cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Examination of the differential characteristics of amplifier and contrasuppressor T cells.

Abstract Vicia villosa lectin-adherent Lyt-1 + spleen cells, obtained 4 days after immunization with an optimally immunogenic dose (0.5 υg) of Type III pneumococcal polysaccharide (SSS-III), increased the magnitude of the antibody response of mice to SSS-III upon transfer to recipients also immunized with the same antigen; however, the ability to demonstrate such enhancement depended greatly upon when such cells were transferred relative to immunization of recipients. Lectin-adherent cells augmented the antibody response of athymic nude (nu/nu) mice to SSS-III, and abrogated the expression - but not the induction - of low-dose immunological paralysis, a form of unresponsiveness mediated by suppressor T cells. These findings are consistent with effects usually attributed to the action of amplifier, rather than contrasuppressor, T cells.
Libertarianism, Entitlement, and Responsibility

Etude du libertarisme defini comme la theorie morale et politique affirmant les droits des gens sur les fruits de leur travail, d'une part, ainsi que leur responsabilite civile individuelle, d'autre part. Soulignant l'insuffisance de l'idee d'une unite causale de l'action des gens pour justifier le critere de responsabilite absolue du droit penal, en particulier, et pour justifier la theorie des droits, en general, l'A. montre que les principaux problemes que recontre la conception libertariste de la responsabilite des resultats de l'action releve a la fois de l'atomisme moral et de la causation des faits dommageables
Spatial and temporal trends of perfluorinated compounds in Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from Alaska.

Wildlife from remote locations have been shown to bioaccumulate perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in their tissues. Twelve PFCs, consisting of perfluorinated carboxylic (PFCA) and sulfonic (PFSA) acids as well as the perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) precursor perfluorooctane sulfonamide (PFOSA), were measured in livers of 68 beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) collected from two subpopulations, Cook Inlet and eastern Chukchi Sea, in Alaska between 1989 and 2006. PFOS and PFOSA were the dominant compounds measured in both beluga stock populations, with overall median concentrations of 10.8 ng/g and 22.8 ng/g, respectively. Long-chain perfluorocarboxylates, PFCAs (9 to 14 carbons), were detected in more than 80% of the samples. Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA) and perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTriA) made up a large percentage of the PFCAs measured with median concentrations of 8.49 ng/g and 4.38 ng/g, respectively. To compare differences in location, year, sex, and length, backward stepwise multiple regressi...
Integration of an advanced laser writer into a manufacturing environment

The integration of an advanced high resolution laser lithography system for sub-0.50 micron technology, utilizing a 32 beam, 8 pass exposure writing strategy, in a merchant production mask-making environment, is explored. The ALTA-3000 tool represents the latest evolution of mask lithography platforms and, as such, has several advantages over the traditional e-beam or CORE exposure systems. For example, on a laser tool there is no requirement for a high vacuum system, and the complexities associated therein. Unexposed masks are not carried in individual cassettes, as in an e-beam system, and therefore system performance is not subjected to these error sources. Freedom from the potentially adverse affects of these sub- systems should appear as improvements on product performance in the areas of registration and defect control. The additional gray scales of the 32 beam architecture enable increased averaging of the individual beams, thus leading to improvements in print performance, relative to earlier versions of laser technology. The production capability of the ALTA-3000 is analyzed to determine what type of routine performance can be expected in terms of resolution, linewidth control, linearity, registration, defect control, and printing speed. The primary goal of this evaluation is to determine if the performance of the system is capable of meeting reticle requirements for 64 and 256 megabit chips and 5th and 6th generation microprocessors, which are expected to require 0.35 and 0.25 micron geometries on the wafer. The evaluation revealed the basic capability exists, however, additional work must be done in the area of registration control to improve the yields necessary to support high volume production for these technologies.
High pH sensing with water-soluble porpholactone derivatives and their incorporation into a Nafion® optode membrane

The known optical high pH sensing chromophores, free base and metal complexes (M = 2H, Zn(II), Pt(II)) of meso-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porpholactone, and the as yet untested Ga(III) complex, were made freely water-soluble by derivatization at the aryl group with PEG chains. Their halochromic response profiles were determined and found to be surprisingly shifted toward greater base sensitivity when compared to the parent sensors in aqueous solution in the presence of a surfactant. Select PEG-derivatized chromophores were also incorporated into Nafion®-based membranes. The immobilized sensor was shown to be suitable for a moderately rapid (response time in minutes) sensing of high concentrations of hydroxides (pH 11 and above, up to 5 M NaOH concentrations). The lesser sensitivity of the indicators in the membrane is rationalized by the anionic nature of the membrane material. The membrane shows a perfectly reversible response and remains transparent and stable even under extended times of exposure to very caustic environments, and no leaching of the chromophore is observed. The membrane might find use in fiber optics-based optodes suitable for the monitoring of high hydroxide environments inside chemical reactors or fuel cells.
Apoptosis-inducing Membrane Vesicles: A NOVEL AGENT WITH UNIQUE PROPERTIES

The CD95 ligand (FasL) transmembrane protein is found on activated T cells and cells outside the immune system. A well-known turnover process of membrane FasL is mediated by matrix metalloproteinase, which generates soluble FasL (sFasL). Here, we demonstrate that membrane FasL turnover occurs effectively through the release of membrane vesicles. Quantitative analysis indicates that this process is as effective as sFasL release for FasL-3T3 cells but somewhat less effective for FasL-expressing T cells. The apoptosis-inducing membrane vesicles display unique properties not found in FasL-expressing cells and sFasL. Unlike sFasL, vesicle-associated FasL remained bioactive, killing the same panel of targets that are susceptible to FasL-expressing cells. In contrast to FasL-expressing T cells, FasL-mediated killing by vesicles do not involve LFA-1/ICAM interaction and do not depend on de novo protein synthesis. These observations indicate that the release of FasL-bearing vesicles contributes to the turnover of cell-associated FasL, but the impact of the bioactive FasL-expressing vesicles on the function of cell-associated FasL is different from that of sFasL.
Predicting Vocabulary Growth in Children With and Without Specific Language Impairment: A Longitudinal Study From 2;6 to 21 Years of Age

Purpose Children with specific language impairment (SLI) often have vocabulary impairments. This study evaluates longitudinal growth in a latent trait of receptive vocabulary in affected and unaffe...
Immunotolerance toward native αA-crystallin in knockout mice deficient in the functional protein

Immune response against self antigens is normally prevented by an elaborate immunotolerance mechanism. A potential problem for recipients of gene therapy is, therefore, an immune response against the newly introduced gene product. To examine this issue we tested the immune response to the native proteins in knockout (KO) mice in which the genes for alphaA- or alphaB-crystallin were disrupted by partial or complete gene deletion, respectively. alphaA- and alphaB-crystallins are two immunologically distinct polypeptides which form the large ( approximately 800 kDa) complex in the lens referred to as alpha-crystallin. When immunized with murine alpha-crystallin, alphaB-crystallin KO mice, in which the corresponding gene was completely deleted, responded well to the absent self antigen. In contrast, alphaA-crystallin KO mice, with the partial gene deletion, resembled wild type (WT) mice in being immunotolerant toward the native crystallin. Although no functional alphaA-crystallin could be detected in the lens of alphaA-crystallin KO mice, mRNA transcript coding for a truncated alphaA-crystallin gene was found in thymi of these mice, suggesting that thymic expression of a residual fragment of the protein is responsible for the tolerance induction. These data suggest that nonfunctional proteins may induce immunotolerance and protect recipients of gene therapy from immunity against the native proteins.
A class of high level languages for process control

Abstract An abstract notational system can serve as a model for the investigation of high level programming languages that explicitly support the monitoring and control of parallel events, provide data types at the bit level and allow real-time interaction between user and process. Run-time mechanisms that support the execution of programs in the notational system chosen on specific hardware can also be identified. A software tools environment can be designed to provide high level languages and runtime support for process control in a way that encourages portability among different hardware configurations.
Effects of admission hyperglycemia on mortality and costs in acute ischemic stroke

Background: Hyperglycemia at the time of acute ischemic stroke has been linked to worse outcome in both human and animal studies. Objective: To describe the prevalence and severity of hyperglycemia on hospital admission among acute ischemic stroke patients, to examine the independent relationship of admission hyperglycemia to all-cause mortality, and to document the inpatient management of hyperglycemia. Methods: Patients hospitalized with acute ischemic stroke at one hospital from July 1993 to June 1998 (n = 656) were identified. Demographic data, diagnoses, and blood glucose (BG) values were retrieved from the electronic medical record system. Admission stroke severity, fingerstick BG results, and new diabetes diagnoses were obtained by chart review. Hyperglycemia was defined as admitting random serum BG ≥ 130 mg/dL. Hazard ratios (HR) for 30-day, 1-year, and 6-year mortality were calculated using multivariable Cox regression models. Results: Hyperglycemia at admission to hospital was present in 40% of patients with acute stroke. Patients with hyperglycemia were more often women and more likely to have prior diagnoses of diabetes and heart failure. Almost all of these patients remained hyperglycemic during their hospital stay (mean BG = 206 mg/dL), and 43% received no inpatient hypoglycemic drugs. Hyperglycemic patients had longer hospital stay (7 vs 6 days, p = 0.015) and higher inpatient hospital charges ($6,611 vs $5,262, p p ≤ 0.01), 1 year (HR 1.75, p ≤ 0.01), and 6 years after stroke (HR 1.41, p ≤ 0.01). Conclusions: Admitting hyperglycemia was common among patients with acute ischemic stroke and was associated with increased short- and long-term mortality and with increased inpatient charges. Inpatient blood glucose management was suboptimal in this hospital. A trial of intensive treatment of hyperglycemia should be considered.
Relationship between Fruit Phenology and Infestation by the Apple Maggot (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Utah

The apple maggot, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), occurs commonly in black hawthorn in Utah, attacks tart cherry infrequently, and has generally failed to infest apples. This study investigated how the timing of fruit maturation might account for this pattern. Infestation of hawthorn at three sites in 1988 commenced when fruits were rapidly increasing in size and water content, and perhaps most significantly, when mean resistance to penetration of the fruit skin dropped below a threshold. Dissections of trapped females indicated that a significant fraction of flies possessed mature ovaries before oviposition occurred in hawthorn in the field. The importance of fruit toughness early in the season also was suggested by measurement of individual fruits in 1989; no fruit with a penetration resistance >60 kg/cm2 yielded a fly puparium. No puparia were obtained from three apple cultivars that were sampled from an unsprayed orchard adjacent to a densely infested hawthorn stand. When apples collected during the oviposition period in hawthorn were presented to caged flies, only the early-maturing cultivar was successfully infested. Penetration resistance of mid- and late-season cultivars remained high throughout the period of fly activity. These results suggest that flies that originate in hawthorn in Utah emerge too early to attack the dominant local cultivars of apple. In contrast, the timing of adult emergence is relatively late for infestation of cherry, which ripens well before hawthorn. In behavioral assays, fruit phenology had only a minor effect on fruit acceptance; ovipositing females were less likely to attempt oviposition in immature hawthorn or cherry fruits but failed to discriminate between nearly ripe and ripe fruits.
Brain-Dead and Pregnant in Texas

When a Texas hospital continued ventilator support for a pregnant patient who met the neurological criteria for the determination of death, it acted against the wishes of the patient's husband and other family members. The hospital stated that its treatment decision was required under the Texas Advance Directives Act, in particular the "pregnancy exclusion" that instructs providers to continue life-sustaining treatment as long as the patient is pregnant, notwithstanding contrary instructions in the patient's living will or from the patient's surrogate decision-maker. Contrary to the hospital's stated position, however, neither the literal words of the pregnancy exclusion nor the Advance Directives Act read as a whole requires continued ventilator support once a pregnant patient is determined to be brain dead.
Discussion on “Second-Guessing Clinical Trial Designs” by Jonathan J. Shuster and Myron N. Chang

Abstract While one may impose the group sequential design of one's choice on a completed trial in order to “second-guess” if a trial could have stopped early for either efficacy or futility, such calculations do not consider the mind-set of either those conducting the trial or the data and safety monitoring committee that reviewed the accumulating data. It is thus easy to come to questionable conclusions because of incomplete information. The optimal four-stage designs are interesting, but would be more useful if unequal look times were incorporated and software were made available.
Acral myxoinflammatory fibroblastic sarcoma fine needle aspiration: A case report

Cytological diagnosis of low grade sarcomas can be a daunting task, owing to the varied cytomorphological appearances possible. We report a case of acral myxoinflammatory fibroblastic sarcoma (AMIFS) in a woman who presented with a longstanding mass on the dorsum of her left foot. The diagnosis was suggested by fine needle aspiration cytology and established by wide excision. Microscopic examination showed that fine needle aspirate smears of this lesion contained the characteristic features seen in the surgical excision of this AMIFS: myxoid material, spindled to epithelioid cells with variably prominent nucleoli, nuclear pseudoinclusions, bipolar cytoplasmic extensions, globules of extracellular material, and bizarre virocyte or ganglion-like giant cells.
Schistosoma mansoni: Identification of immunoglobulins associated with the tegument of adult parasites from mice

Immunocytochemical and immunodiffusion studies were conducted in an attempt to identify the immunoglobulins associated with the tegumental surfaces of Schistosoma mansoni. Peroxidase-labeled monospecific rabbit anti-mouse immunoglobulin class or subclass sera revealed the presence of mouse IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgA, and IgM on the surface of adult parasites recovered from mice. These observations were confirmed by double gel diffusion of the various rabbit antisera against an eluate obtained from mouse worms.
Physical Factors Influencing Fish Populations in Pools of a Trout Stream

Abstract The relationship between fish populations and physical parameters of pools was studied in Little Prickly Pear Creek, Montana, during the summers of 1965 and 1966. The pools were mapped and their fish populations sampled. Surface area, volume, depth, current velocity, and cover accounted for 70 to 77% of the variation in numbers of trout over 6.9 inches total length. Most of the variation was the result of differences in current velocity and cover. Cover was the most important factor for brown trout, and current velocity for rainbow trout. The density of all trout per unit area of pool surface and cover increased significantly as current velocity became greater. Deep-slow pools with extensive cover had the most stable trout populations with brown trout showing greater stability than rainbow trout. The importance of cover to trout is discussed in terms of security and photonegative response and current velocity in terms of space-food relationships.
ROLE OF ENDOGENOUS NITRIC OXIDE SYNTHASE INHIBITION IN PERSISTENT PULMONARY HYPERTENSION OF THE NEWBORN (PPHN). 464

Nitric oxide is believed to be responsible for the normal 8 to 10 fold decrease in the pulmonary vascular resistance that occurs during the transition at birth from fetal to postnatal circulation. NO is produced in the endothelial cells from L-arginine by nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Chronic inhibition of NOS in utero by L-arginine analogs results in PPHN(Fineman, JCI, 1994). The existence of endogenous arginine analogs such as N-monomethyl L-arginine (L-NMMA) has been demonstrated by Vallance et al.(1991) who suggested that its accumulation in chronic renal failure may be responsible for systemic hypertension. To determine the role by endogenous L-NMMA inhibition of NOS in PPHN, we collected aortic blood samples at 0, 15, 60, 240 and 420 minutes after birth from control lambs and lambs in whom PPHN was induced by prenatal ductal ligation. The assay for L-NMMA was carried out by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after derivatization with dabsyl chloride. ˙V NO was measured from expired gas by chemiluminescence.Figure
Gasoline prices and motor vehicle fatalities

Fatal motor vehicle crashes per capita remained relatively stable over the 1990s, in spite of new traffic safety laws and vehicle innovations. One explanation for this stability is that the price of gasoline declined, which resulted in more vehicle miles traveled and potentially more fatalities. By using 1983-2000 monthly gasoline price and fatality panel data and fixed effects specifications, this study exploits within-state variation over time in gasoline prices and found that a 10-cent decrease in gasoline prices increased motor vehicle fatalities by 2.3 percent over a 2-year period. The effect on higher-risk younger adults is more than twice as large. The secular decline in real gasoline prices over the 1990s may partially explain why motor vehicle fatalities per capita have not decreased even with the adoption of more stringent state policies. Language: en
Continuous Flow Ion Mobility Separation with Mass Spectrometric Detection Using a Nano-Radial Differential Mobility Analyzer at Low Flow Rates

We describe a hybrid mass-mobility instrument in which a continuous-flow ion mobility classifier is used as a front-end separation device for mass spectrometric analysis of ions generated with an electrospray ionization source. Using nitrogen as a carrier gas, the resolving power of the nano-radial differential mobility analyzer (nRDMA) for nanometer-sized ions is 5–7 for tetraalkylammonium ions. Data are presented demonstrating the ability of the system to resolve the different aggregation and charge states of tetraalkylammonium ions and protonated peptides using a quadrupole ion trap (QIT) mass spectrometer to analyze the mobility-classified ions. Specifically, data are presented for the two charge states of the decapeptide Gramicidin S. A key feature of the new instrument is the ability to continuously transmit ions with specific mobilities to the mass spectrometer for manipulation and analysis.
The capacity of average and peak power constrained fading channels with channel side information

We derive the ergodic capacity of discrete-time fading channel with additive Gaussian noise subject to both peak and average power constraint. The average power can be interpreted as the cost that we incur to achieve a certain rate. On the other hand, the motivation of this analysis comes from the fuel that there is also a peak power limitation in practical communication system. It is been shown that the optimal power adaption is no longer water-filling or constant power adaption which is the case where there is no limitation on the peak power. The numerical results show that the importance of peak power constraint becomes negligible for relatively low available average power, while it is limiting the capacity to be finite even as the available average power goes to infinity.
Characterization Of Propellants With Burning Rate Promoters By Pyrolysis GC-FTIR

Pyrolysis GC-FTIR has been used to study the effects of burning rate promoters on decomposition products of nitramine propellants. The nitramine materials studied are cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX) and cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine (HMX), and the burning rate promoters consist of an organic and in inorganic salt of the BloH10-2 anion. The samples have been pyrolyzed under controlled conditions of heating rate and duration, and were separated using both packed column (with thermal conductivity detection) and capillary column (with flame ionization detection) chromatography. Both the packed and capillary columns yielded peaks which were not identifiable on the basis of retention times; consequently, FTIR was used to elucidate the structure of these components. In some cases, components not separated chromatographically were individually determined by their FTIR spectra. Also, peaks from various runs having similar retention times were found to have different chemical structures from their spectra. DSC results for RDX and RDX mixtures are also shown.
Data modelling with IDEF1x

The idea of integrating business, product development, and manufacturing activities has gained momentum in manufacturing industry. To remain competitive, companies must optimize the utilization of their resources. This integration of various functional areas, e.g. computer-aided design, computer-aided process planning, computer-aided production planning and control, computer-aided quality control, and computer-aided manufacturing requires a large volume of data to be stored by the users contributing to those areas. IDEF1x provides a formal framework for consistent modelling of the data necessary for this integration. This paper provides insights into the IDEF1x modelling technique. The paper concludes with a discussion of several relevant research issues.
Tailored synthesis of C@TiO2 yolk-shell nanostructures for highly efficient photocatalysis

Abstract Composite nanostructures with well-defined characteristics are often advantageous catalysts for highly efficient photocatalytic processes. Here, we report the tailored synthesis of C@TiO2 yolk–shell nanostructures and their photocatalytic applications in the degradation of organic dyes. The conductive carbon core serves as an electron-sink to promote the separation of electron–hole pairs photo-excited in the TiO2 shell, improve their lifetime, and enhance the photocatalytic performance of the system. The yolk–shell nanostructures were synthesized through a sol–gel coating of TiO2 on resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) resin spheres followed by silica-protected calcination and ultimately NaOH etching to remove the silica layer and produce C@TiO2 yolk–shell nanostructures. In order to improve the crystallinity of the TiO2 shell, post-processing including acid treatment and re-calcination was also carried out. The resulting yolk–shell structures have many desirable properties for photocatalytic applications including the existence of a conductive core, well-maintained structural integrity, uniform particle dimensions, favorable mesoscale porosity, tunable crystallinity, and controllable crystalline phase of TiO2. As a result, we have been able to optimize the structure and property of the composite photocatalysts and achieve superior photocatalytic performance to commercial P25-TiO2 catalysts.
Distinguishing phases of biomedical research is critical to improving health outcomes.

Bowen and Casadevall (1) offer data suggesting that research inputs have not been associated with comparable increases in health outcomes over the past five decades. However, their analysis treats biomedical research the same, regardless of whether the research focuses on early phases, (i.e., basic discovery) or late phases, (i.e., comparative effectiveness and implementation and dissemination research).
Using CyclePad-an "articulate" software laboratory-in thermodynamics education

Summary form only given. In this paper, the authors discuss the learning and curriculum development issues surrounding integrating a design-based software program into engineering classrooms. They are working with a program called CyclePad in which students can construct thermodynamic cycles (these are the processes that underlie heating and cooling systems, power plants and steam engines). CyclePad belongs to an emerging class of educational software called "articulate virtual laboratories" (AVLs). AVLs provide a design space in which users can construct and analyze virtual artifacts. The "articulation" provided by an AVL gives the supports and scaffolding needed to help students with the design process. These supports provide information to the student such as the reasoning which CyclePad uses to arrive at numerical values, the modeling assumptions underlying a design or a list of the user's design assumptions which are contradictory. Additionally, the program has an economic model to help students understand the real-world costs of building systems. This paper discusses the design of the curricular activities and an initial study to determine what students can learn from using CyclePad in a thermodynamics curriculum.
Developing a Simple System for Conflict Management of Public Involvement

Although commercially taught systems are effective for managing conflict that arises during public involvement in transportation projects, these systems can be costly and complex. They appear more appropriate for those who can use them frequently. The work described here, by contrast, was focused on finding simple methods for managing less challenging projects and was aimed toward those who may use public involvement only occasionally. The conflict management framework is derived from a distillation of expert opinion, based on discussions of specific projects by Minnesota transportation experts on public involvement. They were interviewed with a standard set of questions about the project, the public involvement process, the reasons for conflict, how the conflict was managed, what worked, and what did not. The interviews encompassed a variety of project types and settings. The framework has two components. The first is a simple organizational scheme for categorizing conflict to assist in determining the appropriate management strategy. The second is the management strategies themselves. An overview of the key elements of these components is given.
A distal arginine in oxygen-sensing heme-PAS domains is essential to ligand binding, signal transduction, and structure

To evaluate the contributions of the G(beta)-2 arginine to signal transduction in oxygen-sensing heme-PAS domains, we replaced this residue with alanine in Bradyrhizobium japonicum FixL and examined the results on heme-domain structure, ligand binding, and kinase regulation. In the isolated R220A BjFixL heme-PAS domain, the iron-histidine bond was increased in length by 0.31 A, the heme flattened even without a ligand, and the interaction of a presumed regulatory loop (the FG loop) with the helix of heme attachment was weakened. Binding of carbon monoxide was similar for ferrous BjFixL and R220A BjFixL. In contrast, the level of binding of oxygen was dramatically lower (K(d) approximately 1.5 mM) for R220A BjFixL, and this was manifested as 60- and 3-fold lower on- and off-rate constants, respectively. Binding of cyanide followed the same pattern as binding of oxygen. The catalytic activity was 3-4-fold higher in the "on-state" unliganded forms of R220A BjFixL than in the corresponding BjFixL species. Cyanide regulation of this activity was strongly impaired, but some inhibition was nevertheless preserved. Carbon monoxide and nitric oxide regulation, although weak in BjFixL, were abolished from R220A BjFixL. We conclude that the G(beta)-2 arginine assists in the binding of oxygen to BjFixL but does not accomplish this by stabilizing the oxy form. This arginine is not absolutely required for regulation, although it is important for shifting a pre-existing kinase equilibrium toward the inactive state on binding of regulatory ligands. These findings support a regulatory model in which the heme-PAS domain operates as an ensemble that couples to the kinase rather than a mechanism driven by a single central switch.
Tolfenamic Acid Reduces Tau and CDK5 Levels: Implications for Dementia and Tauopathies

Tau and its aggregates are linked to the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other tauopathies and, therefore, are explored as therapeutic targets for such disorders. Tau belongs to a family of microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) that promote microtubule assembly. When hyperphosphorylated, tau becomes prone to forming aggregates. Increased brain levels of hyperphosphorylated tau correlate with dementia. Specificity protein 1 (Sp1), a transcription factor elevated in AD, is responsible for the transcription of AD-related proteins including the amyloid precursor protein (APP), tau, and its cyclin dependent kinase-5 (CDK5) activators. Tolfenamic acid promotes the degradation of Sp1, our previous studies demonstrated its ability to downregulate transcriptional targets of Sp1 like APP and reduce amyloid beta (Aβ), the main component of AD plaques. In this study, we administered tolfenamic acid daily to hemizygous R1.40 transgenic mice for 34 days, and examined tau and CDK5 gene and protein expression within the brain. Our results demonstrate that tolfenamic acid lowers tau mRNA and protein, as well as the levels of its phosphorylated form and CDK5. Thus, we present a drug candidate that inhibits the transcription of multiple major intermediates in AD pathology, thereby helping uncover a new mechanism-based approach for targeting AD.
Comparing ladder logic diagrams and Petri nets for sequence controller design through a discrete manufacturing system

Design methods for sequence controllers play a very important role in advancing industrial automation. The increasing complexity and varying needs of modern discrete manufacturing systems have challenged the traditional design methods such as the use of ladder logic diagrams (LLDs) for programmable logic controllers. The methodologies based on research results in computer science have recently received growing attention by academic researchers and industrial engineers in order to design flexible, reusable, and maintainable control software. Particularly, Petri nets are emerging as a very important tool to provide an integrated solution for modeling, analysis, simulation, and control of industrial automated systems. This paper identifies certain criteria to compare LLDs and Petri nets in designing sequence controllers and responding to the changing control requirements. The comparison is performed through a practical system after introducing "real-time Petri nets" for discrete-event control purposes. The results reported in this paper will help: (a) further establish Petri net based techniques for discrete-event control of industrial automated systems; and (b) effectively convince industrial practitioners and researchers that it is worthy and timely to consider and promote the applications of Petri nets to their particular discrete-event control problems. >
Uplifted Trench Sediments: Southwestern Alaska-Bering Shelf Edge

Cretaceous turbidites are discontinuously exposed for 1700 kilometers along the continental margin of southwestern Alaska and the Bering shelf edge. Paleocurrent flow parallel to exposure patterns and the abundance of primary andesitic volcanic detritus suggest deposition in an oceanic trench. This Cretaceous trench bordering the continent was superseded by the Aleutian arc-trench in the earliest Tertiary.
The Principle of Least Interest: Inequality in Emotional Involvement in Romantic Relationships

Data from a longitudinal sample of dating couples (some of whom married) were analyzed to test the aspect of Waller’s (1938) principle of least interest that states that unequal emotional involvement between romantic partners has implications for relationship quality and stability. Both members of the couples were asked multiple times over several years which partner, if either, was more emotionally involved. Perceptions of unequal emotional involvement were common and tended to remain stable over time. Less emotionally involved partners perceived themselves as having more control over the continuation of their relationships. Equal emotional involvement was associated with greater relationship satisfaction and stability. Concurrent and retrospective perceptions of relative emotional involvement were associated with several aspects of relationship breakup within the subsample of those who broke up during the study. Perceptions of emotional involvement have many implications for dating couples, including be...
Analysis of polynomial functions for determining maximum or minimum conditions in biological systems

When physiological condition is curvilinearly related to environmental conditions, the "op- timum" environmental condition is frequently determined by intersecting two straight lines. 2. Errors in this method are discussed, and a more precise method is suggested. 3. The curvilinear function is described by polynomial regression. 4. Optimum values of the independent variable (i.e. those resulting in maximum or minimum physio- logical responses) are found where the slope is zero, and can be calculated easily from the first derivative of the regression line. 5. Two examples are given: heart rate-temperature and oxygen consumption-pH. MANY curvilinear functions are studied in a wide var- iety of biological systems. Examples include enzyme reaction rates as affected by temperature or pH, meta- bolic rates or heart rates as affected by temperature, etc. It is often desirable to determine maximum states for the dependent variable, such conditions often char- acterizing physiological optima: e.g. pH optima, tem- perature optima, thermal neutral point. Frequently, the optimal level of the independent variable is esti- mated from the intersection of two straight lines (Fig. 1). These lines are derived by least squares regression analysis on data above and below the optimal level. However, the shape of the curvilinear function affects the accuracy of the estimate. Error in the estimate of Y is proportional to the difference between the slopes of the two straight lines, and produces overestimates I00
The Robin Hood principle in the treatment of congenital heart disease: Taking technologic developments intended for adults and using it in kids.

From the Division of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY. Disclosures: Author has nothing to disclose with regard to commercial support. Received for publication May 20, 2015; accepted for publication May 20, 2015; available ahead of print June 12, 2015. Address for reprints: Paul J. Chai, MD, New York–Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital (Central), 3959 Broadway, Room 275, New York, NY 10032 (E-mail: pjc2164@cumc.columbia.edu). J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2015;150:e25-6 0022-5223/$36.00 Copyright 2015 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2015.05.053
Management of Aphid-Borne Viruses and Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) in Zucchini Squash by Using UV Reflective Plastic and Wheat Straw Mulches

Plastic UV resective mulch (metalized mulch) and wheat straw mulch delayed colo- nization by Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring and the incidence of aphid-borne viruses in zucchini squash. No insecticides were used in either mulch treatment. The mulches were compared with a preplant treatment of imidacloprid and an untreated, unmulched control. In 2000, yield of marketable fruit in the plastic and straw mulched plots was approximately twice that from the imidacloprid plot. In 2001, yield from the straw mulch plots was twice that of the imidacloprid and plastic mulch plots. Yields from both mulched plots and from the imidacloprid plots ranged from 3 to 12 times higher than those from the control plots. The mulches were more effective than a preplant application of imidacloprid in reducing the incidence of both B. argentifolii and aphid-borne viruses. Plants growing over the plastic mulch and the straw mulch grew more rapidly and reached a larger size, as determined by plant dry weight, than did those growing over bare soil, with or without imidacloprid. The spectral quantum sux from the plastic averaged between 80 and 90% of ambient spectral quantum sux values in the UV (300 Ð 400-nm) range. Spectral quantum sux values of wheat straw were similar to those of the resective mulch and ambient near 300 nm but were virtually identical to bare soil beyond 320 nm. The metalized mulch resected 94% of the incoming photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) in the 400 Ð700-nm range compared with ambient, whereas the straw mulch resected 85%. Bare soil resected only 41% of incoming PAR compared with ambient.
The Child and the Beast: Fighting Violence in Ancient Christianity*

Popular nature programs, such as the cable-television program Wild Discovery, are both appealing and frightening because they confront the audience with acts of pure violence that follow the natural law of the jungle and the harsh imperative of nature's food chain. Viewers are enthralled watching the leopard catch its prey: such is the power of violence.
Genomic evidence for the evolution of human postmenopausal longevity.

In PNAS, Flavio Schwarz et al., in the laboratories of Ajit Varki and Pascal Gagneux at the University of California, San Diego/Salk Institute Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), report an apparent genetic signature of past selection for persistent cognitive competence at postfertile ages in humans (1). This can seem surprising because evolutionary explanations for aging (senescence) and its varying rates across species begin with the declining force of natural selection across adulthood (2). Within this framework, the rate at which selection weakens—and so the resulting rate of decline in performance with age—depends upon adult mortality risk. The higher the likelihood of surviving to older ages, the greater the fitness benefit for allocation to somatic maintenance and repair (3). Of special importance here, the strength of selection against senescence also depends on the fitness gains possible at older ages, as illustrated by slower physiological decline with age in indeterminant growers, like fish that continue to increase in rate of egg production with ever-increasing size (2).
Role of ICAM-1 hypoglycosylation in atherosclerotic plaque formation (1003.1)

N-glycosylation is an ubiquitous post-translational modification of proteins secreted from cells or expressed on the cell surface. N-glycan maturation occurs sequentially moving from high mannose t...
Stolon vs. Hydranth Determination in Pennaria Tiarella Planulae: A Role for DNA Synthesis

Larvae of the gymnoblastic hydroid Pennaria tiarella develop and metamorphose in a synchronous and predictable manner. They progress from ovoid pre-planulae 12 hours after fertilization to definitive, filiform planulae by 24 hours of development. Planulae are free living for a defined period of time (approximately 5 days at 21°C) and then metamorphose with the anterior regions of larvae becoming stolons, the posterior regions forming hydranths. The uniformity of this developmental pattern allows the utilization of Pennaria as an experimental system to investigate the principal morphogenetic determination occurring in hydroid larvae, that of stolon versus hydranth.
E-043 Novel use of the Penumbra Aspiration System in three cases of severe dural venous sinus thrombosis

Introduction Dural sinus venous thrombosis is a rare but potentially devastating disease. Current therapies include intravenous heparin, direct mechanical thrombectomy and local chemical thrombolysis. Despite aggressive management of this disease with these therapeutic interventions there are treatment failures that may be amenable to endovascular intervention. To date there is no endovascular device made specifically for this purpose. Methods Three patients presented with neurological symptoms related to increased intracranial pressure. Non-invasive imaging demonstrated cerebral sinus occlusion. All patients were initially treated with intravenous heparin. The first patient had bilateral transverse and sigmoid sinus and superior sagittal sinus thrombosis, the second had left transverse and sigmoid sinus thrombosis and the third patient had thrombosis of the left transverse sinus which extended into the sigmoid sinus and internal jugular vein. All patients were neurologically deteriorating at the time of intervention and had developed hemorrhagic strokes despite aggressive heparinization. Results All of the patients were successfully revascularized angiographically with the Penumbra Aspiration System in combination with local chemical thrombolysis. The first patient had end stage renal disease and significant comorbidities and eventually succumbed to multiorgan failure secondary to her pre-existing disease. The second patient developed leg weakness prior to the thrombolysis which progressed to paraplegia post-thrombectomy. Her leg strength was improving at discharge (4/5) and she was able to ambulate with assistive devices. She lives at home 2 months post-thrombectomy and ambulates without assistance. The third patient required hemicraniectomy for left parietal hemorrhage. She was discharged to rehab and returned for follow-up at 6 months with minimal word finding difficulties and otherwise neurologically intact. Both survivors were converted to warfarin therapy on discharge. Conclusion Successful revascularization was achieved in all three patients using a combination of thrombectomy with the Penumbra Aspiration System and local thrombolysis. All patients were severely injured secondary to sinus thrombosis related strokes; however, aggressive escalation of therapy along with successful revascularization resulted in very good long term outcomes in two patients. To our knowledge these are the first of such cases reported to use the Penumbra Mechanical thrombectomy device to re-canalize the dural venous sinus system.
Role of a Center of Excellence Program in Improving the Quality of Peritoneal Dialysis—A Chinese Experience:

Improving the quality of peritoneal dialysis (PD) in areas with a rapid increase in PD patient numbers constitutes the most significant PD challenge in China. Here, we share our experience of implementing a quality improvement program in 8 PD centers, with guidance from matched experienced centers.
Differences in 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase activity in male and female rat kidneys.

AbstractIn adult Wistar rats, 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (PGDH) activity of male kidney homogenates was 40 times greater than that of female kidney homogenates; in contrast, PGDH activity of male and female lung homogenates did not differ significantly. Perhaps causally related to the difference in renal PGDH activity, urinary excretion of prostaglandin (PG) E2 by female rats was twice, and excretion of PGFα 3 times, that by males. Female rat renal homogenate and female rat renal high-speed supernatant inhibited PGDH activity of male rat renal homogenate and the activity of partially purified bovine PGDH.
Adjusting the Warm-Glow Thermostat: How Incentivizing Participation in Voluntary Green Programs Moderates Their Impact on Service Satisfaction

AbstractIn Study 1, the authors find that people are more satisfied with a service experience when they choose to participate in the provider’s voluntary green program (e.g., recycling)—an effect mediated by the “warm glow” of participation. The downside, however, is that this same mechanism decreases satisfaction among people who choose not to participate. In Study 2, analysis of data from the J.D. Power Guest Satisfaction Index suggests that incentivizing the program (i.e., compensating the program participants) paradoxically increases satisfaction for those who do not participate but decreases satisfaction among those who do. Studies 3 and 4 explore how manipulating incentive characteristics might enable managers to maximize satisfaction for both groups. Study 3 indicates that, compared with no incentive, an “other-benefiting” incentive increases warm glow and satisfaction for green program participants but decreases them among nonparticipants. Study 4, however, suggests that mixed incentive bundles (i...
Erythroid Homograft Following Leukocyte Transfusion in a Patient with Acute Leukemia: I. Clinical Studies and Implications

A patient with acute lymphocytic leukemia developed a functioning erythroid homograft after transfusion of leukocytes from donors with chronic myelocytic leukemia. Two donor populations were observed cytogenetically, by examination of the recipient’s marrow for sex and Philadelphia chromosomes. The cells from a female donor of different blood group eventually repopulated the entire bone marrow and were exclusively responsible for the function of the homograft. Although the donor was anemic and required periodic transfusions, her transplanted cells caused normal erythropoiesis in the recipient for a prolonged period. During this time the recipient enjoyed remission of acute leukemia but expired as a result of overwhelming infection. It is proposed that multiple transfusions of leukocytes is a useful technic for treatment of infection, for increasing knowledge of factors influencing hematopoiesis, and for studying approaches to effective immunotherapy of leukemia.
Institutional Amnesia: Sustainability and Peacebuilding in Croatia

This article studies the relationship between sustainability and institutional memory in postwar Croatia. Is institutional memory preserved after interventions end? Is so, how and by whom? What are the causes of loss of institutional memory? What are the consequences for sustainability and accountability? When international organizations pulled out of peacebuilding operations in Croatia in the mid to late 2000s, they quickly lost their institutional memory of their projects. Donors, international nongovernmental organizations, and intergovernmental organizations all lost their ability to recall the work they had done in the past. Using interview, ethnographic data, and archival documents gathered over five years (2008–2013), I define three types of memory—archival, human, and electronic—and show how each of these forms of memory eroded as international projects in Croatia ended. The loss of international memory has implications for international organizations' own stated goals of sustainability and their ability to achieve and assess sustainability, and for the downward accountability of donors to their beneficiaries and the countries they worked in.