cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene delivery into the CNS using bone marrow cells as vehicles in mice

Abstract Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a member of the neurotrophin family, is protective in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. However, BDNF has a short half-life and its efficacy in the CNS when delivered peripherally is limited due to the blood–brain barrier. In the present study, bone marrow cells were used as vehicles to deliver the BDNF gene into the CNS. Marrow cells obtained from 6 to 8 week-old SJL/J mice were transduced with BDNF expressing pro-virus. RT-PCR analysis revealed that BDNF mRNA was expressed in transduced but not in non-transduced marrow cells. Additionally, virus transduced marrow cells expressed the BDNF protein (296±1.2 unit/ml). BDNF-transduced marrow cells were then transplanted into irradiated mice through the tail vein. Three months post-transplantation, significant increases in BDNF as well as glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67) mRNA were detected in the brains of BDNF transplanted mice compared to untransplanted animals, indicating biological activity of the BDNF transgene. Thus, bone marrow cells can be used as vehicles to deliver the BDNF gene into the brain with implications for the treatment of neurological diseases.
Behavioral Effects of Levonantradol and Nantradol in the Rhesus Monkey

In rhesus monkeys, acute administration of levonantradol and nantradol produced signs of CNS depression, including ataxia with body sag, pupil dilation, ptosis, dozing, and reduced responsivity to external stimuli. Neither compound suppressed the morphine withdrawal syndrome; however, both alleviated the chronic abdominal contraction associated with withdrawal. The directly observable effects of these compounds were not antagonized by naloxone. When levonantradol was administered every 6 hours, marked tolerance developed to both the effects of levonantradol and nabilone and THC. No signs of withdrawal were observed when levonantradol injections were abruptly discontinued. When substituted in lieu of codeine under an intravenous drug self-administration procedure, neither levonantradol nor nantradol maintained responding at rates higher than those maintained by their vehicle. Finally, the discriminative effects of levonantradol were not equivalent to those of the narcotics ethylketazocine or etorphine.
Immortal tale or nightmare? Dr Kotnis between art and exploitation

This paper analyzes the overlapping and contradictory transnational taste cultures addressed by the 1946 Indian film, Dr Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani, which became re‐edited as an American exploitation film, Nightmare in Red China in the 1950s. A biopic featuring an Indian doctor who traveled to China as part of a medical team, the film offers a case study in multiple textual, institutional, and audience formations as we follow its transformation from middlebrow, canonical Indian film to lowbrow US exploitation film via a brief and unsuccessful detour as a highbrow international art film. While suggesting the broader implications of the possibility of other national cinema classics lurking in the bowels of exploitation films, the paper also argues that this film's secret history is one of failed negotiations and translations that centered around incompatible norms of realism, cultural representation, spectacle, and political ideology.
Recurrence of prostate cancer in patients receiving testosterone supplementation for hypogonadism.

Purpose The relationship between recurrent prostate cancer risk and testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for hypogonadal men is explored. Summary The medical literature was searched to identify articles evaluating the use of TRT in symptomatic hypogonadal men with a history of prostate cancer. Eight English-language articles investigating TRT use in hypogonadal men with a history of prostate cancer were analyzed. For evaluative purposes, the normal ranges used for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and total testosterone levels were less than 4.0 ng/mL and 300–1000 ng/dL, respectively. Most trials were small and involved patients with localized prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy or radiotherapy, though patients with metastatic disease or a Gleason score of ≥8 were included in a few studies. TRT was administered in a variety of dosages and dosage forms for up to nine years to manage hypogonadal symptoms. Testosterone concentrations increased, as expected, after TRT, but serum PSA levels remained below 0.1 ng/mL in the majority of patients. PSA levels were found to increase in select patients with high-risk and metastatic disease, but these elevations were not accompanied by disease progression. These studies have suggested a potential benefit for TRT use in select symptomatic hypogonadal men with a history of prostate cancer. Data were limited, however, by the retrospective nature of most studies, the lack of control groups, small sample sizes, and short follow-up periods. Conclusion There is insufficient evidence to withhold TRT in certain populations of men with a history of prostate cancer.
Wanted: Scalable Tracers for Diffusion

Scalable tracers are potentially a useful tool to understand diffusion mechanisms and to predict diffusion coefficents, particularly for hindered diffusion in complex, heterogeneous, or crowded systems. Scalable tracers are defined as a homologous series of tracers varying in size but with the same shape, structure, surface chemistry, flexibility, and diffusion mechanism. Both chemical homology and constant dynamics are required. Specifically, branching must not vary with size, and there must be no transition between ordinary diffusion and reptation. Ideally the tracers would be uniform, monodisperse, metabolically inert cylinders in 2D or spheres in 3D with continuously variable radius and tunable surface properties. Scalable tracers would facilitate more rigorous diffusion measurements in which two types of measurements would be clearly distinguished: using scalable tracers to find the mean diffusion coefficient as a function of size, and using nonscalable tracers to find the variation due to differences in shape, surface properties, and the like. Candidate scalable tracers are discussed for 2D diffusion in membranes and 3D diffusion in cytoplasm and nucleoplasm. Specific recommendations for 3D measurements include the use of synthetic dendrimers or random hyperbranched polymers instead of dextran, and the use of core-shell quantum dots in which the shell thickness is used to vary the overall diameter. A set of scalable tracers varying in flexibility would also be useful. These would be made by varying the density of crosslinking in a polymer, to make say “reinforced Ficoll” or “reinforced hyperbranched polyglycerol.” (Supported by NIH grant GM038133.)
Neural excitability after paradoxical sleep deprivation: A replication and further examination

Mice that are deprived of paradoxical sleep (PS) for 3 days and given electroconvulsive shock (ECS) at one of several intervals after PS deprivation, display a reduction in brain-seizure thresholds. Brain-seizure thresholds are invariant in comparable groups of animals that are not deprived of PS. A shortening of the tonic phase of the convulsion is also observed in the PS-deprived animals; these findings suggest that PS-deprived animals receiving compensatory brain stimulation undergo a less severe convulsion. The experimental findings are interpreted to suggest that PS deprivation produces a central-neural change, during which time the brain is much more susceptible to agents that produce amnesia.
Wine, symbolic boundary setting, and American religious communities

L'A. montre que des groupes religieux aussi differents que les mormons, l'Eglise episcopale ou le judaisme de la reforme, utilisent le vin pour accomplir des rituels necessaires a leur identite religieuse. Pour l'A., l'utilisation ou le refus d'utilisation du vin permet de situer la position theologique d'un groupe face a une experience religieuse structuree. Mieux encore, le vin revele les types de relations interpersonnelles qui permettent aux membres de soutenir leur identification a une communaute religieuse. La prohibition du vin dans certains groupes doit se comprendre dans une perspective socio-culturelle et theologique
An FPGA-based stream processor for embedded real-time vision with Convolutional Networks

Many recent visual recognition systems can be seen as being composed of multiple layers of convolutional filter banks, interspersed with various types of non-linearities. This includes Convolutional Networks, HMAX-type architectures, as well as systems based on dense SIFT features or Histogram of Gradients. This paper describes a highly-compact and low power embedded system that can run such vision systems at very high speed. A custom board built around a Xilinx Virtex-4 FPGA was built and tested. It measures 70 × 80 mm, and the complete system—FPGA, camera, memory chips, flash—consumes 15 watts in peak, and is capable of more than 4 × 109 multiply-accumulate operations per second in real vision application. This enables real-time implementations of object detection, object recognition, and vision-based navigation algorithms in small-size robots, micro-UAVs, and hand-held devices. Real-time face detection is demonstrated, with speeds of 10 frames per second at VGA resolution.
The pkr kinase promoter binds both Sp1 and Sp3, but only Sp3 functions as part of the interferon-inducible complex with ISGF-3 proteins

Abstract The protein kinase regulated by RNA (PKR) is an important mediator of the antiviral and antiproliferative actions of interferon (IFN). The promoter of the PKR gene contains a novel 15-bp element designated KCS that is required for both basal and IFN-inducible transcription, with KCS function dependent upon both position and orientation relative to the ISRE element. Novel inducible protein complexes (iKIBP1, iKIBP2) that require both the KCS and the ISRE element sequences for their formation have been identified and characterized. Transcription factors Sp1 and Sp3 were found to be KCS-binding proteins by electrophoretic mobility shift analyses (EMSA) and Sepharose bead-KCS oligonucleotide pull-down assays. However, only Sp3 but not Sp1 was a constituent of the inducible iKIBP complexes. EMSA also identified STAT1, STAT2, and IRF-9 as components of the iKIBP complexes, indicating that ISGF-3 participates in iKIBP complex formation. Proteins bound at the KCS element in the absence of ISRE were able to recruit both STAT1 and STAT2 to the KCS element; recruitment was dependent upon IFN-α treatment. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that the binding of Sp3, similar to STAT1 and STAT2, at the PKR promoter in vivo was IFN-dependent, but that Sp1 binding was not dependent upon IFN treatment. These results, taken together, strongly suggest a role for Sp1 in basal and Sp3 in inducible transcription of PKR and that a potential function of the KCS element is to facilitate the recruitment of ISGF-3 complex components to the PKR promoter to stimulate transcription.
Effects of a 24‐hour fast on cigarette smoking in humans

The effects of 24 hours of food deprivation on cigarette consumption, smoke exposure and mood were studied in seven research volunteers. A within-subjects design was used in which subjects smoked low-yield (0.1 mg nicotine) and high-yield (0.7-1.1 mg nicotine) cigarettes in both a fed and a fasting state. Each of the four experimental conditions--FED/LOW-YIELD, FED/HIGH-YIELD, FAST/LOW-YIELD, FAST/HIGH-YIELD--was enacted twice according to a randomized block design. Cigarette consumption was measured during the 24-h period before experimental sessions. The session included a 60-min smoking period, in which number of puffs per cigarette, number of cigarettes smoked, carbon monoxide (CO) exposure and mood were assessed. Although cigarette consumption during the 24 h prior to sessions did not vary as a function of feeding condition, CO levels at the end of this 24-h time period were slightly, but significantly, higher in the FAST condition (mean CO level: 30.3 ppm) than in the FED condition (mean CO level: 28.1 ppm). During the laboratory session, amount of smoking and CO exposure were similar across feeding conditions. Interactions between feeding condition and dose were obtained on several mood measures that reflected sedation and arousal: in the high-yield condition, subjects were more sedated after fasting, whereas in the low-yield condition, they reported being less sedated after fasting. We conclude that fasting does not alter cigarette consumption but may increase smoke exposure during ad libitum smoking, perhaps via a change in some aspect of smoking behaviour not measured in the present study (e.g. puff volume).
Subchronic Toxicity of Tetrahydrofuran Vapors in Rats and Mice

Abstract Tetrahydrofuran (THF), a four-carbon, cyclic ether, is widely used as an industrial solvent. Groups of 10 rats and mice of each sex were administered THF vapor by whole body inhalation for 13 weeks at exposure concentrations of 0, 66, 200, 600, 1800, and 5000 ppm. The body weights and survival were not affected by THF exposure, except in male mice at 5000 ppm concentration which had reduced weight and three deaths. Clinical signs of central nervous system (CNS) toxicity were observed in both rats and mice at high dose levels. Rats of both sexes exposed to 5000 ppm were ataxic and mice exposed to 1800 or 5000 ppm appeared to be in a state of narcosis. There were no exposure-related gross necropsy findings in rats or mice. At 5000 ppm, decreases in thymic and spleen weights in rats and mice of both sexes and increases in liver weights in both sexes of mice and in female rats were observed. A minimal to mild centrilobular hepatocytomegaly occurred in male and female mice exposed to 5000 ppm THF. Atrophy of the uterus and degeneration of the X zone in the adrenal cortex occurred in female mice exposed to 5000 ppm THF. THF exposure of rats was associated with minimal to mild acanthosis and inflammation in the forestomach. In conclusion, these studies suggest that THF, like other commonly used organic solvents, causes narcosis in rats and mice. Although minimal exposurerelated effects were seen in the liver of both species, morphologic changes were present only in mice. The stomach lesions were limited to rats of both sexes and were most likely due to a local irritant effect of THF exposure.
California Earthquakes--Pictorial Review: ABSTRACT

Selected photographs show damage in three historic earthquakes: San Francisco, 1906; Santa Barbara, 1925; Imperial Valley, 1940. Relative value of building materials and techniques in resisting large earthquakes are evident from the pictures. End_of_Article - Last_Page 283------------
Developing an audiovisual metadata application profile: A case study

Digitizing audiovisual materials is gradually being prioritized by libraries and other cultural institutions; however, metadata guidelines and best practices for describing these collections have not been fully developed. This paper outlines the development of local guidelines for audiovisual metadata at the Penn State University Libraries in the context of one digital project, and situates those guidelines within the process of developing an audiovisual metadata application profile for use across institutions.
The effect on categorical ratings of personal descriptors with list length as a potential context effect

College student subjects rated 20 personal descriptors (adjectives) on an 11-point favorable-unfavorable (good-bad) categorical scale. They rated using both a short and a long form. The short form presented 20 descriptors; the long form presented 83 additional descriptors for a total of 103. In two experiments, the ratings of the 20 common adjectives were found to correlate highly, suggesting the absence of a context effect. The results were viewed as extending the boundary conditions of the hypothesis developed by Hicks and his associates, which predicts no context effect when, as true of the present studies, ratings are couched in familiar or conventional terms.
Review on recent development of quantum dots: from optoelectronic devices to novel biosensing applications

Quantum dots are one of the fascinating quantum structures in broad device applications. The progress made in III-V quantum dots due to self-assembled growth technique was incredibly rapid to realize practical device applications such as lasers and detectors. In this review, the growth issues of quantum dots in self-assembling technique and the progress made in optoelectronic devices is addressed. The 1.3 μm lasers have been successfully demonstrated on GaAs substrate with InGaAs multi-stacked QDs. The low threshold, high power laser characteristics and its carrier dynamics in QD lasers is discussed. More than 10GHz of 3dB-modulation bandwidth was obtained from well-designed 1.3 μm QD lasers. The potential application of high speed and tunable light emitting sources is reviewed. The long wavelength quantum dot photodetectors (QDIP) is another promising application of fine quantum structure. The physical properties and characteristics of QDIP are briefly addressed. The applications of quantum dots are not limited to the optoelectronic devices and currently they have received increasing attention for bio-sensing applications due to their small fine structures. We briefly discuss a model for bio-sensing mechanism of QD fine structure as interacting with bimolecular at the end.
Evaluation of thermal- and photo-crosslinked biodegradable poly(propylene fumarate)-based networks

Biodegradable networks of poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) and the crosslinking reagent poly(propylene fumarate)-diacrylate (PPF-DA) were prepared with thermal- and photo-initiator systems. Thermal-crosslinking was performed with benzoyl peroxide (BP), which is accelerated by N,N-dimethyl-p-toluidine (DMT) and enables injection and in situ polymerization. Photo-crosslinking was accomplished with bis(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl) phenylphosphine oxide (BAPO), which is activated by long-wavelength UV light and facilitates material processing with rapid manufacturing techniques, such as stereolithography. Networks were evaluated to assess the effects of the initiators and the PPF/PPF-DA double bond ratio on the mechanical properties. Regardless of the initiator system, the compressive properties of the PPF/PPF-DA networks increased as the double bond ratio decreased from 2 to 0.5. BAPO/UV-initiated networks were significantly stronger than those formed with BP/DMT. The compressive modulus of the photo- and thermal-crosslinked PPF/PPF-DA networks ranged from 310 ± 25 to 1270 ± 286 MPa and 75 ± 8 to 332 ± 89 MPa, respectively. The corresponding fracture strengths varied from 58 ± 7 to 129 ± 17 MPa and 31 ± 13 to 105 ± 12 MPa. The mechanical properties were not affected by the initiator concentration. Characterization of the network structures indicated that BAPO was a more efficient initiator for the crosslinking of PPF/PPF-DA, achieving a higher double bond conversion and crosslinking density than its BP counterpart. Estimated average molecular weights between crosslinks (Mc) confirmed the effects of the initiators and PPF/PPF-DA double bond ratio on the mechanical properties. This work demonstrates the capability to control the properties of PPF/PPF-DA networks as well as their versatility to be used as an injectable material or a prefabricated implant. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 66A: 811–818, 2003
Predisposition to neoplastic transformation caused by gene replacement of H-ras1

Homologous recombination was used to introduce a nominally transforming mutation into an endogenous H-ras1 gene in Rat1 fibroblasts. Although both the mutant and the remaining normal allele were expressed equally, the heterozygous cells were not neoplastically transformed. Instead, spontaneously transformed cells arose from the heterozygotes at a low frequency, and the majority of these cells had amplified the mutant allele. Thus, the activated H-ras1 allele was not by itself dominant over the normal allele but predisposed cells to transformation by independent events, such as amplification of the mutant allele.
Evidence that neurotensin mediates the central effect of leptin on food intake in rat.

Abstract Recent evidence suggests that leptin’s action on food intake and body weight regulation is mediated by a number of orexigenic and anorectic neuronal systems in the hypothalamus. Our previous demonstration that central injections of leptin induce hypothalamic neurotensin (NT) gene expression in association with a reduced food intake and decreased body weight in rats indicates that NT, an anorectic peptide, is involved in mediating leptin’s action on feeding and body weight regulation. To begin to examine the relative role of NT in this regard we evaluated the effects of NT antiserum (NT-AS) or NT receptor antagonist, SR 48692, on the satiety action of leptin in rats. In the first experiment, 3rd cerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of either 1 or 5 μl of NT-AS, 30 min prior to leptin (4 μg) injection, completely blocked the effects of leptin on food deprivation (FD)-induced feeding. In the second experiment, intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of SR 48692 (40 μg/kg) also completely prevented leptin’s satiety action on FD-induced feeding. These results showing the reversal of leptin’s satiety action by either NT immunoneutralization or NT-receptor antagonism support our hypothesis that NT is involved in mediating leptin’s action on feeding and further suggest that this neuropeptide is a quantitatively important component of the leptin sensitive neural circuitry.
A portable 5 cm freon bubble chamber for the investigation of particle beam profiles

A freon bubble chamber weighing 100 lb and with overall dimensions of 18" x 18" x 7" is described. It was used successfully to investigate the cross sectional shape of a particle beam and to facilitate adjustment of the beam magnets to produce the desired shape. It could also be used to investigate the convergence or divergence of a beam. (A.G.W.)
A Robust Anti-Swing Trajectory Control of Overhead Cranes With High-Speed Load Hoisting: Simulation Study

This paper proposes a new approach for the anti-swing trajectory control of overhead cranes that allows simultaneous high-speed load hoisting. The objective of this study is to design an anti-swing trajectory control scheme that is robust to unavoidable mechanical inaccuracies and installation errors such as locally sloped trolley rails. First, a coupled sliding surface is defined based on the load-swing dynamics, and then the stability of the coupled sliding surface is shown to be equivalent to that of trolley tracking errors. Next, a robust anti-swing trajectory control scheme, minimizing the coupled sliding surface asymptotically to zero, is designed based on the trolley and load-hoisting dynamics. Finally, the proposed control is extended to an adaptive scheme. In this study, the Lyapunov stability theorem is used as a mathematical design tool. The proposed control guarantees asymptotic stability of the anti-swing trajectory control while keeping all internal signals bounded. The proposed control provides a practical solution for the robustness problem caused by the usual mechanical inaccuracies and installation errors in application. The proposed control also provides clear gain-tuning criteria for easy application. The validity of the theoretical results is shown by computer simulation.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
John Ireland and the Modernist Controversy

The effects of the condemnation of Modernism in the opening decades of the twentieth century were deep and far reaching. The Vatican, continuing its long-standing feud with doctrinal Modernism, took sharp, decisive action on 3 July 1907 when the Holy Office issued a syllabus, Lamentabili sane exitu , listing sixty-five condemned propositions taken mostly from the writings of the noted French theologian and exegete Alfred Loisy. 1 Two months later, on 8 September, Pius X renewed the attack with his anti-Modernist encyclical, Pascendi Dominici gregis . 2 The encyclical outlined and condemned “most attempts then being made by European Catholics, priests and laity, to incorporate the most recent nonscholastic research and scholarship into the development of theology and scripture studies.”
Effects of drug history on the acquisition of responding maintained by GBR 12909 in rhesus monkeys.

The reinforcing effects of cocaine have been associated with its actions at the dopamine reuptake site. Previous studies have shown that selective dopamine reuptake inhibitors can attenuate cocaine self-administration in animals, suggesting that they may serve as pharmacotherapeutic agents. In order to assess the potential reinforcing effects of one of these agents, the acquisition and maintenance of GBR 12909 self-administration were studied in different groups of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) that were either experimentally naive or experienced with respect to the self-administration of cocaine or GBR 12909. Lever-pressing was maintained under a multiple FR30 schedule with alternating components of either food or drug presentation. Experimentally naive monkeys failed to self-administer low doses of GBR 12909 (3–30 µg/kg per injection). However, after a history of cocaine self-administration, GBR 12909 (56 µg/kg per injection and then 30 µg/kg per injection) maintained numbers of drug deliveries similar to those maintained by cocaine. When another group of experimentally-naive monkeys was initially exposed to GBR 12909 self-administration, 56 µg/kg per injection failed to maintain responding. However, subsequent exposure to 100 µg/kg per injection established GBR 12909 self-administration, and high levels of responding were sustained later when the unit dose was decreased to 30 µg/kg per injection. In monkeys with prior experience with cocaine self-administration (∼75 sessions) unit doses of either 30 µg/kg per injection or 56 µg/kg per injection GBR 12909 maintained responding. In another group of monkeys with a more extensive history of cocaine self-administration (∼320 sessions), unit doses of either 10 µg/kg per injection or 30 µg/kg per injection GBR 12909 maintained responding. These results show that drug-maintained responding can be established with higher unit doses of GBR 12909. After exposure to these higher, more effective doses of GBR 12909, or effective doses of cocaine, lower doses of GBR 12909 are more likely to support drug-maintained responding.
International Representation in the Psychological Literature

The author searched PsycLit records to examine the representation of psychological research from outside the US and changes in international representation over time. American research dominates, but international representation has increased since 1975. Western Europe, Japan, Australia, and Israel in particular have become better represented. In contrast, developing nations have remained poorly represented for most of the time period examined. Relative national influence may accurately reflect the numbers of psychologists in general, and research psychologists in particular, in each nation. Psychologists in developing nations also focus on teaching, clinical, and social issues, and have few resources for research activities. International representation is likely to continue increasing. Cette etude utilise la banque de donnees PsycLit pour analyser la representation de la recherche en psychologie faite a l'exterieur des Etats-Unis et les changements dans la representation internationale au fil du temps. ...
Antithrombotic trials in acute ischaemic stroke: a selective review

Stroke is a common cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the US and the world. Given the highly disabling nature of this disease, it is important to provide acute therapy when indicated to improve individual outcomes. Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is, at present, the only approved drug for the treatment of acute strokes due to cerebral ischaemia. It can be given intravenously within a 3-h window of the onset of neurological deficits. Intra-arterial administration of rt-PA within a 6-h window is performed at several academic centres in patients with middle cerebral and other intracranial artery occlusions based on results of a randomised clinical trial. Other thrombolytic agents are being studied in randomised trials. Although acute therapy of ischaemic stroke has received much attention since the approval of rt-PA, only a small percentage of individuals actually receive rt-PA. This article will review the main thrombolytic agents and the trials performed thus far, as well as examine some important ongoing trials. How administration of acute thrombolytic therapy may evolve in the future will also be addressed.
Endothelial cells require STAT3 for protection against endotoxin-induced inflammation.

Endothelial cells (ECs) are believed to be an important component in the protection from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxic shock. However, the cellular and molecular mechanism is not well defined. Here, we report that signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 is an essential regulator of the antiinflammatory function of ECs in systemic immunity. Because STAT3 deficiency results in early embryonic lethality, we have generated mice with a conditional STAT3 deletion in endothelium (STAT3 E � / � ). STAT3 E � / � mice are healthy and fertile, and isolated ECs initiate normal tube formation in vitro. Conditional endothelial but not organ-specific (i.e., hepatocyte or cardiomyocyte) STAT3 knockout mice show an increased susceptibility to lethality after LPS challenge. The LPS response in STAT3 E � / � mice shows exaggerated inflammation and leukocyte infiltration in multiple organs combined with elevated activity of serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, indicating organ damage. Concomitantly, proinflammatory cytokines are produced at an exaggerated level and for a prolonged period. This defect cannot be explained by lack of antiinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 10 and transforming growth factor � . Instead, we have shown that a soluble activity derived from endothelia and dependent on STAT3 is critical for suppression of interferon � . These data define STAT3 signaling within endothelia as a critical antiinflammatory mediator and provide new insight to the protective function of ECs in inflammation.
Laboratory Confirmation of Generalized Vaccinia following Smallpox Vaccination

The reinitiation of smallpox vaccination has renewed interest in implementing modern diagnostic methods to assess orthopoxvirus infection and adverse events following vaccination. We report here the laboratory confirmation of vaccinia virus in pustular lesions of a healthy adult vaccinee by use of a two-tier algorithm incorporating TaqMan PCR and electron microscopy.
Repair of rotator cuff tears in golfers

Abstract Purpose: Golfers continue to play through the years that rotator cuff disease becomes more common. We sought to establish the results of acromioplasty and rotator cuff repair in golfers, including their ability to return to the sport. Study Type: Case series. Methods: Of 30 golfers who underwent 32 rotator cuff repairs, 29 were interviewed, completed a detailed questionnaire, and returned for a physical examination. All of the patients were recreational or regional tournament golfers. Fifteen had open acromioplasty and rotator cuff repair and 16 had arthroscopic acromioplasty and mini-open repair. The average age at surgery was 60 years (range, 39 to 76 years). At surgery, most were moderate size tears (2 to 6 cm 2 ). Results: At average follow-up of 37 months (range, 24 to 60 months), all but 3 patients are currently golfing. For patients who are currently golfing, there was no significant difference in handicaps or drive distances at most recent follow-up compared with presymptomatic handicaps and drive distances ( P >.05). Twenty-three patients report that they are playing at their presymptomatic competitive level without pain. Three patients report playing at a lower competitive level than before. Conclusion: In our experience, acromioplasty and rotator cuff repair predictably allow for eventual return to pain-free golfing at a similar competitive level for most recreational-level athletes. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery, Vol 17, No 2 (February), 2001: pp 165–172
Design optimization of electrical machines using genetic algorithms

The application of genetic algorithms (GAs) to the design optimization of electromagnetic devices is presented in detail. The method is demonstrated on a magnetizer by optimizing its pole face to obtain the desired magnetic flux density distribution. The shape of the pole face is constructed from the control points by means of uniform nonrational b-splines. >
Suppression of Human Glioma Xenografts with Second-Generation IL13R-Specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor–Modified T Cells

Purpose: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains highly incurable, with frequent recurrences after standard therapies of maximal surgical resection, radiation, and chemotherapy. To address the need for new treatments, we have undertaken a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) “designer T cell” (dTc) immunotherapeutic strategy by exploiting interleukin (IL)13 receptor α-2 (IL13Rα2) as a GBM-selective target. Experimental Design: We tested a second-generation IL13 “zetakine” CAR composed of a mutated IL13 extracellular domain linked to intracellular signaling elements of the CD28 costimulatory molecule and CD3ζ. The aim of the mutation (IL13.E13K.R109K) was to enhance selectivity of the CAR for recognition and killing of IL13Rα2 + GBMs while sparing normal cells bearing the composite IL13Rα1/IL4Rα receptor. Results: Our aim was partially realized with improved recognition of tumor and reduced but persisting activity against normal tissue IL13Rα1 + cells by the IL13.E13K.R109K CAR. We show that these IL13 dTcs were efficient in killing IL13Rα2 + glioma cell targets with abundant secretion of cytokines IL2 and IFNγ, and they displayed enhanced tumor-induced expansion versus control unmodified T cells in vitro . In an in vivo test with a human glioma xenograft model, single intracranial injections of IL13 dTc into tumor sites resulted in marked increases in animal survivals. Conclusions: These data raise the possibility of immune targeting of diffusely invasive GBM cells either via dTc infusion into resection cavities to prevent GBM recurrence or via direct stereotactic injection of dTcs to suppress inoperable or recurrent tumors. Systemic administration of these IL13 dTc could be complicated by reaction against normal tissues expressing IL13Ra1. Clin Cancer Res; 18(21); 5949–60. ©2012 AACR .
The spatial distribution of larvalfishes about the Mississippi River plume

The distribution of larval fishes is shaped by the Mississippi River plume at both coarse (kilometers) and fine (tens to hundreds of meters) spatial scales. Density estimates of larval fishes (No. m-3), based upon ichthyoplankton samples collected about the Mississippi River plume in February 1982, December 1982, and November 1983, were often greater by a factor of 10, and sometimes by several orders of magnitude, at the plume front than they were inside (within) or outside of the plume. Greater densities at the plume front were most apparent for larval Brevoortia patronus (a clupeid) and unidentified clupeid larvae. Frontal convergence apparently affects the accumulation of larval fishes at the frontal interface, but high densities were not evident everywhere along the front. An index of potential convergent velocity indicates maximal velocities of the order of 0. lo0.30 m s-l, but this index does not explain variation in the accumulation of larval fishes. Frontal convergence may be localized and affected by secondary circulations.
Regulation of podJ expression during the Caulobacter crescentus cell cycle

The polar organelle development gene, podJ, is expressed during the swarmer-to-stalked cell transition of the Caulobacter crescentus cell cycle. Mutants with insertions that inactivate the podJ gene are nonchemotactic, deficient in rosette formation, and resistant to polar bacteriophage, but they divide normally. In contrast, hyperexpression of podJ results in a lethal cell division defect. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the podJ promoter region revealed a binding site for the global response regulator, CtrA. Deletion of this site results in increased overall promoter activity, suggesting that CtrA is a negative regulator of the podJ promoter. Furthermore, synchronization studies have indicated that temporal regulation is not dependent on the presence of the CtrA binding site. Thus, although the level of podJ promoter activity is dependent on the CtrA binding site, the temporal control of podJ promoter expression is dependent on other factors.
Farming with reduced synthetic chemicals in North Carolina.

The primary objectives of this study were to describe the various pest control and soil fertility management strategies used by North Carolina farmers and to characterize the types of farms and farmers using each strategy. In 1988, a survey was mailed to farmers who had shown interest in alternative methods and a randomly selected control group of conventional farmers. Cluster analysis on crops, inputs, and cultural practices used by crop farmers in the combined sample showed that they fall into three distinct groups. Very few members of the first group apply standard synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Instead, more than three-quarters of them use cover crops, compost, organic mulch, commercial fertilizers and pesticides labeled as “organic”, resistant varieties, hand weeding, mechanical cultivation, scouting, and biological pest controls. More than half of the second group did not use any nutrient and pest management inputs or practices except synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and lime. More than three-quarters of the third group reported use of synthetic fertilizers, synthetic herbicides, and lime, but also employed most of the cultural practices reported by alternative farmers. However, they less frequently used labor-intensive practices (such as manuring, mechanical cultivation, and hand weeding) and information-intensive practices (such as scouting and companion planting). Information sources, concerns about farm chemicals, and length of farming experience discriminated better than other socioeconomic factors and farm characteristics between farmers who use conventional chemical inputs and those who use alternative practices. Group 1 farmers differed from Group 3 farmers most sharply in that they rank the cost of pest control products and their extension agents' advice lower, have lower farm incomes, read more information sources promoting reduced synthetic chemicals, own more of the land they operate, and have less farming experience. The only factors significantly discriminating Groups 1 and 2 were that Group 1 fanners rank the importance of their extension agents' recommendations lower and effects of chemical products on birds and wildlife higher, read more reduced-chemical information sources, and have less farming experience.
Short report: time course of clinical response with fluconazole for Candida oesophagitis in patients with AIDS.

SUMMARY Background: Although fluconazole is increasingly utilized for the therapy of Candida oesophagitis in patients with AIDS, the time course of response has not been adequately defined. Methods: Over a 48-month period, all HIV-infected patients undergoing upper endoscopy at a large city-county hospital were identified prospectively. Symptomatic patients with endoscopic and histopathologically confirmed Candida oesophagitis in whom oral antifungal therapy had not been received within the past three months were treated in an open-label fashion with fluconazole 200 mg on the first day followed by 100 mg daily for two weeks. All patients were followed clinically to determine the rapidity of response. Results: Eighteen patients were identified; all but two were male. Candida oesophagitis was graded as severe in 13 patients (72 %). A complete symptomatic response was seen by five days in seven patients (39 %) and by seven days in nine additional patients (cumulative response, 89 %). The two other patients had improved by at least 50% at one week, with a complete symptomatic response seen at two weeks. Conclusions: Our study confirms anecdotal experience suggesting that fluconazole results in a rapid clinical response for Candida oesophagitis in patients with AIDS. Given this rapidity, a one-week course of empiric treatment with fluconazole for HIV-infected patients with newly developed esophageal symptoms could be used as an appropriate time period to assess a response prior to further diagnostic evaluation with endoscopy.
USSR: A Unified Framework for Simultaneous Smoothing, Segmentation, and Registration of Multiple Images

Image smoothing, segmentation and registration are three key processing steps in many computer vision applications. In this paper, we present a novel framework for achieving all three seemingly disparate goals simultaneously across multiple images in a unified framework via a single variational principle. The proposed method ensures that the estimated registration is unbiased and all compositions of registration maps are compatible. The solution to the variational problem is achieved efficiently by solving a coupled system of partial differential equations over the common domain on which the registration maps are defined. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is demonstrated on sets of real images.
Prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection among rodents and host-seeking ticks in South Carolina.

Tissues of rodents and host-seeking adult ticks collected in the Piedmont, Sandhills, Coastal Plain, and Coastal Zone of South Carolina were cultured in attempts to isolate Borrelia burgdorferi (Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner), the etiologic agent of Lyme disease. An exploratory, tree-based statistical analysis was used to identify ecological variables that were associated with spirochete infection among rodents and ticks. Spirochetes were isolated from tissues of 71 rodents: 22 (69%) of 32 eastern woodrats, 39 (53%) of 74 cotton mice, and 11 (25%) of 44 hispid cotton rats. Rodent infection prevalences were significantly higher in the Coastal Zone than in other regions. Spirochetes were also cultured from 31 (2.6%) of 1,193 questing ticks. Prevalence of spirochetes in Ixodes affinis Neumann (19/74, 26%) was significantly higher than in I. scapularis Say (12/864, 1.3%) and other species (0/255) of ticks tested. In addition, two (9%) of 23 adult I. minor Neumann removed from woodrats contained spirochetes. Isolates from rodents and ticks were analyzed immunologically by indirect immunofluorescence and Western blots, and further characterized by polymerase chain reaction assays and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. All were determined to be B. burgdorferi sensu lato. Results of this study confirmed that B. burgdorferi is endemic in South Carolina, and that enzootic transmission cycles exist at foci in the Coastal Zone. These findings add additional evidence that I. affinis and I. minor are potentially significant maintenance vectors of the spirochete.
Efficient interpolration architecture for soft-decision Reed-Solomon decoding by applying slow-down

Among various decoding algorithms of Reed-Solomon (RS) codes, algebraic soft-decision decoding (ASD) can achieve significant coding gain with polynomial complexity. One major step of ASD is the interpolation. The interpolation problem can be solved by the Nielsonpsilas algorithm, which involves discrepancy coefficient computation. This computation requires a feedback loop with one multiplier, one adder and one register. The maximum clock frequency of the interpolation architecture is limited by the multiplier-adder path in this loop. In this paper, we propose to employ the slow-down technique to increase the register number in the feedback loop, such that the multiplier-adder path can be divided into shorter segments through retiming to achieve higher clock frequency. In addition, input sequences to the feedback loops are interleaved. Applying the proposed interpolation architecture to a (255, 239) RS code with maximum multiplicity three, 43% higher efficiency in terms of speed/area ratio can be achieved over prior efforts.
The Red Zone: Why Beijing's Air Pollution Crisis is More Complicated than You Think

The air pollution crisis in Beijing is an immediately pressing issue, as particulate concentrations have reached unprecedented levels and photographs of a smog-filled city with masked citizens fill international news. As the world's biggest source of carbon emissions, China is under domestic pressure from its populace to counter air pollution as it poses not only health risks to its citizens, but also grave long-term environmental threats. But the issue of air pollution in Beijing is much more complicated than media often portrays. Beijing is particularly susceptible to adverse atmospheric conditions both due to its rapid urbanization and the geography of the area. The national and municipal government have enacted policies in order to combat air pollution, including restrictions on vehicle and industrial emissions and carbon trading. But there are many challenges to address given the multi-faceted nature of the crisis. In light of the recent policies and scientific contributions, Beijing could go one step further in attempting to decrease pollution through implementing driver taxes, expanding and diversifying urban forests, and investing in alternative energy, particularly wind power. However, even such advanced preventative measures are met with their own obstacles given the constraints of urban infrastructure. Beijing’s air pollution poses a health risk to the people who live there. Such particulate air pollution combines liquid droplets in the atmosphere with a number of components, including acids like nitrates and sulfates, organic chemicals, metals, and soil or dust particles, which can be harmful to those who inhale it. There is a significant exposure-response relationship between maternal exposures to sulfur dioxide and total suspended particles during the third trimester of pregnancy and infant birth weight. The data suggests that total suspended particles and sulfur dioxide, or a more complex pollution mixture associated with these pollutants, contribute to an excess risk of low birth weight in the Beijing population (Wang et al., 1997) There are also negative health effects regarding respiratory and cardiovascular issues, amongst others, as the annual numbers of mortality and morbidity increase significantly in the presence of PM10 pollution in the urban areas. Moreover, the chronic effects of long-term exposure could take years to develop cannot be fully quantified in such studies (Zhang, 2007). Health complications are also accompanied by economic costs as well as productivity decreases and
The Nonnegative Matrix Factorization and atomic deconvolution

The Nonnegative Matrix Factorization is an unsupervised maching learning technique that finds a representation of measured data in terms of two low-rank factors. It has recently gained popularity in various applications as a feature selection and dimension reduction tool, e.g. text mining, signal processing, and image processing. Thus, the nonnegative matrix factorization is an increasingly important tool in big data analysis as data continues to grow not only in size but also in complexity. In this paper, we advance the NMF analysis in the case of the convolution. That is, the two factors have the clear roles of convolution kernel and signal. Specifically, for the case of the point-spread function, atoms are the weights that describe the kernel. Using proper atoms, we develop a method for the blind deconvolution based on an NMF representation so that we obtain an estimate of the signal and the kernel. In addition, with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Specifically, we extend the idea of the two factors to the Fourier transform and develop a coordinate-descent method in order to determine phases.