cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Brain transcriptome analysis of a CLN2 mouse model as a function of disease progression.

Background Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses, (NCLs or Batten disease) are a group of inherited, early onset, fatal neurodegenerative diseases associated with mutations in 13 genes. All forms of the disease are characterized by lysosomal accumulation of fluorescent storage material, as well as profound neurodegeneration, but the relationship of the various genes' function to a single biological process is not obvious. In this study, we used a well-characterized mouse model of classical late infantile NCL (cLINCL) in which the tripeptidyl peptidase 1 (Tpp1) gene is disrupted by gene targeting, resulting in loss of detectable TPP1 activity and leading to progressive neurological phenotypes including ataxia, increased motor deficiency, and early death. Methods In order to identify genes and pathways that may contribute to progression of the neurodegenerative process, we analyzed forebrain/midbrain and cerebellar transcriptional differences at 1, 2, 3 and 4 months of age in control and TPP1-deficient mice by global RNA-sequencing. Results Progressive neurodegenerative inflammatory responses involving microglia, astrocytes and endothelial cells were observed, accompanied by activation of leukocyte extravasation signals and upregulation of nitric oxide production and reactive oxygen species. Several astrocytic (i.e., Gfap, C4b, Osmr, Serpina3n) and microglial (i.e., Ctss, Itgb2, Itgax, Lyz2) genes were identified as strong markers for assessing disease progression as they showed increased levels of expression in vivo over time. Furthermore, transient increased expression of choroid plexus genes was observed at 2 months in the lateral and fourth ventricle, highlighting an early role for the choroid plexus and cerebrospinal fluid in the disease pathology. Based on these gene expression changes, we concluded that neuroinflammation starts, for the most part, after 2 months in the Tpp1-/- brain and that activation of microglia and astrocytes occur more rapidly in cerebellum than in the rest of the brain; confirming increased severity of inflammation in this region. Conclusions These findings have led to a better understanding of cLINCL pathological onset and progression, which may aid in development of future therapeutic treatments for this disease.
The History of Special Education: A Struggle for Equality in American Public Schools

Osgood examines the history of the school lives of children placed in formal or informal special education settings in American public schools during the last 120 years. As the public school system in the United States grew throughout the 20th century, special education became a recognized and dependable, but marginalized, arm of public schooling. Throughout the 1900s special education emerged as its own world in many ways, developing policies, practices, structures, and an identity that became more diverse and inclusive. This work describes and interprets the nature and characteristics of special education. It examines carefully the human aspects of identification and placement; the nature of work and play in the classroom; the relationship among students, teachers, administrators, and parents involved in the process; the status and relation of children with disabilities to their non-disabled peers in various school settings; and the impact of school experiences on the lives of these children beyond school.
The Risk of Risk Management

Charles Dickens famously begins his A Tale of Two Cities with the lines, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . .”1 These lines might be applied with equal force to the large American law firm’s experience over the last two decades. Until the recent economic downturn that is the inspiration for the present symposium, law firm profits soared and elite lawyer ranks swelled.2 Yet, all has not been well in the glass towers of the mighty. A series of ethical scandals ensnared the best and the brightest, from Kaye Scholer in 1992,3 to Milbank Tweed in 1997,4 to those representing Enron in 2001.5 Recent economic difficulties have heightened large law firm awareness of and vulnerability to missteps.6 The dangers to the firms and their lawyers include not just malpractice claims but “criminal prosecution (of individual lawyers and law firms collectively), professional discipline, claims for disgorgement of fees, malicious prosecution, sanctions, and other allegations of wrongful conduct in the course of law practice, and even law firm dissolution.”7 One aspect of the elite firm response to the heightened dangers posed by legal missteps has been the adoption of risk management techniques of the
Persistent inhibition of CYP3A4 by ketoconazole in modified Caco-2 cells.

Purpose. The intestinal metabolism of some CYP3A substrates canbe altered profoundly by co-administration of the potent inhibitor,ketoconazole. The present research was conducted to test the hypothesisthat, unlike the inhibition kinetics observed with isolated microsomes,inhibition of CYP3A4 by ketoconazole in an intestinal cell monolayeris time-dependent and slowly reversible.
Psychiatric aspects of head and neck surgery

Surgery of the head and neck leads to profound changes of body image, including disfigurement and difficulties with verbalization. The psychologic importance of alterations in these areas will be discussed as well as their effect on the conduct of psychiatric treatment. Psychiatric intervention in this population demands an active approach and special preparation for the therapeutic encounter is necessary.
The Amino-terminal Residues of Bacillus subtilis Proteins Made in Vitro

Abstract An in vitro system from Bacillus subtilis cells has been developed for the initiation and synthesis of large polypeptide chains with molecular weights equal to approximately 40,000. The presence of N-formylmethionine on the NH2 termini of newly made peptides has been shown. The analysis of the free NH2-terminal residues of polypeptides made in vitro and coded by endogenous messenger RNA revealed the presence of methionine, alanine, serine, threonine, and valine which are ordinarily present on the NH2 terminus of B. subtilis proteins made in vivo. These results all suggest the high fidelity of this protein-synthesizing system in vitro to that found in vivo.
Continuous‐Heating Ignition Testing of Hybrid Al‐Ni‐CuO Reactive Composites Fabricated by Ultrasonic Powder Consolidation

Powder-based fabrication of hybrid reactive composites combining bimetallic and thermite endothermic reactions requires a consolidation process that produces dense composites with no reactions among the constituents. Reactive composites 2Al-3CuO-x(Al-Ni) (x = 1 - 4) were fabricated from nano-thick Al and Ni flakes and CuO nanoparticles by ultrasonic powder consolidation and tested for their ignition characteristics in continuous heating. The hybrid bimetallic thermite composites with x ≥ 2 ignited well below the melting point of aluminum, while maintaining large heat outputs. Combining the large heat output of the Al-metal oxide thermite reaction and the low ignition temperature of Al-Ni exothermic reactions in single reactive composites, the hybrid bimetallic-thermite composites are suited for controlled local heating, as in micro-joining, where small, easy-to-ignite, high-output heat sources are required.
Cost of equity capital of foreign firms: Did bonding benefits diminish after the SEC's waiver of IFRS to US GAAP reconciliation?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the cost of equity capital for foreign firms listed in the US stock exchanges during 2004‐2009, a period that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shifted from requiring foreign issuers to comply with the US GAAP reconciliations to permitting the choice of IFRS in financial reporting.Design/methodology/approach – The cost of equity of foreign firms in the IFRS reporting period was compared to that in the US GAAP reconciliation period. Also, the cost of equity of foreign firms was compared to that of matched US firms during the two periods.Findings – The results show that the cost of equity in foreign firms is higher during the IFRS reporting period (2007‐2009) than the US GAAP reconciliation period (2004‐2006); foreign firms exhibit a constantly higher cost of equity than that of matched US firms in both periods; and the size of cost of equity difference remains the same with respect to the regulatory change. Further, it is shown that the change in...
A Prototype Inference Engine for Rule-Based Geometric Reasoning

Isaac is a rule-based visual language for mobile robots using evidential reasoning and a fuzzy inference engine. A prototype inference engine for Isaac has been implemented, permitting experiments with the Isaac language. This paper discusses this inference engine, describes some preliminary experiences with programming Isaac rulesets, and proposes future optimizations and enhancements to the inference engine.
High repetition-rate pulsed-pump fiber OPA for 10 Gb/s NRZ modulated signals

We demonstrated a pulsed-pump fiber optical parametric amplifier followed by a narrow optical filter for transparent signal amplification. Wide gain-bandwidth of 85 nm, large gain of 43 dB, and clear eye-opening were demonstrated for 10 Gb/s-NRZ signals by a 20 GHz asynchronous pulsed pump.
Neuromodulation and neurostimulation: overview and future potential

The history of neuromodulation and neurostimulation began after several important discoveries in the fields of neurophysiology and electricity. In 1811, Bell (1) was the first to conduct experiments on the spinal nerve roots. He reported that manipulation of the anterior sacral roots led to muscle contractions of the back, but not the posterior fibers of the spinal nerves. Magendie (1822) further recognized the anterior motor and the posterior sensory function of the roots (2).
ANALYSIS OF THE SYRB AND SYRC GENES OF PSEUDOMONAS SYRINGAE PV. SYRINGAE INDICATES THAT SYRINGOMYCIN IS SYNTHESIZED BY A THIOTEMPLATE MECHANISM

The syrB and syrC genes are required for synthesis of syringomycin, a lipodepsipeptide phytotoxin produced by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae, and are induced by plant-derived signal molecules. A 4,842-bp chromosomal region containing the syrB and syrC genes of strain B301D was sequenced and characterized. The open reading frame (ORF) of syrB was 2,847 bp in length and was predicted to encode an approximately 105-kDa protein, SyrB, with 949 amino acids. Searches of databases revealed that SyrB shares homology with members of a superfamily of adenylate-forming enzymes involved in peptide antibiotic and siderophore synthesis in a diverse spectrum of microorganisms. SyrB exhibited the highest degree of overall similarity (56.4%) and identity (33.8%) with the first amino acid-activating domain of pyoverdin synthetase, PvdD, of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The N-terminal portion of SyrB contained a domain of approximately 600 amino acids that resembles the amino acid-activating domains of thiotemplate-employing peptide synthetases. The SyrB domain contained six signature core sequences with the same order and spacing as observed in all known amino acid-activating domains involved in nonribosomal peptide synthesis. Core sequence 6 of SyrB, for example, was similar to the binding site for 4'-phosphopantetheine, a cofactor required for thioester formation. The syrC ORF (1,299 bp) was located 175 bp downstream of the syrB ORF. Analysis of the transcriptional and translational relationship between the syrB and syrC genes demonstrated that they are expressed independently. The syrC ORF was predicted to encode an approximately 48-kDa protein product of 433 amino acids which is 42 to 48% similar to a number of thioesterases, including fatty acid thioesterases, haloperoxidases, and acyltransferases, that contain a characteristic GXS (C) XG motif. In addition, a zinc-binding motif was found near the C terminus of SyrC. The data suggest that SyrB and SyrC function as peptide synthetases in a thiotemplate mechanism of syringomycin biosynthesis.
FedStats: the gateway to federal statistics

FedStats.gov is an award-winning portal to a distributed digital library of statistical information compiled by more than 70 federal agencies. The challenges in simply providing access are many---organizational, bureaucratic, technical, and usability to name just a few.
Long-Term Growth Responses of a Jeffrey Pine Stand to Mechanized Thinning and Prescribed Fire

Forest thinnings implemented with cut-to-length and whole-tree harvesting systems followed by underburning were evaluated for their effects on individual tree and stand level growth responses in pure, uneven-aged Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi Grev. & Balf.) accompanied by isolated California white fir (Abies concolor var. lowiana [Gord.] Lemm.). Based on both dimension and volume measures, trees of the unburned whole-tree treatment combination exhibited the greatest individual growth responses. At the stand level, a diminished volume growth response in the whole-tree treatment was especially pronounced in the burned portion, mostly attributable to exaggerated stocking losses, while a superior response in the unburned cut-to-length combination likely reflected not only the absence of detrimental fire impacts but also benefits of on-site slash retention. For stand level biomass, diminished growth in the whole-tree treatment was again evident, with that in the burned portion again most pronounced, while bioma...
Ionization and Dissociation of Polyatomic Molecules by Electron Impact. I. Methane

The first of a series of mass-spectrograph studies of the products of ionization of polyatomic molecules by low speed electrons is described. The following are the positive ions detected in methane together with their appearance potentials in volts: C$\mathrm{H}_{4}^{}{}_{}{}^{+}$ (13.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.4); C$\mathrm{H}_{3}^{}{}_{}{}^{+}$ (14.4\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.4); C$\mathrm{H}_{2}^{}{}_{}{}^{+}$ (15.7\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.5, 22.9\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.8); C${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$ (23.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.6); ${\mathrm{C}}^{+}$ (26.7\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.7); ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$ (22.7\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.5, 29.4\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.6); $\mathrm{H}_{2}^{}{}_{}{}^{+}$ (27.9\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.5); and $\mathrm{H}_{3}^{}{}_{}{}^{+}$ (25.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.0). The following negative ions were also observed: C$\mathrm{H}_{2}^{}{}_{}{}^{\ensuremath{-}}$; C${\mathrm{H}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$; ${\mathrm{C}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$; and ${\mathrm{H}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$. From the higher appearance potential of ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$ and the appearance potentials of ${\mathrm{C}}^{+}$ and ${\mathrm{C}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ three independent upper limits are calculated for the heat of dissociation of C${\mathrm{H}}_{4}$ to normal atoms which lead, respectively, to the following three upper limits for the heat of sublimation of carbon: $L(\mathrm{C})\ensuremath{\le}6.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.6$ volts or 141\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}14 kcal.; $L(\mathrm{C})\ensuremath{\le}5.7\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.7$ volts or 131\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}16 kcal.; $L(\mathrm{C})\ensuremath{\le}6.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.9$ volts or 139\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}21 kcal. Thus of the three values of $L(\mathrm{C})$ recently proposed from data on predissociation in CO, these results are inconsistent with the value $L(\mathrm{C})=168.8$ kcal. but are quite consistent with the value $L(\mathrm{C})=123.6$ kcal. Correlations of known ionization energies with the best obtainable data on the relative energies of the possible stable states of a carbon and four hydrogen atoms give reasonable interpretations of all observed appearance potentials. Upper limits for the ionization potentials of C${\mathrm{H}}_{3}$, C${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$, and CH are deduced. These are: $I({\mathrm{CH}}_{3})\ensuremath{\le}9.9$ volts; $I({\mathrm{CH}}_{2})\ensuremath{\le}12.0$ volts; $I(\mathrm{CH})\ensuremath{\le}11.7 or 16.2$ volts. Two general conclusions are drawn. The first is that most ions are only formed when the parent molecules are broken into as many parts as possible. The second is that interpretations of all but four appearance potentials are possible on the assumption that the total excitational and kinetic energy of products formed in an electron impact from a C${\mathrm{H}}_{4}$ molecule be less than two volts.
Functions of RANKL/RANK/OPG in bone modeling and remodeling.

The discovery of the RANKL/RANK/OPG system in the mid 1990s for the regulation of bone resorption has led to major advances in our understanding of how bone modeling and remodeling are regulated. It had been known for many years before this discovery that osteoblastic stromal cells regulated osteoclast formation, but it had not been anticipated that they would do this through expression of members of the TNF superfamily: receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG), or that these cytokines and signaling through receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK) would have extensive functions beyond regulation of bone remodeling. RANKL/RANK signaling regulates osteoclast formation, activation and survival in normal bone modeling and remodeling and in a variety of pathologic conditions characterized by increased bone turnover. OPG protects bone from excessive resorption by binding to RANKL and preventing it from binding to RANK. Thus, the relative concentration of RANKL and OPG in bone is a major determinant of bone mass and strength. Here, we review our current understanding of the role of the RANKL/RANK/OPG system in bone modeling and remodeling.
Partial Factor Productivity and Equipment Technology Change at Activity Level in U.S. Construction Industry

Despite a decrease in industry level measures in construction productivity, there has been a steady increase in construction productivity at the activity level. This research examines equipment technology as one factor that may explain that increase. The relationship between changes in equipment technology and partial factor productivity is examined for 200 activities over a 22 year time period. Specifically, the paper examines the relative impact of different types of equipment technology for five technology factors: energy, control, functional range, information processing, and ergonomics. Through ANOVA and regression analyses, it is found that activities that experienced a significant change in equipment technology also witnessed substantially greater long-term improvements in partial factor productivity than those that did not experience a change.
Quantitative and qualitative changes in AMPA receptor expression during spinal cord development

Abstract Synaptic activity in early postnatal life is important for the acquisition of mature structural and functional properties of neurons. Previous studies indicate that the mature molecular features of spinal motor neurons emerge during a period of activity-dependent development in early postnatal life. Since glutamatergic synaptic transmission provides the major excitatory drive into motor neurons, glutamate receptors are likely to play a central role in motor neuron activity-dependent development. To gain insight into this process, we have used receptor autoradiography, immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry to determine the distribution, temporal expression and potential subunit composition of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid subtype glutamate receptors in the developing rat spinal cord. Using two different ligands, [ 3 H]-α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid and [ 3 H]-6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione, we find that α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid binding sites in the adult are largely restricted to the substantia gelatinosa. In marked contrast, during early postnatal life, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid binding sites are transiently expressed at high levels in the ventral horn. This parallels previous findings on the developmental regulation of N -methyl- d -aspartate receptor expression. Using α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor subunit-specific antibodies we show by immunoblot analysis and immunohistology that, to varying degrees, the expression patterns of glutamate receptor subunit 1 and glutamate receptor subunits2/3 are significantly developmentally regulated. The most conspicuous change is the downregulation of glutamate receptor 1 expression within motor neurons over the first three weeks of postnatal life. The qualitative and quantitative changes we observe in glutamate receptor expression in early postnatal life are likely to have a major impact on the electrophysiological properties of young motor neurons and thus may contribute to their activity-dependent development.
Estimation of bare soil evaporation using skin temperature measurements

A simple model based on the Monin-Obukhov surface layer similarity theory of heat and momentum transport can be used to predict the latent heat flux for a variety of atmospheric and soil moisture conditions. Experiments were carried out on the Campbell Tract at the University of California, Davis, from 14 September to 23 November 1990. The latent heat flux was measured precisely with a large weighing lysimeter and the surface temperature by a thermal IR transducer. The evaporation predictions and lysimeter measurements overall were in good agreement (R2 = 0.86), including cases of dry surface conditions. Even low daily evaporation of the order of 1 mm could be modeled with the procedure studied.
Cumulative benefit games: achieving cooperation when players discount the future.

Experimental studies with captive animals show strong preferences for immediate reward. Several authors have argued that these tendencies to discount delayed reward may severely limit the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma game as a model of animal cooperation. This paper explores a simple mechanism, dubbed cumulative games, that can, in principle, promote cooperative action even when there is strong temporal discounting. In the simplest type of cumulative game a pair of players does not receive benefits at the end of each play, as in a conventional repeated game, but must complete a sequence of games before collecting the accumulated benefits. In a preliminary analysis pitting tit-for-tat against all-D, I show that accumulation can promote a conditionally cooperative strategy even when there is strong temporal discounting. However, the delays created by accumulation de-value the pairwise interaction, so although the relative value of cooperation increases, the total value of the interaction decreases. I investigate accumulation further by simulating the evolution of a broader class of strategies. These simulation studies show that accumulation, and small discounting rates (high future value) can both promote cooperative action. The limitations of these results are discussed.
A TTFV–pyrene-based copolymer: synthesis, redox properties, and aggregation behaviour

A new π-conjugated copolymer having TTFV and pyrene repeat units was synthesized and found to exhibit reversible redox activity, while the self-aggregation behaviour in solution phase was found to be responsive to external stimuli (solvent and pH).
Effect of various sterilization procedures on the in vitro germination of cotton seeds

In vitro manipulations of cotton often require high-quality sterile seedlings as a source of hypocotyl and cotyledon explants for initiation of embryogenic cultures or embryo apexes for shoot production. Unfortunately, in vitro seed germination is often hindered if cotton seeds were collected from the open field and stored under improper conditions. In our case a limited supply of field-grown cotton seeds was received, which necessitated the development of a more effective surface sterilization protocol. Seeds from two accessions, designated as I and II, with very high contamination levels and lowered germination rate were used in this study. These seeds were treated with the most commonly used sterilizing agents, which included commercial bleach, chlorine gas and hydrogen peroxide. Additional steps such as soap-water washes (SW), 70 % ethanol (ETH) and plant preservative mixture rinses were also included in the sterilization procedures to improve the efficiency of tested protocols. Surface sterilized seeds were germinated on Linsmaier and Skoog medium and the percentage of contamination free and well-germinated seeds were recorded for each treatment. Seeds treated with hydrogen peroxide showed significant improvement in germination rate and level of contamination when compared to identical seeds treated with chlorine gas and commercial bleach. The most effective sterilization protocol for all genotypes tested consisted of SW wash followed by ETH rinse and H2O2 sterilization for 7 h. This protocol was successfully used to sterilize seeds of 55 cotton lines.
Modeling the Sun’s Magnetic Field and Irradiance since 1713

We use a flux transport model to simulate the evolution of the Sun's total and open magnetic flux over the last 26 solar cycles (1713-1996). Polar field reversals are maintained by varying the meridional flow speed between 11 and 20 m s-1, with the poleward-directed surface flow being slower during low-amplitude cycles. If the strengths of the active regions are fixed but their numbers are taken to be proportional to the cycle amplitude, the open flux is found to scale approximately as the square root of the cycle amplitude. However, the scaling becomes linear if the number of active regions per cycle is fixed but their average strength is taken to be proportional to the cycle amplitude. Even with the inclusion of a secularly varying ephemeral region background, the increase in the total photospheric flux between the Maunder minimum and the end of solar cycle 21 is at most ~one-third of its minimum-to-maximum variation during the latter cycle. The simulations are compared with geomagnetic activity and cosmogenic isotope records and are used to derive a new reconstruction of total solar irradiance (TSI). The increase in cycle-averaged TSI since the Maunder minimum is estimated to be ~1 W m-2. Because the diffusive decay rate accelerates as the average spacing between active regions decreases, the photospheric magnetic flux and facular brightness grow more slowly than the sunspot number and TSI saturates during the highest amplitude cycles.
Synthetic Cannabinoid Overdose in a 20-Year-Old Male US Soldier

Popularity of synthetic cannabinoids among US military service members has risen over the last several years, leading to an increase in hospitalizations and legal actions stemming from its use and possession. Although synthetic cannabinoids, collectively referred to as "Spice," are similar in structure to the active metabolites found in cannabis, significant concerns exist regarding the severity of short- and long-term medical and psychiatric sequelae. This article presents a case, in which a patient experienced severe medical and psychiatric symptoms far exceeding the severity and duration typically resulting from cannabis use.
Nondictatorial social welfare functions with different discrimination structures

In societies where agents distinguish imperfectly among the alternatives, a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of an Arrovian Social Welfare Function is the presence of an agent who only distinguishes two groups of alternatives or of two agents with complementary discrimination patterns. This result is based on the observation that differences in discrimination structures may lead to the absence of free triples, thus providing a way to escape Arrow's impossibility result.
The effect of associations and expectations on lexical decision making in normals, alcoholics, and alcoholic Korsakoff patients

This study examined whether patients with Korsakoff's disease suffer from increased PI during encoding. The ability of the name of one category, e.g., BIRD, to prime the processing of members of another category, e.g., BODY PARTS, in a lexical decision task was used to assess the amount of PI during encoding. This task required a subject to inhibit the normal associations to BIRD. Young normals (25 years), older normals (48 years), alcoholics (45 years), and alcoholic Korsakoff patients (59 years) performed two lexical decision tasks. In the first experiment, the appearance of the neutral prime XXX 750 msec before the probe signaled that if the probe was a word, there was a 75% chance that it was from a particular category (e.g., BODY PARTS). The prime facilitated reaction time for words from the expected category for all four groups. The prime slowed reaction time for words that were not from the expected category for the young normals but did not influence reaction time for unexpected words for the three older groups. The second experiment was identical to the first except that a category word was used as the prime. The category word used as the prime was unrelated to the category of the words that were likely to follow it. For example, BIRD might be used to signal the likelihood that the word would be from the category, BODY PARTS. Again, young normals were slower to respond to unexpected probe words, but the three older groups were not. Again, the prime facilitated reaction time for expected words for the young normals, older normals, and alcoholics. However, the word prime did not facilitate reaction time for expected words for the alcoholic Korsakoff patients. That the word prime did not facilitate reaction time for the Korsakoff patients was viewed as evidence that they were unable to inhibit its normal associations and were more sensitive to PI from these associations than the other subjects.
Proteomic Analysis of Potential Keratan Sulfate, Chondroitin Sulfate A, and Hyaluronic Acid Molecular Interactions

PURPOSE. Corneal stroma extracellular matrix (ECM) glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) include keratan sulfate (KS), chondroitin sulfate A (CSA), and hyaluronic acid (HA). Embryonic corneal keratocytes and sensory nerve fibers grow and differentiate according to chemical cues they receive from the ECM. This study asked which of the proteins that may regulate keratocytes or corneal nerve growth cone immigration interact with corneal GAGs. METHODS. Biotinylated KS (bKS), CSA (bCSA), and HA (bHA) were prepared and used in microarray protocols to assess their interactions with 8268 proteins and a custom microarray of 85 extracellular epitopes of nerve growth-related proteins. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was performed with bKS and SLIT2, and their ka, kd, and KD were determined. RESULTS. Highly sulfated KS interacted with 217 microarray proteins, including 75 kinases, several membrane or secreted proteins, many cytoskeletal proteins, and many nerve function proteins. CSA interacted with 24 proteins, including 10 kinases and 2 cell surface proteins. HA interacted with 6 proteins, including several ECM-related structural proteins. Of 85 ECM nerve-related epitopes, KS bound 40 proteins, including SLIT, 2 ROBOs, 9 EPHs, 8 Ephrins (EFNs), 8 semaphorins (SEMAs), and 2 nerve growth factor receptors. CSA bound nine proteins, including ROBO2, 2 EPHs, 1 EFN, two SEMAs, and netrin 4. HA bound no ECM nerve-related epitopes. SPR confirmed that KS binds SLIT2 strongly. The KS core protein mimecan/osteoglycin bound 15 proteins. CONCLUSIONS. Corneal stromal GAGs bind, and thus could alter the availability or conformation of, many proteins that may influence keratocyte and nerve growth cone behavior in the cornea. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010;51:4500‐4515) DOI:
Dancing with uncertainty

We present Dubstep, a novel system that uses the find-transform-navigate paradigm to automatically explore new parallelization opportunities in already parallelized (fully-synchronized) programs by opportunistically relaxing synchronization primitives. This set of transformations generates a space of alternative, possibly non-deterministic, parallel programs with varying performance and accuracy characteristics. The freedom to generate parallel programs whose output may differ (within statistical accuracy bounds) from the output of the original program enables a significantly larger optimization space. Dubstep then searches this space to find a parallel program that will, with high likelihood, produce outputs that are acceptably close to the outputs that the original, fully synchronized parallel program would have produced.Initial results from our benchmarked application show that Dubstep can generate acceptably accurate and efficient versions of a parallel program that occupy different positions in performance/accuracy trade off space.
Is it ever too late to operate on the patient with valvular heart disease

All valvular heart disease imparts a hemodynamic burden on the left and/or right ventricle. This burden can only be removed effectively by correcting the responsible valvular lesion. Although a percutaneous approach is usually used to correct mitral stenosis, other valve lesions require surgical intervention. Over the past 40 years there has been a persistent improvement in our understanding of the pathophysiology of valvular heart disease and in the surgical techniques for correcting it. These factors have acted in concert to alter our view of the proper timing and applicability of surgery. On one hand it is no longer necessary or even advisable to delay surgery until advanced symptoms are present, and thus surgery is timed earlier today than it was even a decade ago. On the other hand, many but not all patients with far advanced disease, once considered inoperable, are now often helped substantially by valve surgery. However, selection of which of these very ill patients will or will not benefit from valve surgery remains a challenge for all of us. It is this group of patients that is addressed in the review.
226 DEVELOPMENT OF BILIRUBIN CONJUGATION IN HUMAN NEW-BORNS

The gestational age at which conjugation of bilirubin (BR) begins is unknown, and the BR conjugates initially formed have not been identified. Using alkaline methanolysis-HPLC and TLC, chemical, and enzymic tests on ethyl anthranilate azoderivatives, we determined and characterized the BR fractions in duodenal bile (DB) from 8 fullterm jaundiced infants (age 4-9 days) and in plasma from (1) cord blood (C) obtained at 46 unselected deliveries and from (2) 54 premature (P) and fullterm (F) newborns. In DB, BRs (50-317 μM) consisted of 1-12% unconjugated BR, 32-50% mono- and 43-67% di-ester conjugates ; the conjugating sugars corresponded with xylosyl (up to 5%), glucosyl (3-12%), and glucuronyl (83-96%) groups. Total plasma BR (TB) in C averaged 20±7.9 μM and consisted entirely of unconjugated BR. In P and F, TB increased from 29 to 116 μM during the 1st week, peaking at 5 days. In contrast with C, BRs in P and F comprised 2-5% BR glucuronides ; monoconjugates appeared during the 1st day, and diconjugates were detectable only 48 hrs. after birth. Conclusions : development in F of conjugation with glucose and xylose seems to parallel that of glucuronidation, and the proportions of the 3 sugar conjugates formed in newborns and adults are comparable. However, the proportion of diconjugates in bile of F is smaller than in bile of adults. Also, our findings suggest that initiation of BR conjugation in P and F occurs at birth and is independent of gestational age.
Co-purification of the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase complex with the elongation factor eEF1

Abstract A multi-enzyme complex of mammalian aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases was isolated from rabbit reticulocytes, and purified by polyethylene glycol fractionation and gel filtration on Biogel A15m and affinity chromatography on tRNA-Sepharose. The synthetase complex contains nine synthetase activities, and the corresponding proteins as analyzed by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Three of the proteins showed the identical subunit molecular weights to those of the reticulocyte's elongation factor eEF1H. The eEF1α protein could not be removed by second tRNA-Sepharose column chromatography, or gel filtration on Biogel A5m or Biogel A15m. Antibodies against eEF1α react with the purified synthetase complex on the basis of dot blot analysis. This finding should provide new clues for elucidating the structural organization of the mammalian protein biosynthetic machinery.
Effect of Short-Term Freeze-Thaw Cycling on Composite Confined Concrete

Concrete cylinders jacketed with glass and carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites were exposed to 201 freeze-thaw cycles, and results of compression response were compared with results from similar specimens kept at 22.5 deg C. Beyond the effect on the concrete itself, freeze-thaw exposure has a major effect on the composite in terms of both performance and failure modes. Wrapped specimens tested after exposure to freeze-thaw cycling show changes in strength and stiffness and more catastrophic failure modes than similar specimens kept at 22.5 deg C. Effects of the exposure on the FRP composite and its constituents, as well as interaction effects resulting from FRP composite-concrete bond are elucidated and failure mechanisms are detailed. It is shown that the damage mechanisms seen are those that would increase absorption of water in cases where aqueous solutions may be present. Other implications are also discussed.
A survey of analytic results for the 1‐D Heisenberg magnets (invited)

The linear, nearest‐neighbor, magnetic systems described by the anisotropic, finite‐field, spin‐1/2, Heisenberg Hamiltonian H = Σi(SxiSxi+1+SyiSyi+1+ΔSziSzi+1 ) −HoΣiSzi, −∞<Δ<∞ and 0?H0, are increasingly attracting attention, both experimentally and theoretically. These systems are now known to be intimately related to models in quantum field theory, for quantum solitons, and for other many‐body problems. In its own right, the Hamiltonian describes many physically realized systems; thus the theoretical prediction of some unexpected and interesting properties indicates experimental possibilities. We outline what has been learned, from the method of Bethe’s Ansatz, of the ground state, elementary excitations, and low‐temperature thermodynamics as functions of Δ and Ho. We discuss the changes in behavior of the low‐temperature thermodynamics as Δ and Ho are varied and give the relationship of these changes to the ground state and excitation spectrum characteristics. In small magnetic fields, unexpected stru...
Soft X-ray emission and chromospheric flares

A study is made of several ATM flares, to investigate the effect of soft X-ray heating at chromospheric levels. It is shown that the amount of energy released in Lyα and Lyman continuum emissions, and their spatial and temporal behavior, in compact flares correspond to what is expected from model calculations. An additional source of heating, which could be heat conduction, has to be postulated to explain ribbons of enhanced Lα and C ii λ1336 A emission in large flares. As expected, the effect of X-ray heating is more important in small compact flares than in large ones.
Interlayer Structure and Dynamics of ClO4- Layered Double Hydroxides

This paper presents a 35Cl NMR and XRD study of the structure and dynamical behavior of ClO4- intercalated into the interlayers of Mg,Al and Li,Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs). The variable temperature and variable relative humidity (R.H.) 35Cl NMR data show that for these phases ClO4- is rigidly held at low R.H.'s and temperatures, but that at high R.H.s and in pastes at room temperature it undergoes isotropic reorientation at frequencies >103 Hz. Surface and interlayer ClO4- cannot be distinguished. The dynamical behavior is similar for both phases, even though the Li,Al phase swells to a two-water-layer structure but the Mg,Al phase does not. The 35Cl static NMR peak shape is dominated by uniaxial chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) due to the layer structure. These results contrast with previously published 77Se NMR data for interlayer SeO42- in comparable Mg,Al and Li,Al LDHs, which show that SeO42- does not undergo isotropic reorientation at any R.H. SeO42- and ClO4- have similar tetrahedral structu...
Origin and consequences of the ‘gap’ in the cuprate normal state

Abstract We present an alternative to the spin gap as an explanation for the origin of the gap feature observed in the normal state of the high-Tc cuprates. We consider a model that has a non-degenerate as well as a degenerate component of charge carriers. The properties are governed by the location of the chemical potential relative to the top of the non-degenerate band. In the underdoped regime this translates into an energy gap for the non-degenerate carriers; this decreases with doping, vanishing at optimal doping. In the overdoped regime there emerges a small Fermi energy that governs the temperature dependence of properties. As illustrations we consider several spin and charge properties, namely spin susceptibility, entropy, in-plane resistivity, Hall effect and Hall angle.
Verbal Fluency Indicators of Malingering in Traumatic Brain Injury: Classification Accuracy in Known Groups

A known-groups design was used to determine the classification accuracy of verbal fluency variables in detecting Malingered Neurocognitive Dysfunction (MND) in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Participants were 204 TBI and 488 general clinical patients. The Slick et al. (1999) criteria were used to classify the TBI patients into non-MND and MND groups. An educationally corrected FAS Total Correct word T-score proved to be the most accurate of the several verbal fluency indicators examined. Classification accuracy of this variable at specific cutoffs is presented in a cumulative frequency table. This variable accurately differentiated non-MND from MND mild TBI patients but its accuracy was unacceptable in moderate/severe TBI. The clinical application of these findings is discussed.
Strain in ductile rocks on the convex side of a folded competent bed

Abstract Strain was estimated quantitatively in the slaty outer arc region surrounding the hinge of a competent folded sandstone bed. An estimate of strain was based on the determination of the preferred orientation of chlorite grains. If it is assumed that these grains, or their premetamorphic phyllosilicate counterparts, were originally oriented at random, and that they reached their present orientation by being rotated during strain, then March's theory can be used to estimate the strain. Orientation at random of clay flakes in a water-rich, uncompacted sediment of flocculated clay has been demonstrated by Oertel and Curtis. Fitting unstrained domains, each assumed to have been strained homogeneously, so that they violate continuity least allows the construction of the displacement and rotation fields. The strain and rotation fields can be tentatively explained by a plausible strain history that started with compaction under an overburden load. Compaction was probably followed by uniform shortening perpendicular to the later axial plane, then by buckling. At this stage consolidation was complete. The neutral surface of the buckling layer may first have been within the competent sandstone bed. After a certain amount of buckling, a silty sandstone, itself more competent than neighboring mudstones, may have broken loose from the sandstone, may have decoupled from the sandstone by flexural slip, and may have had a neutral surface of its own, rocks in the hinge being compressed on the concave side of the surface and extended on the convex side. After considerable buckling, large portions of the fold were again strained fairly homogeneously during late stages of folding. The last strain episode was probably a simple shear for which the axial plane played the role of a glide plane. Other strain histories could be imagined that are also compatible with the evidence. p]Contrasts in compaction of beds with different lithological composition and contrasts in tectonic strain near the rigid sandstone hinge and at some distance from it produce a field of total strain that varies strongly from domain to domain. Principal strain axes have orientations that are generally oblique to the fold axis and to the profile plane. The axis of greatest elongation, however, lies regularly at a small angle from the fold axis.
Waterborne infectivity of the Ranavirus frog virus 3 in Xenopus laevis.

Abstract Ranaviruses like frog virus 3 (FV3) are responsible for emerging infectious diseases spreading worldwide to fish, amphibian and reptilian species. We have developed, in Xenopus laevis, an experimental model to investigate viral transmission. We show that FV3 released in water by immunocompromised infected adults can infect adult and larval stages of Xenopus within 3 h of exposure. Time course of virus load and viral transcription in different tissues suggests that early waterborne FV3 infection through the digestive tract leads to dissemination in the kidney. Finally, a fraction of adult macrophages becomes infected following exposure to waterborne FV3 as visualized by fluorescence microscopy using macrophage- and FV3-specific antibodies. Little cytopathicity and apoptosis were detected in infected macrophages, which is consistent with our proposition that macrophages are permissive to FV3. These data highlight the efficiency of FV3 infectivity by the water route and the ability of FV3 to adapt to its hosts.
Publishing Patterns of Top Molecular and Cellular Biologists in Subscription Model versus Open Access Journals, 2011–2013

The corresponding authors of the fifty most-cited molecular and cellular biology papers of 2011 in eight journals were identified. The journals studied included three prominent subscription model (SM) journals (Cell, Science, and Nature), three leading Open Access (OA) journals (PLOS ONE, PLOS Biology, BMC Biology), and two newer OA titles with connections to established SM publishers (Cell Reports [Cell Press] and Scientific Reports [Nature Publications Group]. Author affiliations were determined. Citations to their 400 papers were tallied up through April 2014. The 4,046 other papers they also authored from 2011–2013 were characterized as to the publishers of the journals within which they appeared and the ranking of those journals by Impact Factor (IF) within their subject categories as found in Journal Citation Reports. Cell, Science, and Nature authors were significantly more likely to be affiliated with elite institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom, were much more heavily cited, pub...
Drug delivery monitoring by photoacoustic tomography with an ICG encapsulated double emulsion

The absorption spectrum of indocyanine green (ICG), a nontoxic dye used for medical diagnostics, depends upon its concentration as well as the nature of its environment, i.e., the solvent medium into which it is dissolved. In blood, ICG binds with plasma proteins, thus causing changes in its photoacoustic spectrum. We successfully encapsulated ICG in an ultrasound-triggerable perfluorocarbon double emulsion that prevents ICG from binding with plasma proteins. Photoacoustic spectral measurements on point target as well as 2-D photoacoustic images of blood vessels revealed that the photoacoustic spectrum changes significantly in blood when the ICG-loaded emulsion undergoes acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV), which is the conversion of liquid droplets into gas bubbles using ultrasound. We propose that these changes in the photoacoustic spectrum of the ICG emulsion in blood, coupled with photoacoustic tomography, could be used to spatially and quantitatively monitor ultrasound initiated drug delivery. In addition, we suggest that the photoacoustic spectral change induced by ultrasound exposure could also be used as contrast in photoacoustic imaging to obtain a background free image.