cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physiological Basis of Conduction in Myelinated Nerve Fibers

Speculating in his Lecons sur l’Histologie du Systeme Nerveux on the physiological function of myelin and nodes in conduction in myelinated nerve, Ranvier (1878) concluded that the myelin sheath, because of its lipid makeup, would protect the axon cylinder against compression. While this conclusion does not play a prominent part in current thinking, his second conclusion does—namely, that the myelin might serve as a nonconducting envelope to surround the conducting axon and insulate it electrically from the external conducting medium. Referring to the analogy between conduction in a myelinated nerve and conduction in a marine telegraph cable, Ranvier wrote: But what is the role of the myelin sheath itself? It clearly has a protective role; it preserves the axis-cylinder from compression. As it is liquid, or almost liquid, pressures exerted on it are transmitted in every direction and are thus distributed over many points, so that their constrictive action on the axis-cylinder is much reduced. The myelin has also perhaps another role; it is probably an insulating sheath. One knows that electric wires that are immersed in a conducting medium must be insulated from this medium by a nonconducting sheath; it is on this principle that the construction of submarine cables rests. It would be possible—certain facts lead one to believe—that the transmission of sensory or motor impulses has some analogy with the transmission of electricity, and maybe it is convenient that each nerve tube is insulated so that this transmission is more effective. I do not say, I wish you to note, that this insulating myelin sheath is necessary for the transmission of impulses, since we will see to the contrary, in the next lesson, that this transmission is achieved equally well by nerve fibers that lack myelin; nevertheless, I think that this insulation serves to make it more perfect.
Pushing the boundaries of resistance: insights from Brachypodium-rust interactions.

The implications of global population growth urge transformation of current food and bioenergy production systems to sustainability. Members of the family Poaceae are of particular importance both in food security and for their applications as biofuel substrates. For centuries, rust fungi have threatened the production of valuable crops such as wheat, barley, oat and other small grains; similarly, biofuel crops can also be susceptible to these pathogens. Emerging rust pathogenic races with increased virulence and recurrent rust epidemics around the world point out the vulnerability of monocultures. Basic research in plant immunity, especially in model plants, can make contributions to understanding plant resistance mechanisms and improve disease management strategies. The development of the grass Brachypodium distachyon as a genetically tractable model for monocots, especially temperate cereals and grasses, offers the possibility to overcome the experimental challenges presented by the genetic and genomic complexities of economically valuable crop plants. The numerous resources and tools available in Brachypodium have opened new doors to investigate the underlying molecular and genetic bases of plant-microbe interactions in grasses and evidence demonstrating the applicability and advantages of working with B. distachyon is increasing. Importantly, several interactions between B. distachyon and devastating plant pathogens, such rust fungi, have been examined in the context of non-host resistance. Here, we discuss the use of B. distachyon in these various pathosystems. Exploiting B. distachyon to understand the mechanisms underpinning disease resistance to non-adapted rust fungi may provide effective and durable approaches to fend off these pathogens. The close phylogenetic relationship among Brachypodium spp. and grasses with industrial and agronomic value support harnessing this model plant to improve cropping systems and encourage its use in translational research.
Multifocal ERG and VEP responses and visual fields: comparing disease-related changes.

Static visual perimetry and the multifocal technique both measure the local effects of diseases of the retina and optic tract. The purpose here is to relate the measures obtained from each technique and to describe this relationship in some diseases. It is important to measure both the implicit time and amplitude of the multifocal ERG (mERG) or multifocal VEP (mVEP) responses. Some diseases affect one measure of the responses but not the other. The comparison of either measure to local sensitivity changes measured with static perimetry (e.g. the Humphrey 24-2 and 30-2) presents a problem. Different stimulus displays are employed. Further, the multifocal responses are displayed with arbitrary spacing between the responses. One approach is to measure the amplitude and implicit time of the multifocal responses and display these values on the same coordinates as in the visual field plots. This allows a qualitative comparison of fields and multifocal responses on the same scale. A second approach involves modifying the Humphrey perimeter software so that the test spots are placed in the centers of the multifocal stimuli (e.g. the center of each hexagon of the mERG display). A third approach involves estimating the thresholds for the regions of the multifocal display by interpolating from values at the standard Humphrey locations. The second and third approaches produce a one-to-one mapping of the multifocal and field measures and allow a quantitative comparison between the two. The relationship between visual fields and multifocal responses, determined through one or more of these approaches, is different depending upon whether the disease primarily affects the outer retina (retinitis pigmentosa), ganglion cell (glaucoma), or optic nerve (ischemic optic neuropathy and optic neuritis).
A phylogeny of Vetigastropoda and other “archaeogastropods”: re‐organizing old gastropod clades

Abstract. The phylogenetic relationships among the “archaeogastropod” clades Patellogastropoda, Vetigastropoda, Neritimorpha, and Neomphalina are uncertain; the phylogenetic placement of these clades varies across different analyses, and particularly among those using morphological characteristics and those relying on molecular data. This study explores the relationships among these groups using a combined analysis with seven molecular loci (18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, histone H3, 16S rRNA, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I [COI], myosin heavy-chain type II, and elongation factor-1α [EF-1α]) sequenced for 31 ingroup taxa and eight outgroup taxa. The deep evolutionary splits among these groups have made resolution of stable relationships difficult, and so EF-1α and myosin are used in an attempt to re-examine these ancient radiation events. Three phylogenetic analyses were performed utilizing all seven genes: a single-step direct optimization analysis using parsimony, and two-step approaches using parsimony and maximum likelihood. A single-step direct optimization parsimony analysis was also performed using only five molecular loci (18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, histone H3, 16S rRNA, and COI) in order to determine the utility of EF-1α and myosin in resolving deep relationships. In the likelihood and POY optimal phylogenetic analyses, Gastropoda, Caenogastropoda, Neritimorpha, Neomphalina, and Patellogastropoda were monophyletic. Additionally, Neomphalina and Pleurotomariidae fell outside the remaining vetigastropods, indicating the need for further investigation into the relationship of these groups with other gastropods.
Hepatocytes intrinsic STAT4 regulates auto-immune liver inflammation (BA3P.209)

Autoimmune hepatitis is a condition where immune cells target and destroy liver cells. The role of STAT4 in autoimmune hepatitis is ill-defined. Therefore, we investigated the role of STAT4 signaling in Concanavalin A (ConA)-induced auto-immune hepatitis model. Our data indicate Stat4-/- mice but not WT, Il12p35-/- or Il12p40-/- mice were resistant to ConA-induced hepatitis as measured by liver pathology and the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level. Furthermore, no significant difference in serum ALT and necrotic lesions were observed when WT or Stat4-/- spleenocytes were adoptive transfer into lymphocyte deficient Rag2gc-/- mice, suggesting that protection in Stat4-/- is independent of lymphocyte STAT4. Interestingly, serum IFNg level were significantly reduced in both Il12p35-/- and Stat4-/- mice, and injection of recombinant IFNg into Stat4-/- mice increase the serum ALT, but it does not reach the level observed in WT mice, suggesting a non-IFNg mediated protection in Stat4-/- mice. Surprisingly, there were no significant difference in FAS and FasL transcript in ConA injected liver tissue in WT and Stat4-/- mice. In addition, anti-FAS antibody injections lead to significant necrotic changes in WT, but not in Stat4-/- mice. Our data strongly indicate absence of STAT4 signaling potentially in hepatocytes regulates cell survival, which is further confirmed by significantly more pSTAT3 staining in liver tissue of Stat4-/-.
On the realization of a Q-state neuron

Q-state associative memories find use in color or gray scale image processing where each pixel can assume one of Q different intensities. In this paper, the authors present the realization of a Q-state neuron, for use in such memories, using a radio frequency driven superconducting Wheatstone bridge. The Q-states are obtained in the form of Shapiro steps observed in the transverse voltage of such bridges for large values of DC biasing currents. If low temperature semiconductors are used variable synapses can be realized using superconducting field effect transistors whose normal resistance and supercurrent vary with the applied gate voltage. Wheatstone bridges made of cuprate superconductors with synapses consisting of flux flow transistors or DC-SQUIDs could be used for neural chip operation at 77 K. Low power dissipation makes the proposed neuron implementation attractive for use in the fabrication of large scale neural circuits. >
Specific cleavage of the A1 protein from myelin with cathepsin D.

Cathepsin D, purified from bovine and rabbit liver, hydrolyzed primarily one peptide bond in the A1 protein from bovine central nervous system myelin, the Phe-Phe bond between residues 42 and 43. Surprisingly, the other Phe-Phe linkage (residues 88 to 89) was not cleaved. In view of the high affinity of cathepsin D for the Phe-Phe bond, it was postulated that the resistant linkage was protected from enzymic attack either by the influence of surrounding amino acids or by conformational restrictions. The two peptides (Peptides CD1 and CD2), resulting from the action of bovine liver cathepsin D, were obtained in high yield by cellulose phosphate chromatography and shown to be homogeneous by gel electrophoresis at pH 4.5 and in sodium dodecyl sulfate. Peptide CD1 was identified as residues 1 to 42 and Peptide CD2 as residues 43 to 169 of the A1 protein sequence. The identity of Peptides CD1 and CD2 was established by end group analysis, by molecular weights obtained from sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis, by amino acid analysis, and finally by peptide mapping of tryptic digests and analysis of each peptide. The amino acid analysis of each tryptic peptide was in excellent agreement with that expected from the position of the peptide on the peptide map. Peptide CD1, the 42-residue peptide, has special immunological significance since it contains a minor determinant responsible for allergic encephalomyelitis in the monkey. It also contains an antigenic determinant which displaces 80% of labeled A1 protein from rabbit antibody.
A steady-state diffusion model for solid-state gas sensors

Abstract A model describing the steady-state operation of a porous ceramic oxide gas sensor is analyzed in datail. A simple chemical reaction scheme between the surface adsorbed components of the ambient gases (O 2 , CO and CO 2 in N 2 ) is employed. This appears adequate to describe many aspects of the observed electrical resistance behaviour as a function of gas composition. In particular, it enables one to explain the sigmoidal response of the electrical resistance with decreasing CO to O 2 concentration and has sufficient flexibility to explain why the resistance change may be located at other than the stoichiometric point. The effect of embedding small intergranular catalytic particles within the porous ceramic is also analyzed. The theory so developed explains, further, why such particles tend to move the resistance jump towards the stoichiometric point when it would otherwise be substan- tially removed. A few issues remain to be resolved. It is suggested that these are intimately concerned with the thermal equilibrium properties of small ceramic particles and their sensitivity to partial coating with catalytic metal.
Assessment of Detection and Refinement Strategies for de novo Protein Structures Using Force Field and Statistical Potentials.

De novo predictions of protein structures at high resolution are plagued by the problem of detecting the native conformation from false energy minima. In this work, we provide an assessment of various detection and refinement protocols on a small subset of the second-generation all-atom Rosetta decoy set (Tsai et al. Proteins 2003, 53, 76−87) using two potentials: the all-atom CHARMM PARAM22 force field combined with generalized Born/surface-area (GB-SA) implicit solvation and the DFIRE-AA statistical potential. Detection schemes included DFIRE-AA conformational scoring and energy minimization followed by scoring with both GB-SA and DFIRE-AA potentials. Refinement methods included short-time (1-ps) molecular dynamics simulations, temperature-based replica exchange molecular dynamics, and a new computational unfold/refold procedure. Refinement methods include temperature-based replica exchange molecular dynamics and a new computational unfold/refold procedure. Our results indicate that simple detection wi...
THREE-FACTOR AND HIGHER-ORDER FACTORIAL ANALYSES OF VARIANCE USING SUMMARY STATISTICS '

levels of treatment A, B, and C, respectively. Winer, Brown, and Michels (1991) provide the formulas, using summary statistics, for all but two of the sums of squares (SS) for the three-factor analysis of variance. The exceptions are SS within cell (SS w.cell) and SS total. SS w.cell can be computed by:
Transport‐related ATPases as probes of tissue function in three terrestrial crabs of Palau

Distribution and properties of Na+ + K+-dependent ATPase and Cl−/HCO-activated ATPase were used as probes of tissue function in relation to salt and water regulation in three terrestrial crabs, Cardisoma carnifex, Gecarcoidea lalandii, and Birgus latro. Of the three predominant tissues in the branchial chamber, gill consistently exhibited highest specific activity of both enzymes, indicating that terrestrial crabs may use ion regulation by the gills as an important mechanism of salt and water balance. Branchial epithelium lining the cavity does not appear to be important in regulation of monovalent ions, although it is highly specialized in B. latro as a respiratory organ. Pericardial sac also lacks the biochemical machinery for active salt and water uptake. Antennal gland of all three species showed high activity of Na+ + K+-ATPase, perhaps facilitating water retention by that organ. Na+ + K+-ATPase activity of intestine showed wide species-related variation, and was enhanced in B. latro exposed to freshwater. The gill of B. latro maintained constant high activity of the Na+ + K+-ATPase, irrespective of environmental conditions.
STATISTICAL TESTS OF HOST-PARASITE COSPECIATION

A history of cospeciation (synchronous speciation) among ecologically associated, but otherwise distantly related, species is often revealed by a strong correspondence of their phylogenies. In this paper, we present several tests of cospeciation that use maximum-likelihood and Bayesian methods of phylogenetic estimation. The hypotheses tested include: (1) topological agreement of phylogenies for coevolving groups; (2) identical speciation times of associated species; and (3) identical evolutionary rates in genes of associated species. These tests are applied to examine a possible instance of host-parasite coevolution among pocket gophers and lice using mitochondrial COI DNA sequences. The observed differences between gopher and louse trees cannot be explained by sampling error and are consistent with a rate of host switching about one-third the host speciation rate. A subset of the gopher-louse data is consistent with a common history of evolution (i.e., the topologies and speciation times are identical). However, the relative rate of nucleotide substitution is two to four times higher in the lice than in the gophers.
Longer Rodent Bioassay: Huff et al. Respond

We appreciate and sympathize with Manuppello and Willett’s concerns about the inappropriate use of animals in research. Significant advances in animal protection have been secured in the United States through standards that have been promulgated, and we hope that further progress will be made.
Administration, Governance, and Policy Tools in Welfare Policy Implementation

Landmark welfare reform legislation passed in 1996 has been operating by legislative extensions since its expiration in September 2002. At this writing, reauthorization has been derailed by controversy over various legislative proposals. In this article, we contribute to the welfare policy debate by studying the importance of specific policy tools and the role of public administration in the dramatic fall in welfare caseloads from 1996 to 2000. Using administrative and survey data on welfare programs in 44 states, we test our theory that caseload reduction is a function of administrative commitments, policy design, and administrative actions linked to five sets of governance variables: environmental factors, client characteristics, treatments, administrative structures, and managerial roles and actions. We find strong evidence that administrative action to move clients into work, coupled with administrative commitments, can provide important links between policy goals and policy outcomes.
Generalization of tactics in tag rugby from practice to games in middle school physical education

Background: Many of the issues relating to game performance of students found in the physical education literature can be considered a failure of generalization from practices to games, and from games to games. However, no study in secondary physical education has examined generalization effects as a result of effective game pedagogy in the context of teaching games. Purpose: The purpose of this study was: (a) to examine the effects of technique-focused and tactic-focused instructional conditions on the learning of a tactic by students aged 12–14 years in physical education lessons participating in a tag rugby unit, and (b) to assess the extent to which the performance of this tactic generalized from instructional games to match games. Participants and setting: This study was conducted at an urban middle school (students between 12 and 14 years of age) in the Midwest of the USA. This study was conducted during a 20-day tag rugby instructional unit. Students in three classes participated in the study. Four...
The vibrational spectra of 3,3-difluoroxetane

Raman spectra of 3, 3-difluoroxetane have been recorded from 50 to 3500 cm−1 in all three physical states. In addition, the infrared spectra of gaseous and solid 3,3-difluoroxetane have been measured between 200 and 3500 cm−1. A vibrational assignment is presented in terms of the C2ν point group which is based upon the observed band contours, depolarization ratios, group frequency correlations and relative band intensities. Although transitions associated with the ring-puckering mode of 3,3-difluoroxetane were not directly observed, a weak absorption at 1228 cm−1 has been assigned to a combination band involving the out-of-plane skeletal bending and a CH2 wagging mode. With this assignment, the 1 0 transition of ν24 is estimated to be centered near 69 cm−1. The data reported herein will be compared with other studies on similar ring systems.
Emergence of Input Specificity of LTP during Development of Retinotectal Connections In Vivo

Input specificity of activity-induced synaptic modification was examined in the developing Xenopus retinotectal connections. Early in development, long-term potentiation (LTP) induced by theta burst stimulation (TBS) at one retinal input spreads to other unstimulated converging inputs on the same tectal neuron. As the animal develops, LTP induced by the same TBS becomes input specific, a change that correlates with the increased complexity of tectal dendrites and more restricted distribution of dendritic Ca(2+) evoked by each retinal input. In contrast, LTP induced by 1 Hz correlated pre- and postsynaptic spiking is input specific throughout the same developmental period. Thus, input specificity of LTP emerges with neural development and depends on the pattern of synaptic activity.
Potential anticonvulsants. VII. Synthesis of 5′‐methylspiro[3H‐indole‐3,2′‐thiazolidine]‐2,4′(1H)‐diones

The title compounds have been prepared, by the cyclocondensation of thiolactic acid with isatin-3-imines. 5′-Methyl-3′-phenyl-spiro[3H-indole-3,2′-thiazolidine]-2,4′(1H)-dione has been subjected to the Mannich condensation to give 1-substituted derivatives. With one exception, all of the products were inactive in an anticonvulsant screen.
The effect of monomer-to-powder ratio on the material properties of cranioplastic

Percutaneous vertebroplasty consists of injecting polymethylmethacrylate cement into the cancellous bone of vertebral bodies for the treatment of various lesions of the spine, including osteoporotic compression fractures. Clinicians practicing vertebroplasty commonly alter the mixture of monomer-to-powder recommended by the manufacturer in an effort to decrease viscosity and increase the working time. The purpose of the current study was to measure the effect that varying the monomer-to-powder ratio has on the compressive material properties of a cement (Cranioplastic) commonly used in vertebroplasty. Cylindrical specimens were prepared varying a monomer-to-polymer ratio of 0.40 to 1.07 ml/g and tested per the American Society for Testing and Materials standard F451. Specimens prepared at 0.53 mL/g, which is near the manufacturer's recommended monomer-to-polymer mixture of 0.57 mL/g, exhibited the greatest mean values for ultimate compressive stress, yield stress, and elastic modulus. Specimens prepared at higher or lower ratios exhibited diminished strength, in some cases by as much as 24%. Although altering the monomer-to-powder ratio affects the cement's material properties, it is as yet unknown if the decrease is clinically significant.
‘At home in the uncanny’: Freud's account of das Unheimliche in the context of his theory of religious belief

Abstract This paper serves as an exploration of Freud's comment that one of the functions of religious belief is to make humanity feel ‘at home in the uncanny’ (heimisch im Unheimlichen). The first section examines the context of Freud's comment within The Future of an Illusion. Attention is then shifted to Freud's essay on ‘The “Uncanny”’, and to his conclusion that the ‘uncanny’ is the name for everything that ought to have remained secret and hidden but has come to light. A number of interpretations of the ‘at home’ remark are discussed, and it is suggested that religion might fruitfully be viewed as an attempt to come to terms with humanity's ‘transcendental homelessness’.
Kinetics of coal liquefaction distillation resid conversion

The objectives of this study were to understand the characteristics of coal liquefaction resids from the direct two-stage coal liquefaction process, the reactivity of these resids in hydroconversion, and the relationship between resid reactivity and resid composition. A suite of 15 distillation resids obtained from two-stage pilot plant liquefaction runs were extensively characterized. An empirical direct liquefaction test was developed to determine the relative resid reactivity in hydroconversion and was applied to these resids. The kinetics of hydrocracking of two of the resids were also investigated in more detail. The presence of about 10−15% of an unconvertible component in the resids was indicated and isolated. The source of this unconvertible component is being investigated.
Intraoperative magnetic resonance image guidance in neurosurgery.

Recently, there has been a burgeoning interest in the use of image-guided navigation to improve the safety and effectiveness of neurosurgical procedures. The intraoperative use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides the most accurate guidance available. This report discusses the hardware and software improvements that have made intraoperative MRI a reality and describes the use of this technology for neurosurgical intraoperative guidance.
An evaluation of staged run-time optimizations in DyC

Previous selective dynamic compilation systems have demonstrated that dynamic compilation can achieve performance improvements at low cost on small kernels, but they have had difficulty scaling to larger programs. To overcome this limitation, we developed DyC, a selective dynamic compilation system that includes more sophisticated and flexible analyses and transformations. DyC is able to achieve good performance improvements on programs that are much larger and more complex than the kernels. We analyze the individual optimizations of DyC and assess their impact on performance collectively and individually.
Zero-G Propellant Gauging Utilizing Radio Frequency Techniques in a Spherical Resonator

The resonant properties of a spherical cavity are described as a means of gauging liquid propellants in a zero-gravity field. The configuration of a liquid propellant in a partially filled spherical cavity have been shown to be such that a spherical vapor bubble exists in the center of the cavity. Spherical wave functions are developed and the boundary conditions applied to give an analytical expression for the cavity resonant frequency as a function of volumetric propellant loading. An aluminum scale-model, two inches in diameter, spherical cavity was constructed and loaded with varying dielectric shells to verify the mathematical predictions. Close agreement, within several percent, was obtained for three different dielectric constants, 2.5, 5, and 10.
TEM characterization of super-hydrophilic Ni–Ti thin film

A super-hydrophilic Ni–Ti thin film is evaluated using cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Following sputter deposition and annealing, the Ni–Ti thin films are chemically treated with buffered oxide etchant, nitric acid and 30% hydrogen peroxide solution to produce a 100-nm-thick surface oxide layer. The fabricated Ni–Ti thin films show a 10- to 15-nm TiO2 thick layer on its surface with a ~ 67° wetting angle. For the surface treated sample, a porous oxide 100 nm TiO layer is found with a < 5°. It is believed that TiOOH(H2O)n complex forms on the surface to produce the observed super-hydrophilic behavior.
Effects of Liner Surface Texturing on Ring/Liner Friction in Large-Bore IC Engines

Well-designed surface texturing may be used to reduce ring/liner friction and increase efficiency in internal combustion engines. This study investigated the effects of textures of either grooves or dimples on ring/liner friction, in the hydrodynamic and mixed regimes. Existing MIT models were used to conduct this research. The ring-pack model is based on averaged flow-factor Reynolds analysis, and is used in conjunction with a deterministic model for flow factor calculation. Although this advanced model is applicable in a wide range of cases, the surface textures studied here are very different than a typical liner surface, and can be represented only approximately by the averaged analysis upon which the ring simulation is based. For this reason, this analysis of surface features has focused on a parametric study, the goal of which is to analyze trends relating ring/liner friction to surface parameters, and to make a general evaluation of the potential of surface texturing to reduce ring-pack losses. In the hydrodynamic and mixed regimes, surface texturing affects the fluid pressure in the lubricant between ring and liner, thus affecting the ability of the oil film to support the ring load. If the effect of the texturing is to impede the flow of lubricant, the result will be an increase in oil film thickness. This causes friction reduction in two ways: if asperity contact was present, it is reduced; and the increase in film thickness causes a decrease in shear rate, thus decreasing oil shear stress. It was found that surfaces with both dimpled and grooved textures could cause friction reduction through this mechanism, with deeper features and more transverse groove patterns causing the greatest reduction. Friction also decreased with increasing area ratio (the percentage of the surface that is occupied by the surface features) for both grooves and dimples, and was only slightly dependent on groove width and dimple diameter. Because the effect of the surface texturing is on hydrodynamic effects in the oil, it is strongly coupled with lubricant properties. If surface texturing and lubricant viscosity are optimized together side effects such as oil consumption and wear can be mitigated, while friction can be reduced even further than it is via surface texturing alone. This possibility was also briefly considered in this study.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Donor deactivation in silicon nanostructures.

Electronic devices based on semiconductor nanowires will rely on the location and number of dopant atoms in the host semiconductor being controlled during the fabrication process. It has now been shown that the properties of dopant atoms — in particular, their ionization energies — change with nanowire radius more markedly than previously predicted.
How the Earth's inner magnetosphere works: An evolving picture

This tutorial review deals with large-scale convection electric fields in Earth's inner magnetosphere and the particle populations that interact strongly with those fields, specifically the inner plasma sheet, ring current, and plasmasphere. We summarize the state of knowledge in the early 1970s, by which time most of the major observational features had been discovered and much of the basic theory had been developed. The review then focuses on how observational knowledge and theoretical understanding have increased since the early 1970s in several areas, specifically prompt-penetration electric fields; polarization jets (PJs), subauroral ionization drifts (SAIDs), and subauroral polarization streams (SAPS); ring current dynamics; and large-scale plasmasphere dynamics.
Mitogen-activated protein kinase-interacting kinase regulates mTOR/AKT signaling and controls the serine/arginine-rich protein kinase-responsive type 1 internal ribosome entry site-mediated translation and viral oncolysis.

Translation machinery is a major recipient of the principal mitogenic signaling networks involving Raf-ERK1/2 and phosphoinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR). Picornavirus internal ribosomal entry site (IRES)-mediated translation and cytopathogenic effects are susceptible to the status of such signaling cascades in host cells. We determined that tumor-specific cytotoxicity of the poliovirus/rhinovirus chimera PVSRIPO is facilitated by Raf-ERK1/2 signals to the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-interacting kinase (MNK) and its effects on the partitioning/activity of the Ser/Arg (SR)-rich protein kinase (SRPK) (M. C. Brown, J. D. Bryant, E. Y. Dobrikova, M. Shveygert, S. S. Bradrick, V. Chandramohan, D. D. Bigner, and M, Gromeier, J. Virol. 22:13135–13148, 2014, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JVI.01883-14). Here, we show that MNK regulates SRPK via mTOR and AKT. Our investigations revealed a MNK-controlled mechanism acting on mTORC2-AKT. The resulting suppression of AKT signaling attenuates SRPK activity to enhance picornavirus type 1 IRES translation and favor PVSRIPO tumor cell toxicity and killing. IMPORTANCE Oncolytic immunotherapy with PVSRIPO, the type 1 live-attenuated poliovirus (PV) (Sabin) vaccine containing a human rhinovirus type 2 (HRV2) IRES, is demonstrating early promise in clinical trials with intratumoral infusion in recurrent glioblastoma (GBM). Our investigations demonstrate that the core mechanistic principle of PVSRIPO, tumor-selective translation and cytotoxicity, relies on constitutive ERK1/2-MNK signals that counteract the deleterious effects of runaway AKT-SRPK activity in malignancy.
Understanding performance in coliseum, an immersive videoconferencing system

Coliseum is a multiuser immersive remote teleconferencing system designed to provide collaborative workers the experience of face-to-face meetings from their desktops. Five cameras are attached to each PC display and directed at the participant. From these video streams, view synthesis methods produce arbitrary-perspective renderings of the participant and transmit them to others at interactive rates, currently about 15 frames per second. Combining these renderings in a shared synthetic environment gives the appearance of having all participants interacting in a common space. In this way, Coliseum enables users to share a virtual world, with acquired-image renderings of their appearance replacing the synthetic representations provided by more conventional avatar-populated virtual worlds. The system supports virtual mobility---participants may move around the shared space---and reciprocal gaze, and has been demonstrated in collaborative sessions of up to ten Coliseum workstations, and sessions spanning two continents.Coliseum is a complex software system which pushes commodity computing resources to the limit. We set out to measure the different aspects of resource, network, CPU, memory, and disk usage to uncover the bottlenecks and guide enhancement and control of system performance. Latency is a key component of Quality of Experience for video conferencing. We present how each aspect of the system---cameras, image processing, networking, and display---contributes to total latency. Performance measurement is as complex as the system to which it is applied. We describe several techniques to estimate performance through direct light-weight instrumentation as well as use of realistic end-to-end measures that mimic actual user experience. We describe the various techniques and how they can be used to improve system performance for Coliseum and other network applications. This article summarizes the Coliseum technology and reports on issues related to its performance---its measurement, enhancement, and control.
Production and analysis of injection molded micro-optic components

Plastic micro-optic components (smaller than 1 mm in overall dimension, with lenses on the order of 50 microns in radius) will be very useful in future digital imaging and MEMS technologies. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element analysis (FEA) predicted the influence of different processing parameters upon the final shape of micro-optic parts made from polystyrene, polycarbonate, and polymethylmethacrylate. Small-scale phenomena such as surface tension and mold-melt slip velocity were included in the models. The simulations were compared to physical parts, through birefringence and interferometry techniques, which permitted assessment of the computer modeling. The predicted radius of curvature trends match the measured trends, and the maximum difference between the predicted and corresponding measured radius of curvature was roughly 3.4%. The average difference between simulation and experiment for astigmatism and comatic aberration was less than 25%. Symmetry assumptions were tested and validated in more than 85% of the measured cases. Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:564–579, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.
A New Cis-Acting Element Involved in Tissue-Selective Glucocorticoid Inducibility of Tyrosine Aminotransferase Gene Expression

Tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT), a prototypical steroid hormone-inducible gene, has been used extensively in studies of tissue-specific control of gene transcription. Over the last several years, a total of five cis-acting elements have been implicated in the tissue-specific expression and induction of the TAT gene in rat liver. These elements are all located upstream of the start of transcription, at -11, -5.5, -3.6, -2.5, and approximately -0.1 kilobases (kb). We now have used both stable and transient transfection assays to define a new element between -2.56 and -2.3 kb that regulates the fold induction by glucocorticoids in a tissue-selective manner. Compared to simple glucocorticoid-regulated constructs, which were used as controls, the major effect of this element was repression of glucocorticoid inducibility in nonliver cells. This activity was both orientation and position independent and was seen with homologous and heterologous promoters and genes. Although this element, therefore, possessed silencer-like activity, it was unable to extinguish gene expression in nonliver cells. In fact, the observance of some glucocorticoid-induced gene expression was additional evidence that the repression derived from an element that is distinct from the glucocorticoid-responsive element at -2.5 kb. A second element was found between -2.95 and -2.56 kb that acts in a tissue nonspecific manner to reduce the absolute level of gene expression in both hepatic and nonhepatic cells. The combined effects of this tissue-nonselective element and the above-mentioned tissue-selective element were to almost completely eliminate glucocorticoid inducibility in nonhepatic cells.
A double-pass interferometer for measurement of dimensional changes

A double-pass interferometer was developed for measuring dimensional changes of materials in a nanoscale absolute interferometric dilatometer. This interferometer realized the double-ended measurement of a sample using a single-detection double-pass interference system. The nearly balanced design, in which the measurement beam and the reference beam have equal optical path lengths except for the path difference caused by the sample itself, makes this interferometer have high stability, which is verified by the measurement of a quasi-zero-length sample. The preliminary experiments and uncertainty analysis show that this interferometer should be able to measure dimensional changes with characteristic uncertainty at the nanometer level.
Microstructure and chemistry of second phases in MgO- and NiO-codoped alumina by analytical transmission electron microscopy

Small amounts of additives can greatly affect the sintering of ceramic powders. Since the addition of small amounts of MgO (~ 0.25 wt%) to A1203 enables it to sinter close to theoretical density [1], the influence of small amounts of additives on the sintering of A1203 has been widely studied [2-4]. The additives form second phases which profoundly affect the sintering behaviour, i.e. reduce grain boundary mobility and inhibit exaggerated grain growth. MgO inhibits grain growth in fully dense alumina, and the degree of inhibition depends on the purity of the starting powder [5]. Studies have also been conducted concerning the influence of NiO on grain growth in alumina [4]. NiO has been reported to behave similarly to MgO [4, 6]. Sintering in MgOand FeO-codoped alumina has been studied by Zhao and Harmer [7] in order to investigate the role of multiple solid-solution additives in sintering. They observed that MgO inhibits grain growth strongly in very pure powders and FeO promotes grain growth more than densification in alumina. Therefore, FeO was not a favourable additive. In the study reported here, MgO and NiO were used as multiple solid-solution additives. The MgO-NiO system consists of a complete solid solution extending from the higher melting point of MgO to the lower melting point of NiO [8]. The purpose of this study was to investigate the microstructure and chemistry of second phases, segregated particles and crystalline defects in alumina codoped with MgO and NiO using analytical transmission electron microscopy (TEM). As a result, it became possible to infer the location of MgOand NiO-codopants and impurities during the sintering process. Alumina codoped with 0 .15wt% MgO and 0.10 wt % NiO was fabricated by hot pressing at 1480 °C and 27.58 MPa in vacuum. TEM samples were sectioned from the alumina using a low-speed diamond saw and mechanically ground to -300 ~m. Circular discs of 3 mm in diameter were core drilled from the ground sections, mechanically ground to -120/~m, then dimpled to -30/ ira . The samples were ion milled with 5 kV Ar ÷ ions at an incident angle of 12 ° until perforation was achieved. A light carbon film was evaporated on the samples to prevent charging in the electron microscope. The microstructure and chemistry of second phases, segregated particles and crystalline defects in the alumina were investigated by bright field image, convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED),
Contribution of F-18 FDG PET-CT in the detection of systemic spread of primary central nervous system lymphoma.

Purpose Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) accounts for approximately 3% of all primary brain tumors and 1% of all non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Detection of systemic spread of PCNSL, although rare (4%), is very important since therapy is usually modified. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) is commonly used for systemic staging of PCNSL. No previous case report is available in the published literature elaborating the potential contribution of F-18 FDG PET in systemic staging of PCNSL. The purpose of this case report was to document the potential usefulness of F-18 FDG-PET in the detection of occult systemic involvement in PCNSL. Materials and methods A 50-year-old, immunocompetent, male patient completed successful treatment of PCNSL. As part of a routine pretransplant evaluation he had an F-18 FDG PET coregistered with CT (PET-CT). The PET-CT results were then compared with those of contrast-enhanced CT of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis. Results The PET-CT examination detected multiple sites of extranodal systemic disease that were not seen in the contrast-enhanced CT of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis (both studies were performed within 24 hours of each other). Percutaneous ultrasound guided biopsy confirmed the presence of systemic spread of PCNSL. The patient's subsequent therapy was modified to include rituximab with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone (R-CHOP). A follow up PET-CT confirmed resolution of systemic spread. Conclusion F-18 FDG PET coregistered to CT may be a useful examination in the detection and monitoring for systemic spread of the disease in PCNSL patients.
Slow-positron studies on metals

Experimental aspects of slow positron beams, general features of positron interaction with surfaces, Ps formation at surfaces, re-emission of slow positrons from metallic surfaces and trapping of positrons at near surface defects are discussed. (FS)
Trichoderma—not just for biocontrol anymore

Gary Elvan Harman was born in La Junta, Colorado, USA, in 1944 and spent his childhood in that area. He obtained his B.S. degree fromColorado State University in 1966 in botany. During his junior and senior years, he worked for Professor Ralph (Tex) Baker and conducted independent research that resulted in a sole-authored paper in Phytopathology. He then attended Oregon State University, and, in 1970, received his PhD in botany with minors in pathology and biochemistry. After a short postdoctoral fellowship at North Carolina State University, he accepted the position of Assistant Professor at Cornell University’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, also in 1970. He has been on the faculty of Cornell (Geneva) ever since, and was appointed to the rank of Professor in 1985. He was the first Chair of the Department of Horticultural Sciences. His original appointment at Geneva was to study the physiology of parasitism of seed–microbe interactions, which led to an interest in the biological control of plant pathogens. In 1980 he returned to Colorado State University for a sabbatical leave, and worked with Tex Baker and with Ilan Chet of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who also was on sabbatical leave. Baker, Chet and Harman collaborated on Trichoderma research. Ever since that time, he has had a very strong interest in both the basic science of biocontrol, especially by Trichoderma spp., and the commercial development of these fungi. In the mid-1980s he and his colleagues produced T. harzianum strain T22 using protoplast fusion. Shortly after T22 was developed, it became apparent that if this or other strains of biocontrol fungi were going to be commercialized, small companies driven by their discoverers were probably required. To this end, he and two cofounders started TGT Inc., which later became BioWorks Inc. and T22 probably has become the most successful biocontrol strain of these fungi. BioWorks is now a successful company with several million dollars worth of sales each year; and with royalties to Cornell of about $800,000. He had several roles at BioWorks, including for about a year serving as the CEO before returning full time to his Cornell Phytoparasitica (2011) 39:103–108 DOI 10.1007/s12600-011-0151-y
Monetary, affective, and intrinsic incentives in choice reaction time

A female undergraduate, highly trained and practiced in hypnotic techniques, served as the S in a one-choice reaction-time task carried out under three different incentive conditions. Upon viewing her score in milliseconds after each trial, she referred to a chart converting raw scores to an 11-point scale ranging from +5 to −5. In the monetary condition, each point was worth 5 cents; in the posthypnotically cued affective condition, each point represented a degree of pleasure or anxiety; and in the intrinsic incentive condition, the points had no additional value. Comparisons of the obtained distributions of responses showed no significant differences among the conditions.
Toward an integrative cartography of two strategic issue diagnosis frameworks

There exist two prominent accounts of how managers make sense of and take action in relation to strategic issues. The threat–opportunity (TO) and feasibility–urgency (FU) approaches primarily emphasize automatic/affective and active/deliberative strategic issue diagnosis processes, respectively. Current research, however, does not effectively integrate or fully explore the relationship between these two frameworks. We employ theory-building literature to develop a framework that highlights four distinct and increasingly integrative lenses through which such an exploration can be systematically carried out. Analyzing data from how firms reacted to the economic uncertainty of early 2003, the results of our study indicate that the FU approach is a better predictor of both intentions and actual responses than the TO approach. Our results also indicate that threat is positively related to urgency and negatively related to feasibility, while opportunity is positively related to feasibility and negatively related to urgency. Further, using the expectancy–instrumentality–valence (EIV) motivational theory as a framework, we factor analyze both TO and FU items, identifying three underlying constructs of favorability, urgency, and influence (which we dub FUI). FUI has a higher predictive efficacy than the TO approach alone. We highlight implications for theory building and research in the strategic issue diagnosis literature. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Intestinal expression of genes involved in iron absorption in humans.

Hereditary hemochromatosis (HHC) is one of the most frequent genetic disorders in humans. In healthy individuals, absorption of iron in the intestine is tightly regulated by cells with the highest ...