cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Role of Antibody and Complement in the Reticuloendothelial Clearance of Pneumococci from the Bloodstream

An experimental model of pneumococcal bacteremia in guinea pigs has been developed. By use of this model, complement has been shown to play a critical role in clearance of Streptococcus pneumoniae from the bloodstream and in survival of guinea pigs after iv challenge with type 7 S. pneumoniae. In nonimmune animals, complement activation occurs primarily via the alternative pathway. However, anticapsular antibodies increase the rate of clearance of pneumococci primarily via activation of the classical complement pathway. Detailed studies of the reticuloendothelial localization of cleared radiolabeled pneumococci showed that clearance took place primarily in liver and spleen and that anticapsular antibody increased hepatic and decreased splenic sequestration. This effect could be blocked by depleting complement with cobra venom factor. Comparison of nonimmune animals injected with unencapsulated pneumococci or encapsulated types 7 or 12 pneumococci showed that the virulence of these organisms for guinea pigs correlated with the extent of splenic sequestration. Sensitization of encapsulated pneumococci with anticapsular antibodies led to an antibody dose-dependent increase in the rate of bloodstream clearance. Sensitization of encapsulated pneumococci with anticell wall antibodies had no effect on clearance rates despite the ability of these antibodies to bind to the bacteria and to activate and fix complement to the organisms. In vitro studies showed that C3b deposited by these opsonically ineffective antibodies interacted poorly with C3b receptors. Electron microscopic studies showed that C3b deposited by anticapsular antibodies bound to the pneumococcal capsule while C3b deposited by anti-cell wall antibodies did not. Thus, the localization of C3b deposition on the pneumococcus markedly affects its opsonic potential.
Interactions of the cbbII promoter-operator region with CbbR and RegA (PrrA) regulators indicate distinct mechanisms to control expression of the two cbb operons of Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

In a previous study (Dubbs, J. M., Bird, T. H., Bauer, C. E., and Tabita, F. R. (2000)J. Biol. Chem. 275, 19224–19230), it was demonstrated that the regulators CbbR and RegA (PrrA) interacted with both promoter proximal and promoter distal regions of the form I (cbbI ) promoter operon specifying genes of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle of Rhodobacter sphaeroides. To determine how these regulators interact with the form II (cbbII ) promoter, threecbbFII::lacZtranslational fusion plasmids were constructed containing various lengths of sequence 5′ to the cbbII operon ofR. sphaeroides CAC. Expression of β-galactosidase was monitored under a variety of growth conditions in both the parental strain and knock-out strains that contain mutations that affect synthesis of CbbR and RegA. The binding sites for both CbbR and RegA were determined by DNase I footprinting. A region of thecbbII promoter from +38 to −227 bp contained a CbbR binding site and conferred low level regulatedcbbII expression. The region from −227 to −1025 bp contained six RegA binding sites and conferred enhancedcbbII expression under all growth conditions. Unlike the cbbI operon, the region between −227 and −545 bp that contains one RegA binding site, was responsible for the majority of the observed enhancement. Both RegA and CbbR were required for maximal cbbII expression. Two potentially novel and specific cbbII promoter-binding proteins that did not interact with thecbbI promoter region were detected in crude extracts of R. sphaeroides. These results, combined with the observation that chemoautotrophic expression of thecbbI operon is RegA independent, indicated that the mechanisms controlling cbbI andcbbII operon expression during chemoautotrophic growth are quite different.
Nonlinear interactions between semigeostrophic waves of the Eady type

Abstract Baroclinically unstable Eady waves representing solutions of a two-dimensional, uniform potential vorticity, semigeostrophic model are considered. These semigeostrophic waves are expressed as linear solutions in geostrophic coordinate space (X,Z,T), but they satisfy a nonlinear advection equation in physical space (x,z,t). The transformation of the velocity v(X,Z,T) into a physical space solution v(x,z,t) is accomplished by an approximate technique that represents a truncation at second-order in the Rossby number. Two nonlinear processes are delineated: there is nonlinearity inherent in the transformation (X,Z,T)→(x,z,t), and there are nonlinear interactions between the waves. Solutions, representing the interaction of two semigeostrophic waves, are determined for initial conditions that span a range of wave-numbers. Under these conditions both single and double frontal structures (one or two concentrated cyclonic shear zones) can develop. The most significant nonlinear interactions between the u...
Extracellular dopamine levels are lower in the medial prefrontal cortex of alcohol-preferring rats compared to Wistar rats.

Abstract Previous studies have identified deficiencies in the mesocorticolimbic dopamine (DA) systems of alcohol-preferring (P) rats. This study uses quantitative microdialysis to compare the extracellular levels of DA in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPF) of P rats and outbred Wistar rats and also compares the effects of systemic ethanol administration on DA levels in the MPF using traditional microdialysis. In experiment 1, male Wistar and P rats were implanted with loop-style microdialysis probes and later perfused at 0.5μl/min with artificial cerebrospinal fluid for 120min prior to five baseline (20-min) sample collections. Three concentrations (5, 10, and 20nM) of DA were then perfused in random order for 100min each. Samples (20-min) were collected and stored at −70°C until assayed using high performance liquid chromatography/electrochemical detection (HPLC/EC), and the data were analyzed using the quantitative no-net-flux (NNF) method. In experiment 2, male Wistar and P rats were implanted with dialysis probes aimed at the MPF. After collecting four baseline samples, all rats were injected (i.p.) with one dose of either 0.9% saline or 2.0g/kg ethanol. Microdialysis samples were collected at 20-min intervals and stored at −70°C until analyzed by HPLC/EC. NNF microdialysis yielded significantly ( P
A fine-scale spatial population distribution on the High-resolution Gridded Population Surface and application in Alachua County, Florida

Abstract Geospatial techniques, using Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing data, have become more commonly used with dasymetric modeling of fine-scale demographic data. In this study, we apply a dasymetric approach using the Heuristic Sampling Method for 2010 parcel data to disaggregate population counts from the 2010 U.S. Census into a quadrilateral grid composed of 30 × 30 m cells covering the Alachua County, Florida. The final output, termed the High-resolution Gridded Population Surface (HGPS), is compared to a land cover-based population product (LCPP) and the detail of each product is assessed. Results suggest that the HGPS provides increased spatial heterogeneity and more detail in the boundaries of populated areas over the use of census blocks or land cover lots. For an example of the final output, we use a case study at the Cabot–Koppers Superfund Site to demonstrate the advantages of the HGPS over the LCPP. The HGPS is expected to serve as a more accurate input in various research fields, such as public health, crime analysis, and climate change. The approach outlined provides an improved means of producing spatially-explicit population grids where fine-scale ancillary data, such as parcel data, is available.
Limit theorems for symmetric statistics of exchangeable random variables

Abstract The paper gives a central limit theorem for symmetric statistics of exchangeable random variables using the methods in Dykin and Mandelbaum ( Ann. Statist. 11 , 1983) and Mandrekar and Rao ( Probab. Math. Statist. 10 , 1989).
1464 COMPARISON OF 10% AND 20% SAFFLOWER OIL AS CALORIC SOURCES IN NEONATES MAINTAINED ON TOTAL PARENTERAL NUTRITION (TPN)

The clinical application of a concentrated safflower oil emulsion was evaluated in six neonates maintained exclusively on TPN for two weeks. The neonates received the standard 10% infusion for one week and the 20% emulsion the second week. Clinical and laboratory studies revealed no side effects other than those previously recognized. Differences in total fluid intake during the two study periods were not statistically significant. Growth data in relation to mean total caloric and fluid intake and percentage as fat are listed below. Despite an overall increase in caloric intake during the second week of the study period, total fluid volume remained unchanged. The utilization of a 20% fat emulsion like a 20% dextrose solution enables one to increase calories without increasing fluid volume. There appears to be clinical application for a concentrated 20% fat emulsion in neonates whose fluid volumes must be restricted.
Exodus from the California Core: Using Demographic Effectiveness and Migration Impact Measures to Examine Population Redistribution Within the Western United States

Increasingly since the 1960s and 1970s, population migration trends within the United States have been driven by the development of a second western population core. The burgeoning concentration of population along the Pacific Coast has fueled the emergence of a significant interconnected system of western metropolitan areas that increasingly rivals the primacy of the long-established northeastern core. During the 1990s the dispersal of population downward within the western urban hierarchy supplanted a much diminished Frostbelt-to-Sunbelt trend to become the most salient aspect of national population redistribution. The Southern California and Bay Area conurbations are serving as the primary pivots fueling the extension of a western urban subsystem. In this study we use county-level IRS matched tax return data and the newly defined Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA) units to explore the recent (1995–2000) flows of U.S. internal migrants within the functional urban system of the western United States. We present maps based on demographic effectiveness and on a new migration impact measure to examine and illustrate the evolving spatial patterns characteristic of current population redistribution across the West.
Improved Procedure for Combining Day-of-Launch Atmospheric Flight Loads

Abstract : An improved procedure for combining launch vehicle atmospheric flight load contributors is presented. This new procedure produces load-to-allowable value ratios with lower bias and less variance than previously used procedures. It is expected that the new procedure will increase launch availability without reducing launch reliability.
Use of automated radon measurements for rapid assessment of groundwater flow into Florida streams

Summary Naturally occurring 222Rn (radon; t1/2 = 3.8 days) is a good natural tracer of groundwater discharge because it is conservative and typically 2–3 orders of magnitude higher in groundwater than surface waters. In addition, new technology has allowed rapid and inexpensive field measurements of radon-in-water. Results from the C-25 Canal, a man-made canal in east-central Florida thought to be dominated by groundwater inflows, display how one can quickly assess a water body for locations of groundwater inputs. Although only the eastern portion of the canal was surveyed, use of a few assumptions together with some continuous radon measurements allowed reasonable estimates of the groundwater inflows to be made. Groundwater discharge estimates of 327,000 m3/day and 331,000 m3/day were measured for two stations based on determining the groundwater fraction of the total stream flow. This fraction in each case was calculated by correcting radon concentrations for decay over transit times determined from concentration differences between the apparent focal point of groundwater discharge (with a concentration of 520 ± 80 dpm/L) estimated to be ∼17.7 km upstream from the downstream sample locations. During the same period, an average flow of 312,000 ± 70,000 m3/day was determined from time-series measurements of radon at a fixed downstream location. Coincident current meter readings and a measured cross-section area allowed an independent assessment of the total stream discharge of 336,000 m3/day. The radon-derived estimates thus indicate that >90% of the total flow is groundwater derived, consistent with the known characteristics of this waterway.
Fatigue-crack propagation behavior in monolithic and composite ceramics and intermetallics

We study microstructural mechanisms of fatigue crack growth in advanced monolithic and composite ceramics and intermetallics. Much attention is devoted to the contribution of cycling loading to the hindrance of mechanisms that lead to a considerable increase in toughness (crack-tip shielding) of these materials. For example, in intermetallics with a ductile phase, such as β-TiNb-reinforced γ-TiAl or Nb-reinforced Nb3Al, a significant increase in toughness caused by the presence of uncracked ductile phase inside a crack is retarded under cyclic loading because ductile particles immediately fail by fatigue. Similarly, in monolithic ceramics, e.g., in alumina (aluminum oxide) or silicon nitride, the significant plasticization appearing under monotonic loading is greatly diminished under cyclic loading due to gradual wear at the grain-matrix interface. In fact, the nature of fatigue in such low-plasticity materials differs essentially from the well-known mechanisms of fatigue in metals and is governed, first of all, by a decrease in shielding, which depends on the loading cycle and time. The susceptibility of intermetallics and ceramics to fatigue degradation under cyclic loading affects seriously the possibility of structural use of these materials in practice. In particular, in this case, it is difficult to apply strength calculation methods that take into account the presence of defects and to implement life-prediction procedures.
Direct carbinolamide synthesis

Abstract Carbinolamides were prepared by treatment of aldehydes with carboxamides in the presence of dicyclohexylboron chloride and triethylamine. All carbinolamide products were stable to isolation, purification and routine handling.
Electron transfer components of wild-type and photosynthetic mutant strains of Scenedesmus obliquus D3.

Abstract To investigate the possible alteration of various components of the photosynthetic electron transport system of certain mutants of Scenedesmus techniques were developed for their extraction and purification from whole cells of this alga. The components identified in the normal alga were cytochrome c 549, cytochrome b 562, a cytochrome c 551, flavoprotein-ferredoxin reductase, plastocyanin, cytochrome c 552, and ferredoxin. Lamellar-bound cytochrome c 552 and cytochromes b were also detected. Application of the extraction and purification techniques to two photosynthetic mutants revealed that Mutants 26 and 50 lacked cytochrome f in both the bound and soluble forms (Mutant 50) or in only the bound form (Mutant 26). Chloroplasts prepared from either of these mutants lacked Hill reaction activity with a variety of oxidants with water as the electron donor but photoreduced NADP+ with 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol and ascorbate as the electron donor system. No photophosphorylation in vivo was detected with either mutant, but isolated chloroplasts performed a cyclic photophosphorylation with phenazine methosulphate as cofactor. Fluorescence analysis revealed that both mutants possess a measurable Photosystem II activity. It was concluded that the loss of cytochrome f prevents the normal flow of electrons from Photosystem II to NADP and also to a variety of other Hill reaction oxidants. Furthermore, cytochrome f is not required for the reduction of NADP with electron donor systems other than water nor is it an essential component of the mechanism of cyclic photophosphorylation with phenazine methosulphate as cofactor.
The Renal Cortical Na+/HCO3− Cotransporter VI: The Effect of Chemical Modification in Cotransporter Activity

The Na+/HCO3 − cotransporter is the main system that mediates bicarbonate removal out of the proximal tubule cell into the blood. We have previously partially purified this protein and showed that chemical modification of the α-amino groups by fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) inhibited the activity of the Na+/HCO3 − cotransporter. The inhibition was prevented by the presence of Na and bicarbonate suggesting that this compound binds at or near the substrate transport sites of the cotransporter. We examined the effect of agents that modify the sulfhydryl group (dithiothreitol), carboxyl groups (n-n′dicyclohexyl carbodiimide) and tyrosine residues (p-nitrobenzene sulfonyl fluoride, n-acetyl imidazole and tetranitromethane) on the activity of the cotransporter to gain insight into the chemical residues which may be important for transport function. The sulfhydryl residues modifier, carboxyl group modifier, and tyrosine modifier significantly inhibited bicarbonate dependent 22Na uptake in basolateral membranes by 50–70% without altering the 22Na uptake in the presence of gluconate indicating that these agents directly affected the cotransporter without affecting diffusive sodium uptake. The effect of the tyrosine modifier n-acetylimidazole was not prevented by the presence of Na and bicarbonate suggesting that the tyrosine residues are not at the substrate binding sites. To determine the presence and role of glycosylation on the Na+/HCO3 − cotransporter protein, we examined the effects of different glycosidases (endoglycosidase F and H, N-glycosidase F, O-glycanase) on the cotransporter activity. All glycosidases caused a significant 50–80% inhibition of cotransporter activity. These data demonstrate that N-glycosylation as well as O-glycosylation are important for the function of the Na+/HCO3 − cotransporter protein. Taken together, these results suggest that chemical modifiers of tyrosine, carboxyl and sulfhydryl groups as well as glycosylation are important for expression of full functional activity of the cotransporter.
Assessment and choice: an operant simulation of foraging in patches.

Pigeons were presented with an operant simulation of two prey patches using concurrent random-ratio schedules of reinforcement. An unstable patch offered a higher initial reinforcement probability, which then declined unpredictably to a zero reinforcement probability in each session. A stable patch offered a low but unvarying reinforcement probability. When the reinforcement probability declined to zero in a single step, the birds displayed shorter giving-up times in the unstable patch when the ratio between the initial reinforcement probabilities in the unstable and stable patches was greater and when the combined magnitude of the reinforcement probabilities in the two patches was greater. When the unstable patch declined in two steps, the birds behaved as if their giving-up times were influenced heavily by events encountered during the most recent step of the double-step change. This effect was observed, however, only when the reinforcement probability in that step was .04, not when it was .06. All of these data agree with the predictions of a capture-probability model based on a comparison of the estimated probability of receiving a reinforcer in the current patch with that in alternative patches.
Generalized Parking Functions, Tree Inversions, and Multicolored Graphs

A generalized x-parking function associated to a positive integer vector of the form (a,b,b,...,b) is a sequence (a"1,a"2,...,a"n) of positive integers whose nondecreasing rearrangement b"[email protected]?b"[email protected][email protected]?b"n satisfies b"[email protected]?a+(i-1)b. The set of x-parking functions has the same cardinality as the set of sequences of rooted b-forests on [n]. We construct a bijection between these two sets. We show that the sum enumerator of complements of x-parking functions is identical to the inversion enumerator of sequences of rooted b-forests by generating function analysis. Combinatorial correspondences between the sequences of rooted forests and x-parking functions are also given in terms of depth-first search and breadth-first search on multicolored graphs.
Creating a Tool to Evaluate Patient Performance

Patient education is a nursing responsibility that is often impromptu, spontaneous, and poorly documented. In many cases the patient's ability to perform a skill or task in the management of an illness or disease process affects the patient's outcome. A tool designed to evaluate patient performance guides the teaching process, promotes communication between the patient and nurse, and promotes communication among health care providers as it relates to patient performance. Nurses are in key positions to develop patient performance tools to ensure that the patient, or a patient's family member, can manage the health care requisites.
C-KLAM: Constrained keyframe-based localization and mapping

In this paper, we present C-KLAM, a Maximum A Posteriori (MAP) estimator-based keyframe approach for SLAM. As opposed to many existing keyframe-based SLAM approaches, that discard information from non-keyframes for reducing the computational complexity, the proposed C-KLAM presents a novel, elegant, and computationally-efficient technique for incorporating most of this information, resulting in improved estimation accuracy. To achieve this, C-KLAM projects both proprioceptive and exteroceptive information from the nonkeyframes to the keyframes, using marginalization, while maintaining the sparse structure of the associated information matrix, resulting in fast and efficient solutions. The performance of CKLAM has been tested in both simulations and experimentally, using visual and inertial measurements, to demonstrate that it achieves performance comparable to that of the computationallyintensive batch MAP-based 3D SLAM, that uses all available measurement information.
Indirect Excitons in High Magnetic Fields

Transport, relaxation, and correlation effects are observed for indirect excitons in high magnetic fields.
LPS and poly I:C induce chromatin modifications at a novel upstream region of the IL-23 p19 promoter.

IL-23, a heterodimer of IL-12 p40 and IL-23 p19, is critical for an effective immune response to many infections and has been implicated in several autoimmune diseases, however, little is known about the regulation of IL-23 gene expression in monocytes. We found that poly I:C, LPS, flagellin, and zymogen activated significant IL-23 production in primary human monocytes. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation, we found that a distal upstream region of the IL-23 p19 promoter at −601 to −521 underwent extensive histone modifications in response to stimuli. This distal region of the promoter is not highly conserved between species and has not been previously implicated in the regulation of IL-23 expression. Knockdown of CBP markedly decreased IL-23 p19 responses to poly I:C but had a less dramatic effect on LPS responses, confirming different chromatin responses to these two stimuli. Our data suggest that one of the mechanisms regulating IL-23 expression is the regulation of histone modifications at this distal upstream region of the promoter.
Regulation of Kv4.3 current by KChIP2 splice variants: A component of native cardiac Ito?

Background— The transient outward potassium current (Ito) encoded by the Kv4 family of potassium channels is important in the repolarization of cardiac myocytes. KChIPs are a recently identified group of Ca2+-binding accessory subunits that modulate Kv4-encoded currents. KChIP2 is the only family member expressed in the heart. Methods and Results— We previously cloned 2 novel splice variants of KChIP2 from human heart, named KChIP2S and KChIP2T. The transmural distribution of KChIP2 mRNA and protein in human and canine left ventricle was examined using kinetic RT-PCR and Western blots in the same tissues. A steep gradient of mRNA with greater KChIP2 expression in the epicardium was observed. However, no gradient of immunoreactive protein was observed. Immunocytochemistry reveals KChIP2 expression in the t-tubules and the nucleus. The predominant effects of all 3 KChIP2 splice variants on hKv4.3-encoded current are to increase the density, slow the current decay in a Ca2+-dependent manner, and hasten recov...
Double photoionization of neon

A calculation of the double photoionization of neon using many-body perturbation theory has permitted a quantitative study of the relative importance of various contributing effects, i.e., ground-state correlations, inelastic internal collisions, core rearrangement, and a virtual Auger transition. The results are in good agreement with experimental data. The energy distribution between two outgoing electrons and the ratio of double to single photoionization are calculated and discussed.
Self-sharpening distributions revisited—polydispersity in growth by monomer addition

Abstract Using the population balance method we investigated the dependence of polydispersity on the growth law that governs the size increase of particles. Using a power-law kernel K i ∼ i α (where i is the mass of the particle) explicit results are derived for two limiting cases of constant kernel α = 0.0 and proportional kernel α = 1.0. For the constant kernel the normalized variance decreases in time. For the proportional kernel the variance increases during growth. In the two transition regions of weak kernels α 0.5, the polydispersity approaches the asymptotic values of the constant and proportional kernels. In the transition regions the growth law cannot be deduced from the polydispersity.
In the Backrooms of Science: The Work of Technicians in Science Labs.

This article presents data from an ethnographic study of science technicians. The article proposes a model of the science technician's role as broker in a serially interdependent occupational division of labor and then contextualizes the model by examining how technicians conceptualize and manage troubles that arise in the course of scientific procedures. The data suggest that technicians possess most of a lab's contextual knowledge and skill and that technicians, therefore, play a critical role in the production of scientific knowledge. Because contextual knowledge carries less status than formal knowledge, however, technicians experience status inconsistencies. The implications of such status inconsistencies for the transition to an increasingly technical workforce are discussed.
Serious Games for Immersive Cultural Training: Creating a Living World

Living worlds offer a nonlinear, unscripted process for experiencing and safely learning the cognitive complexity and nuance of culture through emergent high-fidelity simulation. The 3D asymmetric domain analysis and training model uses visual, auditory, behavioral, and cultural models for immersive cultural training using the living-world construct.
The use of d-amphetamine pellet implantation as a model for d-amphetamine tolerance in the mouse.

The use of d-amphetamine pellet implantation as a method for producing rapid central drug tolerance was investigated. Mice were implanted with d-amphetamine pellets containing 2 mg of drug and were challenged 24 h later, a time when no detectable drug was present, with various doses of d-amphetamine i.p. Implantation was found to potentiate the stereotyped activity and produced tolerance to the exploratory activity induced by d-amphetamine. Daily pellet implantation for 3 days was not found to produce tolerance to the stereotyped activities. Animals administered a single pellet showed no difference in the brain disposition or metabolism of a subsequent dose of 3H-d-amphetamine. Twenty-four hour pellet implantation markedly increased the rate of conversion of 3H-tyrosine to 3H-dopamine (330%) and 3H-norepinephrine (61%) in the subcortex. However, this effect was reversed by the administration of 10 mg/kg of d-amphetamine.
Monopulse Radar Air-ti-Ground Ranging

The use of a two-lobe monopulse radar for measuring slant range to the surface of the earth in the absence of discrete targets is analyzed. It is shown that tracking dispersion can be considered as the resultant of two components. One component is independent of range and results from the finite pulse length and gate length and the random nature of the return signals. The other component is due to receiver noise and increases as the signal-to-noise ratio decreases. The dispersion component independent of range is shown to be proportional to the pulse length and tracking gate length. The variable dispersion is shown to be proportional to the five halves power of the range and the three halves power of the cotangent of the depression angle of the antenna boresight axis. Performance calculations for a specific radar are carried out and compared with experimental data.
Lid closure and refractive error in macaque monkeys

IT has been suggested that lid suture in visually immature macaques1 and tree shrews2 causes myopia. Wiesel and Raviola suggested that this myopia is of the axial type and caused by elongation of the globe1. Sherman et al. were unable to correlate the axial length with the degree of myopia in their experimental animals and suggest that lenticular or corneal anomalies may account for myopia in lid-sutured eyes2. If myopia could thus be produced experimentally in one eye, the other eye serving as a control, a useful and urgently needed animal model for the study of the pathogenesis of myopia and of the effects of anisometropia on development of visual functions would be available. However, we have been unable to confirm a consistent relationship between myopia and lid suture in the macaque. In view of this discrepancy we are reporting the refraction data collected from 13 male colony-bred rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) that were used for studies of the behavioural, neurophysiological and anatomical effects of lid suture on the development of visual functions3–8.
Distal Regulatory Regions of the RatMRF4Gene

Abstract MRF4 is a muscle-specific transcription factor that is expressed both in embryonic somites and later in fetal and adult muscle fibers. Cis -regulatory elements of the MRF4 gene responsible for its complex expression pattern have not yet been identified, although previous studies of the rat MRF4 gene have demonstrated the presence of enhancer activity located several kilobases 5′ to the transcription start site. Using cell transfection assays in vitro, we have now localized one of the regulatory regions of MRF4 to a 590-base-pair sequence between 4 and 5 kilobases upstream from the start site. This sequence region functioned as an enhancer in combination either with the MRF4 promoter or with the viral thymidine kinase (tk) promoter. Deletion analysis of MRF4 indicated the existence of another regulatory region, closer to the promoter, which functioned as an enhancer in combination with the MRF4 promoter but not with the tk promoter.
Responses to Wnt signals in vertebrate embryos may involve changes in cell adhesion and cell movement

SUMMARY Wnt genes encode secreted glycoproteins, and, because of their homology with the Drosophila segment polarity gene wingless, are likely to play important roles as modulators of local intercellular signalling during embryonic development. Although little is known of the mechanisms by which Wnts signal in an autocrine or paracrine manner, it is increasingly clear that cells can respond rapidly to Wnt signals in the absence of transcription, and that these responses may include changes in cell adhesion and cell movement. We review recent evidence from studies on Xenopus laevis and other systems, which demonstrate that (1) a subset of Wnts modulate gap junctional permeability, which may be a reflection of changes in cadherin-mediated cell adhesion, (2) embryos express β-catenin and plakoglobin, which are homologs of the armadillo gene products, known to be involved in the wingless signalling pathway, and known to be found at cell junctions, and (3) overexpression of specific Wnts in Xenopus embryos leads to clear changes in cell behavior and movement.
Ontology integration: experience with medical terminologies.

Abstract To build a common controlled vocabulary is a formidable challenge in medical informatics. Due to vast scale and multiplicity in interpretation of medical data, it is natural to face overlapping terminologies in the process of practicing medical informatics [A. Rector, Clinical terminology: why is it so hard? Methods Inf. Med. 38 (1999) 239–252]. A major concern lies in the integration of seemingly overlapping terminologies in the medical domain and this issue has not been well addressed. In this paper, we describe a novel approach for medical ontology integration that relies on the theory of Algorithmic Semantic Refinement we previously developed. Our approach simplifies the task of matching pairs of corresponding concepts derived from a pair of ontologies, which is vital to terminology mapping. A formal theory and algorithm for our approach have been devised and the application of this method to two medical terminologies has been developed. The result of our work is an integrated medical terminology and a methodology and implementation ready to use for other ontology integration tasks.
The rise (and fall?) of parental vaccine hesitancy

Parental vaccine hesitancy is a growing problem affecting the health of children and the larger population. This article describes the evolution of the vaccine hesitancy movement and the individual, vaccine-specific and societal factors contributing to this phenomenon. In addition, potential strategies to mitigate the rising tide of parent vaccine reluctance and refusal are discussed.
Recurrence vs. transience for spatially inhomogeneous birth and death in a random environment

We consider birth and death in a random environment, having probabilitiesp(θ,x) andq(θ,x) of a step to the right or left, respectively, from statex in environmentθ. Under several sets of conditions involving the existence of limp(θ,x) and limq(θ,x) asx→∞, we give conditions for certain extinction or escape to ∞ when 0 is absorbing, corresponding to recurrence or transience when 0 is reflecting. The environmental sequence is assumed to be stationary ergodic, and for some results stronger assumptions are required.
Generation of Ag–Ag2O complex nanostructures by excimer laser ablation of Ag in water

Pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) has been well established as a facile method to produce nanoparticles from bulk materials, but it is still insufficient for fabricating anisotropic and complex nanostructures, especially without the use of surfactants. Here, we demonstrate that silver (Ag) nanosheets can be produced by pulsed excimer laser ablation of bulk Ag in water via laser re-processing of the laser-produced primary clusters. We also show that by combining PLAL and drop evaporation, rice-shaped Ag–Ag2O particles and their assemblies can be generated on Si substrates, because the interior flow of an evaporating colloidal drop could redistribute the laser-produced primary clusters, which results in the formation of complex nanostructures. These results show that PLAL is able to fabricate novel micro-/nanostructures while keeping its merit of “clean” fabrication.
Schistosoma mansoni: a comparison of secreted vs nonsecreted eicosanoids in developing schistosomulae and adults.

Abstract We have determined that developing schistosomulae and adults of Schistosoma mansoni synthesize a wide range of eicosanoids when stimulated with linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid. Developing schistosomulae secrete 64%, while adults secrete over 80% of synthesized eicosanoids. On a per milligram soluble protein basis, eicosanoid secretion is ordered as follows: adult females > adult males >>> developing schistosomulae. Together one mature adult worm pair secreted approximately 4.36 μg prostaglandin E, 3.41 μg leukotriene B4, and 15.13 μg 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HETE) as determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) results have determined that 15-HETE is the major HETE species secreted by adults and developing schistosomulae. The immunosuppressant roles of 15-HETE, PGE, and LTB4 are discussed in relation to a possible mechanism for S. mansoni to evade the host immune system. Adults and schistosomules of S. mansoni have evolved rather sophisticated mechanisms for evading the host immune response. These include both host antigen acquisition and antigen shedding. In addition, young schistosomes have an as yet unidentified intrinsic defense mechanism against the host immune system. We postulate that part of the defense mechanism in schistosomules and adults may involve secretion of immunosuppressant eicosanoid species.
Temperature dependence of vibrational relaxation in carbon tetrachloride

Abstract The temperature dependence of vibrational relaxation in carbon tetrachloride has been investigated from near the melting point to near the boiling point. The method of spontaneous Brillouin scattering has been used to determine the hypersonic frequencies and velocities as functions of temperature. The dispersion in the velocities are then compared with theoretical predictions in order to investigate the character of the relaxation.
Susceptibility genes for anorexia and bulimia nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) have a significant genetic component. The Price Foundation Collaborative group conducted a genome wide linkage analysis of 192 families with one affected pair with AN and 365 families with one BN. For AN, the highest multipoint NPL score was 3.03 at marker D1S3721on chromosome 1p suggesting presence of an AN-susceptibility locus. For BN, significant linkage was present at chromosome 10p13. An analysis using two psychological covariates, drive-for-thiness and obsessionality, identified with AN, produced a significant signal for linkage on chromosome 1 (at 210 cM, D1S1660). Quantitative trait locus (QTL) linkage analysis was conducted on 6 traits for the BN and AN affected pairs. For BN, there were suggestive signals for age at menarche at 10p13 and anxiety at 1q31 and with covariate-based linkage significance for BMI, 4q21, for Concern for Mistakes 16p13,14q21, for obsessive thoughts 14q21. QTL linkage for AN pairs had a suggestive linkage for obsessions at 6q21 and anxiety at 9p21. Covariate based linkage analysis showed only suggestive signals for BMI at 4q13, for Concern over Mistakes 11p11 and obsessive thoughts at 17q25. Overlap between the AN and BN cohorts was minimal. In the AN probands, association and transmission disequilibrium was investigated at 7 single-nucleotide polymorphisims (SNPs) of the gene DRD2. Significant association of the −141 Indel in haplotype transmission disequilibrium and haplotype case control with AN suggests genetically transmitted variation in D2 dopamine receptor expression mediated by functional polymorphisms affecting transcription and translation efficiency may produce a vulnerability to AN.
Structures and electron detachment energies of uracil anions

Abstract Uracil and its radical anions were studied with second-order, many-body perturbation theory, coupled-cluster theory and electron propagator methods with large, diffuse, atom-centered basis sets. All structures were optimized and two minima were found for anionic forms: one corresponding to a 2 A′, diffuse-bound state and another corresponding to a 2 A, non-planar, covalent-bound state. The optimized 2 A′ anionic structure is lower in energy than the neutral form. The vertical electron detachment energy (VEDE) of this structure is very close to the experimentally observed value. A large, positive VEDE was found for the 2 A, covalent-bound anion.
Tribology in magnetic recording technology

Tribology problems occurring in high performance tape and disk systems are discussed. The head/medium interface is described for the case of lightly loaded contacts between a magnetic tape and a read/write head, and the parameters determining the design and the tribological performance of the head/flexible medium interface are discussed. In addition, the head/disk interface in the case of very small spacing is analyzed and the tribology problems encountered in the case of very small head/disk spacing are summarized. Finally, an overview of future tribology trends in magnetic recording technology is given.
Cyclosporin A and FK506: molecular mechanisms of immunosuppression and probes for transplantation biology

The microbial products cyclosporin A (CsA), FK506 and rapamycin are potent immunosuppressive agents. The introduction of CsA in the early 1970's significantly improved the outcome of organ and bone marrow allograft transplantation and advanced therapeutic options in autoimmune diseases. FK506 appears to have a higher therapeutic index than CsA, and has been used with encouraging results in clinical transplantation trials. FK506 and CsA, although structurally unrelated, appear to target similar signal transduction pathways in hematopoietic cells by inhibiting the action of calcineurin, a serine/threonine phosphatase. A structural analog of FK506, rapamycin, inhibits cellular function by a different molecular mechanism. These agents have advanced our understanding of signal transmission pathways in lymphocyte activation.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis physiology and cognitive control of behavior in stress inoculated monkeys

Monkeys exposed to stress inoculation protocols early in life subsequently exhibit diminished neurobiological responses to moderate psychological stressors and enhanced cognitive control of behavior during juvenile development compared to non-inoculated monkeys. The present experiments extended these findings and revealed that stress inoculated monkeys: (a) mount neurobiological responses equivalent to non-inoculated monkeys when the stressor is of sufficient intensity, and (b) continue to exhibit enhanced cognitive control as young adults compared to non-inoculated monkeys. These results suggest that stress inoculation protocols alter the appraisal of and response to moderate stressors as less threatening and permanently enhance cognitive control, at least through early adulthood. These data therefore support the notion that the stress inoculation phenotype reflects stress resilience rather than stress pathology.
Remote Sensing of Soil Moisture Using Airborne Hyperspectral Data

Landscape assessment of soil moisture is critical to understanding the hydrological cycle at the regional scale and in broad-scale studies of biophysical processes affected by global climate changes in temperature and precipitation. Traditional efforts to measure soil moisture have been principally restricted to in situ measurements, so remote sensing techniques are often employed. Hyperspectral sensors with finer spatial resolution and narrow band widths may offer an alternative to traditional multispectral analysis of soil moisture, particularly in landscapes with high spatial heterogeneity. This preliminary research evaluates the ability of remotely sensed hyperspectral data to quantify soil moisture for the Little River Experimental Watershed (LREW), Georgia. An airborne hyperspectral instrument with a short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) sensor was flown in 2005 and 2007 and the results were correlated to in situ soil moisture values. A significant statistical correlation (R 2 value above 0.7 for both sa...
Intraoperative Demonstration of Selective Stimulation of the Common Human Femoral Nerve with a FINE

We have tested the hypothesis that the Flat Interface Nerve Electrode (FINE) can selectively stimulate each muscle innervated by the common femoral nerve of the human, near the inguinal ligament in a series of intraoperative trials. During routine vascular surgeries, an 8-contact FINE was placed around the common femoral nerve between the inguinal ligament and the first branching point. The efficacy of the FINE to selectively recruit muscles innervated by the femoral nerve was determined from electromyograms (EMGs) recorded in response to electrical stimulation. At least four of the six muscles innervated by the femoral nerve were selectively recruited in all subjects. Of these, at least one muscle was a hip flexor and two muscles were knee extensors. Results from the intraoperative experiments were used to estimate the potential for the electrode to restore knee extension and hip flexion through Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES). Normalized EMGs and biomechanical simulations were used to estimate joint moments and functional efficacy. Estimated knee extension moments exceed the threshold required for the sit-to-stand transition.
Sexual Health Education in U.S. Physician Assistant Programs

Introduction. Since the 1950s, sexual health education in medical schools has been evaluated and reported upon, but there has never been an assessment published about sexual health curricula in U.S. physician assistant (PA) programs. Aim. The aim of this study was to gain better understanding of how PA programs cover sexual health topics. Methods. Between January and March 2014, 181 accredited PA programs received a mailed survey inquiring about their sexual health curriculum. Main Outcome Measures. The survey assessed general sexual health topics; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) topics; teaching methods; and the amount of time spent on sexual health education. Results. A total of 106 programs responded (59%). Ten programs offered a required, discrete course on human sexuality. The majority incorporated training into other coursework, which is consistent with most medical schools. LGBT topics were covered less thoroughly than the general sexual health topics. Total amount of time spent on sexual health topics varied widely among programs, from a minimum of 2-4 hours to a maximum of 60 hours, with a median of 12 hours. Conclusions. PA programs in the United States appear to compare favorably with the training offered to medical students in regard to time spent on sexual health education. Transgender issues were least well-covered of all the topics queried. Seaborne LA, Prince RJ, and Kushner DM. Sexual health education in U.S. physician assistant programs. J Sex Med 2015;12:1158-1164.
The effect of hypolipidemic drugs WY14643 and DH990, and lysophospholipids on the metabolism of oleate in plants

The effects of the addition of hypolipidemic drugs and 1-acylglycerolipids on the metabolism of oleate in plants have been studied in vivo and in vitro. Using aged potato slices with [14C]oleate as a precursor, it was found that these drugs markedly inhibited both the incorporation into complex lipids and the desaturation of oleate to linoleate. Moreover, in vitro experiments, carried out with microsomes prepared from developing safflower seeds and [14C]oleate or [14C]oleoyl-CoA as precursors, confirmed the inhibitory effect of the drugs on oleate desaturation, and showed that while WY14643 mainly affected oleoyl thiokinase activity, DH990 exerted its strongest effect on the formation of PL, indicating that the mode of action of these two drugs in safflower microsomes is essentially different. Addition of LPC or LPE stimulated the incorporation of radiolabeled precursor into PC and PE, respectively, as well as the desaturation of oleate to linoleate when [14C]oleoyl-CoA was the precursor. The evidence obtained suggests that oleoyl-PE, as well as oleoyl-PC, should be considered as a possible substrate for oleate desaturation in plants.