery (DO2) and VO2 with the % URO2TC.
El Niño: A coupled response to radiative heating?

The very existence of El Nino— the oscillatory behavior of the tropical Pacific climate—may be due to the warmth of the tropics (relative to the coldness of the high latitudes). This is elucidated by subjecting a mathematical model for the coupled tropical ocean-atmosphere system to a varying radiative heating. The temperature of the deep ocean is kept fixed. In response to an increasing radiative heating, the coupled system first experiences a pitch-fork bifurcation that breaks the zonal symmetry imposed by the solar radiation. The resulting zonal sea surface temperature (SST) gradients increase with increases in the radiative heating. When the zonal SST gradients exceed a critical value, a Hopf bifurcation takes place which brings this system to an oscillatory state, a state that closely resembles the observed tropical Pacific climate. Further increases in the radiative heating result in increases in the magnitude of the oscillation. The results shed new light on the physics of El Nino and suggest that climate change due to anthropogenic forcing may occur through the same dynamic modes that sustain natural variability.
Super Granular SVM Feature Elimination (Super GSVM-FE) Model for Protein Sequence Motif Informnation Extraction

Protein sequence motifs are gathering more and more attention in the sequence analysis area. These recurring regions have the potential to determine protein's conformation, function and activities. In our previous work, we tried to obtain protein sequence motifs which are universally conserved across protein family boundaries. Therefore, unlike most popular motif discovering algorithms, our input dataset is extremely large. In order to deal with large input datasets, we provided two granular computing models (FIK and FGK model) to efficiently generate protein motifs information. In this article, we develop a new method which combines the concept of granular computing and the power of ranking SVM to further extract protein sequence motif information. There are two reasons to eliminate redundant data: First, the information we try to generate is about sequence motifs, but the original input data are derived from whole protein sequences by a sliding window technique; second, during fuzzy c-means clustering, it has the ability to assign one segment to more than one information granule. However, not all data segments have a direct relation to the granule they assigned. The quality of motif information increases dramatically in all three evaluation measures by applying this new feature elimination model. Compared with traditional methods which shrink cluster size to obtain a more compact one, our approach shows improved results.
REPRESENTING USER ACTIVITY AND PRODUCT FUNCTION FOR UNIVERSAL DESIGN

This paper presents a product analysis framework to improve universal design research and practice. Seventeen percent of the US population has some form of a disability. Nevertheless, many companies are unfamiliar with approaches to achieving universal design. A key element of the framework is the combination of activity diagrams and functional models. The framework is applied in the analysis of 20 pairs of products that satisfy a common high level need but differ with one product intended for fully able users and the other intended for persons with some disability or reduced functioning. Discoveries based on the analysis include the observation that differences in typical and universal products can be categorized functionally, morphologically, or parametrically different than typical products. Additionally, simple products appear to be made more accessible through parametric changes whereas more complex products require functional additions and changes.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Detection and analysis of individual leaf-off tree crowns in small footprint, high sampling density lidar data from the eastern deciduous forest in North America

Leaf-off individual trees in a deciduous forest in the eastern USA are detected and analysed in small footprint, high sampling density lidar data. The data were acquired February 1, 2001, using a SAAB TopEye laser profiling system, with a sampling density of approximately 12 returns per square meter. The sparse and complex configuration of the branches of the leaf-off forest provides sufficient returns to allow the detection of the trees as individual objects and to analyse their vertical structures. Initially, for the detection of the individual trees only, the lidar data are first inserted in a 2D digital image, with the height as the pixel value or brightness level. The empty pixels are interpolated, and height outliers are removed. Gaussian smoothing at different scales is performed to create a three-dimensional scale-space structure. Blob signatures based on second-order image derivatives are calculated, and then normalised so they can be compared at different scale-levels. The grey-level blobs with the strongest normalised signatures are selected within the scale-space structure. The support regions of the blobs are marked one-at-a-time in the segmentation result image with higher priority for stronger blobs. The segmentation results of six individual hectare plots are assessed by a computerised, objective method that makes use of a ground reference data set of the individual tree crowns. For analysis of individual trees, a subset of the original laser returns is selected within each tree crown region of the canopy reference map. Indices based on moments of the first four orders, maximum value and number of canopy and ground returns, are estimated. The indices are derived separately for height and laser reflectance of branches for the two echoes. Significant differences (p<0.05) are detected for numerous indices for three major native species groups: oaks (Quercus spp.), red maple (Acer rubrum) and yellow poplar (Liriodendron tuliperifera). Tree species classification results of different indices suggest a moderate to high degree of accuracy using single or multiple variables. Furthermore, the maximum tree height is compared to ground reference tree height for 48 sample trees and a 1.1-m standard error (R 2 =68%
In vitro assessment of blood compatibility: Residual and dynamic markers of cellular activation:

The blood compatibility of materials and surfaces used for medical device fabrication is a crucial factor in their function and effectiveness. Expansion of device use into more sensitive and longer term applications warrants increasingly detailed evaluations of blood compatibility that reach beyond the customary measures mandated by regulatory requirements. A panel of tests that assess both deposition on the surface and activation of circulating blood in contact with the surface has been developed. Specifically, the ability of a surface to modulate the biological response of blood is assessed by mea- suring: (1) dynamic thrombin generation; (2) surface-bound thrombin activity after exposure to blood; (3) activation of monocytes, polymorphonuclear leukocytes, lymphocytes, and platelets; (4) activation of complement; and (5) adherent monocytes, polymorphonuclear leukocytes, lymphocytes, and platelets on blood-contacting surfaces. The tests were used to evaluate surfaces modified with immobilized heparin (Ension's proprietary bioactive surface) and demonstrated that the modified surfaces reduced platelet activation, leukocyte activation, and complement activation in flowing human blood. Perfusion of the surfaces with human platelet-rich plasma showed that the immobilized heparin surfaces also reduce both dynamic thrombin levels in the circulating plasma and residual thrombin generated at the material surface.
Hip injuries in the overhead athlete.

Background The overhead athlete is at risk for shoulder and elbow injuries. However, the mechanics associated with overhead sports also place athletes at risk for hip injuries. Advancements in hip arthroscopy have identified femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) and instability as potential contributors to labral and chondral pathology in this athletic population.
RNA-Induced Changes in the Activity of the Endonuclease Encoded by the R2 Retrotransposable Element

R2 is a non-long terminal repeat retrotransposable element that inserts itself site specifically in the 28S rRNA genes of arthropods. The 120-kDa protein encoded by R2 has been shown to cleave one strand of the 28S gene at the target site and to use the 3' hydroxyl group generated from this nick to prime reverse transcription of its own RNA. This reaction has been termed target-primed reverse transcription (TPRT). Cleavage of the second DNA strand can occur in the presence or absence of reverse transcription but requires RNA. In this study, more sensitive in vitro assays have enabled further characterization of these reactions. R2 protein is capable of only a single round of TPRT because, once bound to the target DNA, it does not dissociate at physiological ionic strengths. Analysis of the role of RNA in the DNA cleavage reaction has revealed that the binding of RNA induces the R2 protein to form a multimeric complex. While larger complexes may form, the active component appears to be a dimer based on sedimentation studies and the change in stoichiometry of the cleavage reaction from a 1:1 ratio of protein subunit to target DNA in the absence of RNA to a 2:1 ratio of subunit to DNA target in the presence of RNA. Nonspecific RNA can also induce formation of this RNA-protein (RNP) complex, but the association of the protein with R2 RNA is stronger as revealed by its stability in 0.4 M NaCl. Finally, formation of the RNP complex gives rise to a 150-fold increase in the ability of the R2 endonuclease to find the target site. The specificity of this RNP complex is sufficiently great that it can find the 28S gene target site and conduct the TPRT reaction with total genomic DNA.
Efficient stream distributions in radiative transfer theory

This paper discusses a new, computationally-efficient method for approximating the integro-differential equation of radiative transfer with a finite set of coupled differential equations for discrete streams. The method uses recommended spatial distributions of streams that are quite different from those typically used in that they are based on the symmetry of several regular Platonic solids. To facilitate the use of such distributions, an explicit, one-parameter relationship between the physical radiance and the abstract stream is formulated. The parameter is used to determine the minimum number of streams required in the radiative transfer model. Accuracy and computational efficiency are shown to be served best by choosing a stream distribution that is invariant to a large number of three space rotations. For various values of the above-mentioned parameter, the resulting recommended stream distribution is shown to be more computationally efficient than more conventional stream distributions. Finally, the incorporation of polarization in the stream definition is described.