cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Panic of 1837 and the Market Revolution in America (A) and (B) (Abridged)

In 1837, President Martin Van Buren confronted a dilemma over the appropriate federal response to the recent panic of 1837 that seemed to undercut the policies and power of Andrew Jackson's “Democracy.” Now, Van Buren must decide how best to harness the civic reaction in stabilizing the financial system and returning the American economy to growth.Van Buren's dilemma occurs in the midst of a dramatic regime shift in American politics. The rise of Whig politicians in reaction to the populist policies of Andrew Jackson marked 1837 as an historic pivot-point. It is useful to consider how the panic of 1837 contributed to that pivot and how the subsequent civic reaction to the panic developed. ⦁The A case recounts the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his “war” on the Second Bank of the United States, a quasi-central bank. It also describes the “market revolution” occurring in the U.S. economy and the political factions that had emerged. Finally, it summarizes the causes and story of the panic of 1837. ⦁The B case presents draft legislation for an Independent Treasury and President Van Buren's message with which he aimed to open a special session of the U.S. Congress and enact the Independent Treasury proposal. ⦁The C case describes the failures to enact the proposal in 1837, 1838, and 1839—ultimately the proposal was enacted in 1840. The case also describes other civic reactions: a new Bankruptcy Act and state-level “free banking” laws. Finally, the case describes the economic aftermath: another panic in 1839 and a long depression that ensued. Excerpt UVA-F-1806 Sept. 20, 2017 The Panic of 1837 and the Market Revolution in America (A) and (B) (Abridged) Within weeks of Martin Van Buren's inauguration as the eighth U.S. president on March 4, 1837, a bank panic broke out in New York and other eastern cities. On May 15, 1837, Van Buren called for a special session of Congress to convene in September for the purpose of addressing the crisis. Rumors circulated about what Van Buren would propose to remedy the situation. Van Buren was perplexed himself and agonized over how best to respond. Advice, much of it unsolicited, streamed in: Recharter the Second Bank of the United States (Second Bank). Some advocates, not least of them Nicholas Biddle, the former president of the bank, claimed that the panic had its origins in the lax credit standards of banks in the West and the South. After losing its national charter in 1836, the bank had lost its ability to discipline other banks in the system. Thus, the path to recovery would entail rechartering the Second Bank to provide the systemic oversight that the nation needed. Prominent members of the Whig Party supported this. . . .
UNIT 11.1 Overview of Flow Cytometry and Microbiology

Although in recent years flow cytometry has become commonplace in hematology and immunology laboratories, application of the technology to microbiology remains largely unrealized. This overview presents the historical background, discusses applications in various areas of the field, and speculates on the directions of future developments. The availability of high-quality methods should be a prime factor in convincing microbiologists that flow cytometry may have certain advantages over traditional methods and that it does indeed have much to contribute to microbiology. Keywords: flow cytometry; microbiology; environment; food microbiology; overview Although in recent years flow cytometry has become commonplace in hematology and immunology laboratories, application of the t.
The rise of peripheral T helper cells in autoimmune disease.

Studies across multiple autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and coeliac disease, have identified a pathologically expanded PD1hiCXCR5−CD4+ T cell population that accumulates in inflamed tissues. Can this peripheral T helper cell population be harnessed as a predictive biomarker or targeted therapeutically in these diseases?
SGVAE: Sequential Graph Variational Autoencoder.

Generative models of graphs are well-known, but many existing models are limited in scalability and expressivity. We present a novel sequential graphical variational autoencoder operating directly on graphical representations of data. In our model, the encoding and decoding of a graph as is framed as a sequential deconstruction and construction process, respectively, enabling the the learning of a latent space. Experiments on a cycle dataset show promise, but highlight the need for a relaxation of the distribution over node permutations.
Denials of Judicial Bypass Petitions for Abortion in Texas Before and After the 2016 Bypass Process Change: 2001–2018

Objectives. To estimate the percentage of Texas judicial bypass petitions for abortion denied annually from 2001 to 2018, and to assess whether that fraction changed after the state’s 2016 bypass p...
Aggression by convict cichlid pairs as a means to deter brood mixing in a natural setting

Parental aggression can be a costly behaviour and flexible based upon context. While defence of offspring from potential predators has been well studied in the convict cichlid, it is unclear why parents are aggressive towards other parental pairs who are not likely to be offspring predators. In this experiment we explore the aggressive behaviour of pairs towards parental pairs and nonparental individuals using experimental presentations in the field. We found that parental pairs showed more aggressive displays towards other parental pairs than towards nonparental individuals. Bites did not differ between treatments, but there was a sex difference in bites, with males preferring to bite males and females showing no preference. As a higher level of display was observed both in the presence and absence of fry, we also examined the pair response to fry alone. Focal pairs were more aggressive to stimulus fry that were larger than their own fry, indicating that the larger stimulus fry represented a risk to the focal pair, as predicted by previous findings on brood mixing. We conclude that pair aggression towards parental pairs is a means to prevent brood mixing, and the greater aggression shown towards parental pairs suggests that the risk to parental pairs of brood mixing is greater than that of fry predation by nonparental fish.
80 – Coxiella burnetii

Publisher Summary The aetiological agent of Q fever, Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii), is a bacterial obligate intracellular parasite that replicates within the phagolysosome of its eukaryotic host. C. burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterium that displays a prototypic Gram-negative cell wall structure when observed by electron microscopy. C. burnetii undergoes a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) phase variation similar to that observed in the Enterobacteriaceae. The genetic lesions that account for phase variation have not been precisely determined, but probably involve the loss of chromosomal regions that carry LPS biosynthesis genes. Phase I and phase II organisms are indistinguishable by electron microscopy, and their intracellular growth characteristics are similar. C. burnetii's ability to survive in the extracellular environment and to resist physical and chemical disruption surpasses that of vegetative bacterial cells. Transmission of C. burnetii to humans occurs primarily by direct inhalation of aerosols from infected material or soil. Vaccines previously exposed to C. burnetii can develop a serious immune reaction at the site of inoculation.
“Cutting Up Dead Babies”: The Literary Legacy of the Woman Physician as Abortionist

The gross perversion and destruction of motherhood by the abortionist filled me with indignation and awakened active antagonism. That the honorable term “female physician” should be exclusively app...
Neuromedin U functions as an autocrine growth factor in human myeloid leukemias

4590 Biologically active neuromedin U (NmU) is a 25-amino acid peptide expressed at moderate to high levels in tissues of the brain, gut, and bone marrow. To date, NmU has been reported to stimulate smooth muscle contraction, increase blood pressure, alter ion transport in the gut, regulate local blood flow and modulate adrenocortical function. We have found that c-Myb, a transcription factor required for normal and malignant hematopoiesis, and NmU gene expression are both elevated in primary acute myeloid leukemia cells and demonstrated that NmU promotes the growth of human myeloid leukemia cells (Shetzline S, Rallapalli R, Dowd K, Zou S, Nakata Y, Swider C, Kalota A, Choi J, Gewirtz A. 2004. Blood. 104(6): 1833-1840). Since myeloid leukemia cells express the cognate receptor of NmU, NMU1R, we hypothesized that NmU stimulates myeloid leukemia cell proliferation via a novel autocrine loop. To understand the mechanism by which NmU stimulates myeloid leukemia cell proliferation, we examined the ability of NmU to induce intracellular calcium ion (Ca+2) flux and produce inositol phosphates in K562 cells, a myeloid leukemia cell line, because signaling through NMU1R has been shown to induce these secondary messengers in Cos-7, HEK-293, and CHO cells. First, we measured the intracellular accumulation of Ca+2 in Indo-1 labeled K562 cells following NmU challenge. We observed Ca+2 mobilization within 100 seconds of adding NmU. Next, we determined the ability of NmU to induce the production of inositol phosphates in K562 cells that were labeled with myo-[3H]-inositiol. A dose-dependent increase was observed in inositol phosphate production following NmU challenge with an EC50 of 10 μM. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the NMU1R expressed on K562 cells is functional and indicate that NmU initiates its proliferation signal through a G-protein couple receptor. Studies are underway in our laboratory to define the molecular mechanism of NmU-mediated mobilization of Ca+2 and production of inositol phosophates, the results of which will hopefully provide new insights into the physiological function of NmU in myeloid leukemias.
Surfactant-induced Wettability Reversal on Oil-wet Calcite Surfaces: Experimentation and Molecular Dynamics Simulations with Scaled-Charges

Abstract Hypothesis Surfactant flooding is the leading approach for reversing the wettability of oil-wet carbonate reservoirs, which is critical for the recovery of the remaining oil. Combination of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with experiments on simplified model systems can uncover the molecular mechanisms of wettability reversal and identify key molecular properties for systematic design of new, effective chemical formulations for the enhanced oil recovery. Experiments/Simulations Wettability reversal by a series of surfactant solutions was studied experimentally using contact angle measurements on aged calcite chips, and a novel MD simulation methodology with scaled-charges that provides superior description of the ionic interactions in aqueous solutions. Findings The MD simulation results were in excellent agreement with the experiments. Cationic surfactants were the most effective in reversing the calcite wettability, resulting in complete detachment of the oil from the surface. Some nonionic surfactants also altered the wettability, but to a lesser degree, the amphoteric and anionic surfactants had no effect. For the cationic surfactants, the double-tailed species was the least effective, but the experiments were inconclusive due to poor solubility. Contributions of specific interactions to the wettability alteration process and implications for the design and optimization of surfactants for the enhanced oil recovery are discussed.
Transposable elements and vertebrate protein diversity.

Interspersed repetitive sequences are major components of eukaryotic genomes. Repetitive elements comprise about 50% of the mammalian genome. They interact with the whole genome and influence its evolution. Repetitive elements may serve as recombination hot spots or acquire specific cellular functions such as RNA transcription control or become part of protein coding regions. The latter is a subject of presented analysis. We searched all currently available vertebrate protein sequences, including human proteome complement for the presence of transposable elements. It appears that insertion of TE-cassettes into open reading frames is a general phenomena. They can be found in all vertebrate lineages and originate in all types of transposable elements. It seems that genomes use those cassettes as ‘ready to use’ motifs in their evolutionary experiments. Most of TE-cassettes are used to create alternative forms of a message and usually the other form, without TE-cassette, is expressed in a cell. Tables listing vertebrate messages with TE-cassettes are available at http://warta.bio.psu.edu/ScrapYard/.
Back-of-the-envelope Quantum Mechanics: With Extensions to Many-body Systems and Integrable PDEs, by Maxim Olshanii. Scope: textbook/supplementary text. Level: undergraduate and postgraduate

The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook, as the quotation goes. The distinction between solving a physics problem exactly or approximately exists only in textbooks, in real life all physi...
Empowering the Disadvantaged After Dictatorship and Conflict: Legal Empowerment, Transitions and Transitional Justice

This paper analyzes the relationship between legal empowerment and transitions from dictatorship and mass violence, with particular attention to transitional justice. It aims to provide both conceptual insight and practical recommendations for practitioners of such disciplines as development and human rights. The paper identifies opportunities for promoting legal empowerment during these transitions, including opportunities related to transitional justice processes and institutions. It also considers how legal empowerment can support transitions by reducing the risk of a return to violence, examining the Sierra Leonean NGO Timap for Justice. Legal empowerment is understood as the use of law to help disadvantaged groups (such as the poor or, in many societies, women) expand their influence over their government, their society and their own lives.
R5 Macrophage-Tropic HIV-1 in the Male Genital Tract

The entry tropism of HIV-1 Env proteins from virus isolated from the blood and genital tract of five men with compartmentalized lineages was determined. The Env proteins isolated from the genital tract of subject C018 were macrophage-tropic proteins, while the remaining cloned env genes encoded R5 T cell-tropic proteins. The detection of a macrophage-tropic lineage of HIV-1 within the male genital tract strongly suggests that evolution of macrophage-tropic viruses can occur in anatomically isolated sites outside the central nervous system.
Gender Comparison of Patellar Tendon Tibial Shaft Angle with Weight Bearing

The objective of this study was to compare the patellar tendon tibial shaft angle at specific angles of knee flexion in young male and female athletes with lower extremity weight-bearing to determine if a gender difference exists. Twenty healthy recreational athletes (10 males and 10 females) aged 22 to 28 years with normal knees were recruited. Seven lateral radiographs of each subject's dominant knee were obtained at knee flexion angles of 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, and 90°. Measurements from the radiographs were used in a multiple regression analysis to express the patellar tendon tibial shaft angle as a function of knee flexion angle. Our results indicate that the patellar tendon tibial shaft angle is a linear function of knee flexion. Female subjects' average patellar tendon tibial shaft angle was 3.7° greater than male subjects' average patellar tendon tibial shaft angle (p = 0.00). The gender differences in patellar tendon tibial shaft angle results in a 13.2% increase in the anterior shear force...
How has agriculture influenced the geography and genetics of animal parasites

Have farmers inadvertently promoted the distribution, and limited the diversity, of animal parasites? Abundant and broadly distributed livestock hosts evidently harbor exceptionally uniform populations of Trichinella, Taenia, Toxoplasma and Sarcocystis, indicating a fruitful avenue for future research on how we have influenced parasite evolutionary ecology.
H 2 O storage capacity of olivine and low-Ca pyroxene from 10 to 13 GPa: consequences for dehydration melting above the transition zone

The onset of hydrous partial melting in the mantle above the transition zone is dictated by the H2O storage capacity of peridotite, which is defined as the maximum concentration that the solid assemblage can store at P and T without stabilizing a hydrous fluid or melt. H2O storage capacities of minerals in simple systems do not adequately constrain the peridotite water storage capacity because simpler systems do not account for enhanced hydrous melt stability and reduced H2O activity facilitated by the additional components of multiply saturated peridotite. In this study, we determine peridotite-saturated olivine and pyroxene water storage capacities at 10–13 GPa and 1,350–1,450°C by employing layered experiments, in which the bottom ~2/3 of the capsule consists of hydrated KLB-1 oxide analog peridotite and the top ~1/3 of the capsule is a nearly monomineralic layer of hydrated Mg# 89.6 olivine. This method facilitates the growth of ~200-μm olivine crystals, as well as accessory low-Ca pyroxenes up to ~50 μm in diameter. The presence of small amounts of hydrous melt ensures that crystalline phases have maximal H2O contents possible, while in equilibrium with the full peridotite assemblage (melt + ol + pyx + gt). At 12 GPa, olivine and pyroxene water storage capacities decrease from ~1,000 to 650 ppm, and ~1,400 to 1,100 ppm, respectively, as temperature increases from 1,350 to 1,450°C. Combining our results with those from a companion study at 5–8 GPa (Ardia et al., in prep.) at 1,450°C, the olivine water storage capacity increases linearly with increasing pressure and is defined by the relation $$ C_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}^{\text{olivine}} \left( {\text{ppm}} \right) = 57.6\left( { \pm 16} \right) \times P\left( {\text{GPa}} \right) - 169\left( { \pm 18} \right). $$ Adjustment of this trend for small increases in temperature along the mantle geotherm, combined with experimental determinations of $$ D_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}^{\text{pyx/olivine}} $$ from this study and estimates of $$ D_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}^{{{\text{gt}}/{\text{olivine}}}} $$ , allows for estimation of peridotite H2O storage capacity, which is 440 ± 200 ppm at 400 km. This suggests that MORB source upper mantle, which contains 50–200 ppm bulk H2O, is not wet enough to incite a global melt layer above the 410-km discontinuity. However, OIB source mantle and residues of subducted slabs, which contain 300–1,000 ppm bulk H2O, can exceed the peridotite H2O storage capacity and incite localized hydrous partial melting in the deep upper mantle. Experimentally determined values of $$ D_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}^{{{\text{pyx}}/{\text{olivine}}}} $$ at 10–13 GPa have a narrow range of 1.35 ± 0.13, meaning that olivine is probably the most important host of H2O in the deep upper mantle. The increase in hydration of olivine with depth in the upper mantle may have significant influence on viscosity and other transport properties.
Vaccination of Fischer 344 rats against pulmonary infections by Francisella tularensis type A strains.

Pneumonic tularemia caused by inhalation of the type A strains of Francisella tularensis is associated with high morbidity and mortality in humans. The only vaccine known to protect humans against this disease is the attenuated live vaccine strain (LVS), but it is not currently registered for human use. To develop a new generation of vaccines, multiple animal models are needed that reproduce the human response to F. tularensis infection and vaccination. We examined the potential use of Fischer 344 rat as such a model. Fischer 344 rats were very sensitive to intratracheal infection with the virulent type A strain SCHU S4 and generally succumbed less than 2 weeks after infection. Similar to humans and non-human primates, Fischer 344 rats vaccinated with LVS by subcutaneous or intradermal routes were protected against a greater range of respiratory SCHU S4 challenge doses than has been reported for LVS vaccinated mice. Intratracheal LVS vaccination also induced effective immunity, but it was less protective when the challenge dose exceeded 105 SCHU S4. LVS vaccination did not prevent SCHU S4 infection but rather controlled bacterial growth and pathology, leading to the eventual clearance of the bacteria. Our results suggest that the Fischer 344 rat may be a good model for studying pneumonic tularemia and evaluating potential vaccine candidates.
EPC: the ischemia warrior of the bone marrow

Comment on Tepper et al, page [1068][1] Tepper and colleagues demonstrate that severe ischemia is the primary physiological trigger of circulating endothelial progenitor cell production by the bone marrow. Bone marrow–derived endothelial progenitor cells (BM-EPCs) were first described a little
Concentration Profiles in Hollow-Fiber Dialyzers

Abstract Concentration profiles in hollow-fiber dialyzers have been determined experimentally by the use of a hollow fiber dialysis cascade employing aqueous salt and urea solutions. A mathematical model has also been developed to predict radial and axial concentration profiles for co-and counter-current operation. The experimental and predicted results are compared.
LOSSES IN CONVERTING BEEF ANIMALS TO FRESH MEAT PRODUCTS

Losses in converting live beef animals to fresh beef cuts are reviewed. Pre- and post-slaughter condemnations were calculated to account for the major losses amounting to over 59 million lb of carcass beef and 66 million lb of liver annually. The major causes of carcass condemnations were inflammatory diseases (pneumonia), neoplasms (cancer), septic conditions (abscesses) and degenerative conditions (emaciation), accounting for over 88% of total carcass condemnations. On the other hand, carcass condemnations from infectious diseases, parasitic diseases and from residues (drugs and pesticides) amounted to only 1.7, 0.3 and 0.1% of the total condemnations, respectively. In addition, some 4% of all carcasses lost a major part to condemnation. Other major losses included blood and shrinkage (moisture losses) during chilling and holding. All losses are discussed and procedures for minimizing them are suggested.
Denture modification during adjustment phase of complete denture service

Abstract Records were kept on the adjustment phases of treating 64 patients with new complete dentures. Five dentists treated the patients independently of each other. All dental laboratory procedures were performed by the same dental laboratory technician under the same conditions.
The Intrinsically Disordered Cytoplasmic Domain of the T-Cell Receptor Zeta Subunit Does not Form Disordered Dimers

Intrinsically disordered proteins play important roles in recognition, signal transduction and molecular sorting. They are generally thought to interact via coupled folding and binding, yielding largely ordered interfaces with their binding partners. In contrast, the intrinsically disordered cytoplasmic domain of the T-cell receptor zeta subunit (ζcyt) was reported to form homodimers with a dissociation constant of ∼10μM in the absence of a disorder-to-order transition. This suggested the existence of highly disordered dimers. We show here using analytical ultracentrifugation that ζcyt is a disordered monomer up to at least millimolar concentrations. Paramagnetic relaxation enhancement demonstrates transient intra- rather than intermolecular interactions. Furthermore, even disulfide crosslinking of ζcyt N-termini, in a configuration reminiscent of T cell receptor clustering, fails to lead to an association of protomers. SEC-MALS confirms the monomeric state of ζcyt but reveals a curious concentration-dependent shift of the elution volume of ζcyt that may previously have been interpreted as dimerization. Our data show that ζcyt does not form a highly disordered protein complex but leave open the question as to whether completely disordered dimers or other oligomers exist in nature.View Large Image | View Hi-Res Image | Download PowerPoint Slide
The Development and Evaluation of the Subaxial Injury Classification Scoring System for Cervical Spine Trauma

Background Fractures and dislocations of the subaxial cervical spine may give rise to devastating consequences. Previous algorithms for describing cervical trauma largely depend on retrospective reconstructions of injury mechanism and utilize nonspecific terminology which thus diminish their clinical relevance add to the difficulty of educating doctors and performing prospective research.
Comparing Age-related Macular Degeneration Phenotype in Probands From Singleton and Multiplex Families

Purpose To compare age-related macular degeneration (AMD) phenotype between probands in singleton and multiplex families to determine whether data from these two groups may be combined for consolidated genetic analyses. Design Retrospective case-control study. Methods Individuals 55 years of age or older with AMD were identified. Complete histories and examinations were recorded, 35-mm fundus photographs obtained, and macular findings graded. Detailed information was recorded, including the presence of extramacular and peripheral drusen, peripheral reticular pigmentary change, posterior vitreous detachment, and iris color. Comparisons were performed between probands from singleton and multiplex families. Results There was no statistically significant difference in grade between the 411 singleton and 125 multiplex probands ( P = .52), and the distribution of grades was similar between the two groups. No statistically significant difference was found between proband groups with respect to the presence or extent of small ( P = .48), intermediate ( P = .72), and large drusen ( P = .74) and retinal pigment epithelium hyper- ( P = .76) and hypopigmentation ( P = .55); in the presence or grade of peripheral reticular pigment change; the presence of geographic atrophy in exudative disease, extramacular drusen, or posterior vitreous detachment; lens status; iris color; visual acuity; intraocular pressure; optic nerve cupping; and body mass index. A statistically significant difference between the two groups was noted in the presence of peripheral drusen ( P = .0001). Conclusions Singleton and multiplex AMD probands share a similar phenotype. This suggests that multiplex and singleton data can be combined for consolidated genetic analyses.
The influence of surface mineral and osteopontin on the formation and function of murine bone marrow-derived osteoclasts

The phosphorylated glycoprotein osteopontin (OPN) is involved in the regulation of biomineralization under normal and pathological conditions. Its actions include inhibiting apatite crystal growth and promoting the formation and function of mineral resorbing cells, including osteoclasts (OCL). The purpose of this study was to develop stable apatitic mineral surfaces and determine their influence on OCL formation and mineral resorption from bone marrow macrophages derived from OPN wild-type (OPN+/+) and OPN deficient (OPN-/-) mice. We demonstrated that these mineral coatings were stable and supported bone marrow-derived macrophage differentiation to OCL under our culture conditions. Macrophages harvested from OPN-/- mice had a greater capacity to form OCL than macrophages from OPN+/+ mice when allowed to differentiate on tissue culture plastic. In contrast, when allowed to differentiate on a mineral surface, no difference in OCL formation was observed. Interestingly, OPN+/+ OCL were more efficient at mineral dissolution than OPN-/- OCL, and this difference was observed regardless of differentiating surface. Our results suggest that mineralized substrates as well as ability to synthesize OPN both control OCL function in our model system. The exact nature of these effects may be dependent on variables related to mineral substrate presentation.
Extended self-renewal capacity of pluripotent hemopoietic stem cells: Association with persistent friend spleen focus-forming virus

Abstract The pluripotential hemopoietic stem cells (CFU-S) of genetically resistant Fv2 rr adult C57BL/6 (B6) mice can be persistently infected by Friend virus (FV) when exposed to defective spleen focus-forming virus (SFFV) and helper virus (LLV) at the time of transplantation into heavily irradiated syngeneic recipients (that is, B6 → B6 isologous chimeras). Whereas normal and LLV + marrow were depleted of CFU-S after three serial transplantations at 14-day intervals, SFFV + donor marrow exhibited prolonged self-renewal capacity. SFFV + CFU-S from B6. Fv2 rr chimeric mice gave rise to normal erythroid and myeloid progenitor cells and were easily detected and quantified over 17 serial marrow transfers equivalent to 260 cumulative days. Marrow cellularity on day 14 of each transfer remained constant during the entire transplantation time. When SFFV fell below detectable levels at passage 15, CFU-S self-renewal exhibited rapid and total decline. Since the frequency of LLV-infected cells in late marrow transfers rose during the period of CFU-S decline, we conclude that SFFV is directly associated with the triggering of CFU-S self-renewal. It is also suggested that this proliferative event may be a prerequisite for the development of FV-induced leukemia.
No reference color image contrast and quality measures

No-reference (NR) image quality assessment is essential in evaluating the performance of image enhancement and retrieval algorithms. Much effort has been made in recent years to develop objective NR grayscale and color image quality metrics that correlate with perceived quality evaluations. Unfortunately, only limited success has been achieved and most existing NR quality assessment is feasible only when prior knowledge about the types of image distortion is available. This paper present: a) a new NR contrast based grayscale image contrast measure: Root Mean Enhancement (RME); b) a NR color RME contrast measure CRME which explores the three dimensional contrast relationships of the RGB color channels; c) a NR color quality measure Color Quality Enhancement (CQE) which is based on the linear combination of colorfulness, sharpness and contrast. Computer simulations demonstrate that each measure has its own advantages: the CRME measure is fast and suitable for real time processing of low contrast images; the CQE measure can be used for a wider variety of distorted images. The effectiveness of the presented measures is demonstrated by using the TID2008 database. Experimental results also show strong correlations between the presented measures and Mean Opinion Score (MOS)1.
Activities of the NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center pump stage technology team

In order to advance rocket propulsion technology, the Consortium for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Application in Propulsion Technology has been formed at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The Consortium consists of three Teams: the turbine stage team, the pump stage team (PST), and the combustion devices team. The PST has formulated and is implementing a plan for pump technology development whose end product will be validated CFD codes suitable for application to pump components, test data suitable for validating CFD codes, and advanced pump components optimized using CFD codes. The PST's work during the fall of 1991 and the winter and spring of 1992 is discussed in this paper. This work is highlighted by CFD analyses of an advanced impeller design and collection of laser two-focus velocimeter data for the Space Shuttle Main Engine High Pressure Fuel Pump impeller.
Relationship between the mechanical properties and topology of cross-linked polymer molecules: Parallel strands maximize the strength of model polymers and protein domains

Proteins that perform mechanical functions in living organisms often exhibit exceptionally high strength and elasticity. Recent studies of the unfolding of single protein molecules under mechanical...
Accurate Method for Correction of Slant Range Distortion in High-Altitude Radars and a Contribution to the Optics of Reflecting Conical Surfaces

An optical method for the correction of slant range distortion in high-altitude radar recordings is presented. The line image of the scan is converted into a circular disk by rotation about the zero slant range point and an appropriate line from this disk is selected. This method is strictly geometrical (not an approximation) and readily accomodates altitude changes.The method employs a reflecting cone as an optical element. The laws of reflection and image formation for this element are formulated, including the light efficiency.A simple method for testing the quality of the conical surface is also given.
Disproportionate ileal digestion on canine food consumption : a possible model for satiety in pancreatic insufficiency

In animals, ileal sensors of nutrients signal satiety more potently than similar sensors in jejunum. We postulated that inadequate food intake and weight loss in human pancreatic insufficiency might arise by the displacement of digestion to ileum, where excessive release of digestive products would enhance satiety. To test this idea, we studied dogs prepared with pancreatic fistulas, which allowed reversible switching of pancreatic juice from entry at duodenum to entry at mid-small intestine. Dogs were studied in a crossover design over successive eight-day periods. Food consumption and body weight were measured while the dogs had continuous access to food. Diversion of pancreatic juice to mid-intestine significantly (P<0.01) depressed food intake by an average of 28%. Diversion also significantly (P<0.01) reduced body weight. The findings support the idea that insufficient food intake in human pancreatic insufficiency may result from stimulation of ileal satiety mechanisms.
Deprivation and reward stimuli as compound stimuli

Abstract In Experiment 1 the experimental group was tested with a deprivation level and a reward magnitude which it had experienced previously but which it had not experienced in combination. This group was inferior in test performance to a group which had experienced the test deprivation-reward combination prior to test. These results were interpreted as indicating that deprivation stimuli and reward stimuli form a compound stimulus and training on the elements of the compound produces performance inferior to training directly on the compound. In Experiment 2, the decrement associated with two different shifts in deprivation and reward did not differ despite the different size change of total incentive involved in the two shifts. The results were interpreted as indicating that the deprivation-reward stimulus is not produced by a single underlying incentive mechanism.
The role of the MoFe protein Î±-125Phe and Î²-125Phe residues in Azotobacter vinelandii MoFe proteinâFe protein interaction

Abstract Site-directed mutagenesis and gene-replacement techniques were used to substitute alanine for the MoFe protein α- and β-subunit phenylalanine-125 residues both separately and in combination. These residues are located on the surface of the MoFe protein near the pseudosymmetric axis of symmetry between the α- and β-subunits. Altered MoFe proteins that contain an alanine substitution at only one of the respective positions exhibit proton reduction activities of about 25–50% when compared to that of the wild-type protein. The lower level of proton reduction also corresponds with decreases in the rates of MgATP hydrolysis. The MoFe protein which contains alanine substitutions in both the α- and β- subunits did not exhibit any proton reduction activity or MgATP hydrolysis. Stopped flow spectrophotometry of the singly substituted MoFe proteins indicate primary electron transfer rate constants approximately an order of magnitude slower than what is observed for wild-type MoFe protein, while no primary electron transfer is observed for the doubly substituted MoFe protein. The doubly substituted MoFe protein is able to interact with the Fe protein as shown by chemical crosslinking experiments. However, this protein does not form a tight complex with the Fe protein when treated with MgADP·AlF4− or when using the altered 127Δ Fe protein. Stopped flow spectrophotometry was also used to quantitate the first-order dissociation rate constants for the two component proteins. These results suggest that the 125Phe residues are involved in an early event(s) that occurs upon component protein docking and could be involved in eliciting MgATP hydrolysis.
Inhibition of sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase rescues sphingosine kinase-1-knockout phenotype following murine cardiac arrest.

Abstract Aims To test the role of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) signaling system in the in vivo setting of resuscitation and survival after cardiac arrest. Main methods A mouse model of potassium-induced cardiac arrest and resuscitation was used to test the importance of S1P homeostasis in resuscitation and survival. C57BL/6 and sphingosine kinase-1 knockout (SphK1-KO) female mice were arrested for 8 min then subjected to 5 minute CPR with epinephrine bolus given at 90 s after the beginning of CPR. Animal survival was monitored for 4 h post-resuscitation. Upregulation of tissue and circulatory S1P levels were achieved via inhibition of S1P lyase by 2-acetyl-5-tetrahydroxybutyl imidazole (THI). Plasma and heart tissue S1P and ceramide levels were quantified by targeted ESI-LC/MS/MS. Key findings Lack of SphK1 and low tissue/circulatory S1P levels in SphK1-KO mice led to poor animal resuscitation after cardiac arrest and to impaired survival post-resuscitation. Inhibition of S1P lyase in SphK1-KO mice drastically improved animal resuscitation and survival. Improved resuscitation and survival of THI-treated SphK1-KO mice were better correlated with cardiac dihydro-S1P (DHS1P) than S1P levels. The lack of SphK1 and the inhibition of S1P lyase by THI were accompanied by modulation in cardiac S1PR 1 and S1PR 2 expression and by selective changes in plasma N -palmitoyl- and N -behenoyl-ceramide levels. Significance Our data provide evidence for the crucial role for SphK1 and S1P signaling system in resuscitation and survival after cardiac arrest, which may form the basis for development of novel therapeutic strategy to support resuscitation and long-term survival of cardiac arrest patients.
Nature of drilling forces during spark assisted chemical engraving

Abstract Tool–substrate contact drilling forces proved to be promising for monitoring the SACE drilling progress. Although these forces were recently measured, their nature was never studied. This is investigated in the present work where it is found that a tool–glass bond is created while drilling. Preliminary investigations demonstrated that this bond does not break due to specific temperature drop and that it is formed just before tool-glass contact occurs. The bond is therefore expected to be chemically formed where more investigation is needed to further clarify this. The present results add up to the knowledge regarding the SACE machining mechanism.
The Tortoise and the Hair: Slow-Cycling Cells in the Stem Cell Race

Given the importance of stem cells to adult tissues, it has long been postulated that stem cells divide infrequently to preserve their long-term proliferation potential and to prevent the acquisition of errors during DNA replication. Yet, some stem cells must be able to continually churn out progeny in tissues that rapidly turn over or are subject to sudden injuries or growth spurts. This Review explores the challenges that mammalian stem cells face in balancing the competing demands of proliferation and differentiation in tissues.
Inhibition of blood platelet aggregation by dioxo-ene compounds.

Compounds with a conjugated oxo-ene-oxo system were tested for inhibition of blood platelet aggregation. All compounds with this structure in trans configuration were effective inhibitors of aggregation induced by thrombin and by arachidonic acid. While the oxo-trans-ene-oxo system is prerequisite for such activity, other structural features of the compounds may be varied without loss of activity. Inhibition is exemplified by 9,12-dioxo-trans-10- and 10,13-dioxo-trans-11-octadecenoic acids and their methyl esters, by 11,14-dioxo-trans-12- eicosenoic acid, by 4,7-dioxo-trans-5- decene and by trans- dibenzoylethylene . The half-inhibition concentrations are in the order of 2-6 microM, with complete inhibition at 8-20 microM. According to experiments with the inhibiting 9,12-dioxo-trans-10-octadecenoic acid, the normal oxygenation of exogenous arachidonic acid by platelets is not affected but the thrombin-induced internal release of this acid seems to be abolished by the inhibitor. The inhibition of aggregation in the presence of exogenous arachidonic acid and its products suggests that the inhibitor also interferes with other events leading to aggregation. By implication from other properties of the oxo-trans-ene-oxo system, reaction with SH groups may be a mechanism for inhibition.
Molecular transformations of a γ1-globulin of human serum

A γ1-globulin of molecular weight near 400,000 has been isolated from a hyperglobulinemic human serum. Treatment with mercaptan at neutral pH converts it into a half-molecule. The native protein and its reduction product are stable at neutral and mild alkaline pH but undergo extensive aggregation at pH 5. Sulfhydryl groups are responsible for these reactions since protein that has been alkylated does not aggregate. Reduced and alkylated protein is slowly cleaved at pH 5 in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol to units sedimenting at 3·5 s. Units of similar size are produced by papain.
Glycoproteomics: identifying the glycosylation of prostate specific antigen at normal and high isoelectric points by LC-MS/MS.

Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is currently used as a biomarker to diagnose prostate cancer. PSA testing has been widely used to detect and screen prostate cancer. However, in the diagnostic gray zone, the PSA test does not clearly distinguish between benign prostate hypertrophy and prostate cancer due to their overlap. To develop more specific and sensitive candidate biomarkers for prostate cancer, an in-depth understanding of the biochemical characteristics of PSA (such as glycosylation) is needed. PSA has a single glycosylation site at Asn69, with glycans constituting approximately 8% of the protein by weight. Here, we report the comprehensive identification and quantitation of N-glycans from two PSA isoforms using LC–MS/MS. There were 56 N-glycans associated with PSA, whereas 57 N-glycans were observed in the case of the PSA-high isoelectric point (pI) isoform (PSAH). Three sulfated/phosphorylated glycopeptides were detected, the identification of which was supported by tandem MS data. One of these sulfated/phosphorylated N-glycans, HexNAc5Hex4dHex1s/p1 was identified in both PSA and PSAH at relative intensities of 0.52 and 0.28%, respectively. Quantitatively, the variations were monitored between these two isoforms. Because we were one of the laboratories participating in the 2012 ABRF Glycoprotein Research Group (gPRG) study, those results were compared to that presented in this study. Our qualitative and quantitative results summarized here were comparable to those that were summarized in the interlaboratory study.
Never Just a Game: Players, Owners, and American Baseball to 1920

Baseball's early labor wars America's national pastime has been marked from its inception by bitter struggles between owners and players over profit, power, and prestige. In this labor history of baseball from its beginning to 1920, Robert Burk describes the evolution of the ballplaying world force and recounts its battles for a place in baseballs decision-making structure. Tracing the development of franchise competition, rival leagues, and trade wars - and the boom-and-bust cycles, franchise bankruptcies, and Jeague mergers they triggered in turn - he explores the off-field acrimony that characterized the sport's labor-management relations.
Improving breast mass detection using histogram of oriented gradients

In this paper we present a simple technique that can be employed to filter the output of the computerized mass detection schemes. The sensitivity of computer-aided detection (CAD) systems is high; nevertheless specificity is not due to high false positive (FP) detection rates. Our approach is based on Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) descriptor for filtering the mass and normal tissue regions. After the descriptors are computed, Support Vector Machines (SVM) are applied to classify the identified masses. The devised technique was tested on 1881 regions of interest (ROIs) acquired using a previously proposed CAD system. Extensive simulations are conducted to illustrate the capacity of the HOG descriptor to improve the performances of mass detection systems.
Courageous altruism: Personal and situational correlates of rescue during the Holocaust

This study investigated whether positive personality variables associated with the character strengths of courage and kindness, when examined in the context of situational and demographic variables, distinguish Holocaust-era courageous altruists from bystanders. Seventy-nine non-Jewish rescuers and 73 non-Jewish bystanders were administered measures of empathic concern, social responsibility, risk-taking, altruistic moral reasoning, and perceived marginality. Situational variables included wartime living arrangements, history of persecution, previous experience with Jews, and whether an individual had been asked for help. A two-group discriminant function analysis was able to correctly classify 96.1% of the sample, separating the rescuers and bystanders by more than three standard deviations. The discriminant function was best defined by social responsibility, altruistic moral reasoning, empathic concern, and risk-taking. Implications are discussed regarding the relationship between character strengths an...
Observations of 3p 5 3d-3p 5 4f and 3p 6 3d-3p 5 3d4s transitions in iron, cobalt, nickel, and copper.

Wavelengths of 3p53d–3p54f and 3p63d–3p53d4s transitions, in the range 60–120 A, have been remeasured in iron, cobalt, nickel, and copper. In the former array, some additional transitions of singlet type are tentatively identified. For the latter array the present wavelengths differ by about 0.04 A from values previously given in the literature for Nix.
Managing Performance to Change Behavior

Performance appraisal systems are often considered primarily in their role as criterion measures for validation studies. Even when they are considered in other organizational roles, there has traditionally been a strong focus on improving the accuracy of the appraisals. The present article argues that the proper focus of performance appraisal is to change employees' behavior on the job—both task performance behavior and contextual performance. Specifically, appraisals are best considered as part of a larger performance management system, where the entire focus is on improving performance. Such a focus has important implications for how concerned we are about perceived accuracy and fairness. Furthermore, when viewed in this way, it is clear that we must consider how to leverage individual level performance up to the level of the firm, since improving firm performance is critical to any organization's strategic goals.
Wave function structure in two-body random matrix ensembles

We study the structure of eigenstates in two-body interaction random matrix ensembles and find significant deviations from random matrix theory expectations. The deviations are most prominent in the tails of the spectral density and indicate localization of the eigenstates in Fock space. Using ideas related to scar theory we derive an analytical formula that relates fluctuations in wave function intensities to fluctuations of the two-body interaction matrix elements. Numerical results for many-body fermion systems agree well with the theoretical predictions. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society.