cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dysregulation of the serine/threonine phosphatase PP2A contributes to autoimmunity.

Protein phosphatase 2A is a ubiquitously expressed serine/threonine phosphatase that regulates a large number of cellular processes. Levels of the catalytic subunit of PP2A (PP2Ac) are tightly controlled. T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) express abnormally high levels of PP2Ac. This is promoted by a lupus-associated SNP and by DNA hypomethylation that alters local transcription factor binding. PP2Ac regulates CREB, Elf-1, and SP1, and could thus contribute to several molecular abnormalities described in SLE T cells. In order to determine whether increased levels of PP2Ac in T cells play a role in the development and/or promotion of autoimmune disease, we genetically engineered a mouse to transgenically express high levels of PP2A in T cells. This isolated abnormality allowed us to evaluate the effects of PP2Ac dysregulation in an otherwise normal immune system. PP2Ac transgenic (Tg) mice developed modest splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy, but no overt signs of autoimmunity. Susceptibility of PP2Ac Tg mice to immune-mediated disease was evaluated by antibody-induced glomerulonephritis. Glomerular damage and proteinuria were significantly more severe in PP2Ac Tg mice than in nontransgenic littermates. To determine the mechanism underlying increased kidney damage, we analyzed cytokine production by T cells from PP2Ac Tg and control mice. Production of IL-17 was increased ~10-fold in Tg mice. This phenomenon was documented in vitro and in vivo and was pathologically relevant since blockade of IL-17 abrogated the enhanced susceptibility to glomerulonephritis of Tg mice. These results indicated that increased PP2Ac levels enhance the production of IL-17 in T cells and, through this mechanism, promote immune-mediated organ damage. To determine the molecular pathways through which PP2Ac enhances IL-17 production, we analyzed differentiation of CD4 T cells into effector subsets (that is, Th1, Th2, Th17). Although IL-17A and IL-17F production were constantly higher in PP2Ac Tg T cells, other Th17 characteristics did not differ between Tg and control T cells suggesting that the IL-17-inducing effect occurred independently of Th17 differentiation. Analysis of the Il17 locus demonstrated that PP2Ac overexpression was associated with local permissive epigenetic changes (increased histone 3 acetylation), which explained enhanced IL-17 production. We provide evidence that supports dysregulation of PP2Ac in T cells is able to facilitate autoimmune disease by promoting the production of IL-17. This effect is independent of Th17 differentiation and is explained by the capacity of PP2Ac to modify chromatin accessibility at the Il17 locus by inducing defined epigenetic modifications.
Do patients talk differently to male and female physicians? A meta-analytic review.

Abstract A meta-analytic review was undertaken of seven observational studies which investigated the relation between physician gender and patient communication in medical visits. In five of the studies the physicians were in general practice, internal medicine, or family practice and were seeing general medical patients, and in two of the studies the physicians were in obstetrics–gynecology and were seeing women for obstetrical or gynecological care. Significant findings revealed that, overall, patients spoke more to female physicians than to male physicians, disclosed more biomedical and psychosocial information, and made more positive statements to female physicians. Patients also were rated as more assertive toward female physicians and tended to interrupt them more. Several results were weaker, or even reversed, in the two obstetrics–gynecology studies. Partnership statements were made significantly more often to female than male physicians in general medical visits but not in obstetrical-gynecological visits.
The photoelectric recorder

THE MOVING parts of electric indicating instruments may be light in construction and of low torque, thus requiring small energy input from the circuit being measured. When it is desired to record these measurements, however, the moving parts are usually heavier in weight and require higher torque thin the corresponding parts of indicating instruments.
The Origin and Interpretation of Spatial Frequencies in a Turned Surface Profile

An investigation into the origin of spatial frequencies within a turned surface profile is presented. A wavelength decomposition methodology is used to characterize the wavelength structure of experimental profiles. A model for surface generation in a turning process is described. The model accounts for the stochastic nature and the dynamic response of the cutting process. The model is studied analytically and predictions of the wavelengths in the surface profile are obtained. The model is also examined via computer simulations, and the resulting wavelength predictions are seen to compare favorably with the analytical predictions. Finally, the experimental data and associated wavelength structure are compared to the analytical and simulated results from the model. The model predictions are observed to match, and capture the structure in, the experimentally obtained surface profile data. It is shown that many of the spatial frequencies within a surface profile result from the “sampling” of the radial displacement of the tool relative to the work.
Extragalactic radiation and the ultra-high-energy cosmic-ray spectrum

The effect of extragalactic microwave and submillimeter-radiation fields on the ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray spectrum is reexamined. It is found that the general characteristics of the spectrum can be derived from fairly simple analytical arguments. It is shown that the various spectral features obtained by numerical calculations can be explored by simpler and more general means. This approach is illustrated using a newly derived lifetime-energy relation based on the new submillimeter observations.
The Pharmacokinetics of Esmolol in Pediatric Subjects with Supraventricular Arrhythmias

Esmolol is often used in the acute management of children with arrhythmias and/or hypertension; however, pharmacokinetic studies of the drug in children have been limited. The objective of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics of esmolol in children with a history of supraventricular arrhythmias (SVT) who were scheduled for diagnostic electrophysiology study or a catheter ablation procedure. Subjects were stratified into two age groups: 2–11 and 12–16 years. After an episode of stimulated or spontaneous SVT, esmolol was administered intravenously as a 1,000 μg/kg bolus followed by continuous infusion at 300 μg/kg/min. Blood samples were collected before, at 5, 10 and 15 min after the loading dose, and 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 20 min after the end of the infusion. Plasma concentration of esmolol was quantitated by a specific LC/MS assay. Pharmacokinetic data were available for 25 subjects. Arterial esmolol concentrations were approximately five times greater than venous concentrations. Esmolol had an extremely short distribution half-life (0.6 min), a rapid terminal elimination half-life (6.9 min), and a rapid clearance (119 ± 51 mL/min/kg) which was not related to subject age or weight. Seventeen of the subjects (63%) converted to normal sinus rhythm in an average of 2 min (range 0–5 min). The pharmacokinetics of esmolol and its efficacy in terminating SVT in children is similar to that observed in adults.
God's Mission and the Christian Assembly: The Search for an Alternative Practice of Worship

: The search for something alternative characterizes the practice of worship in many contemporary Christian assemblies. Although “alternative” is often set in opposition to “traditional,” it is better understood in response to “conventional” worship. Five such alternative movements are described here: liturgical movement, contemporary worship movement, liberation perspectives, Pentecostalism, and postmodern approaches. The alternative impulse in all of these perspectives has to do with a fuller realization of the Christian assembly in relation to God's mission.
EDUCAUSE: A Conference Summary

Purpose – To report on the 2004 EDUCAUSE Conference held in October in Denver, Colorado.Design/methodology/approach – Provides a review of some of the events of the conference.Findings – EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. The programs were designed to help participants tackle current issues and prepare them for future challenges. The conference focused on the theme “IT From a Higher Vantage Point,” and the program included pre‐conference seminars; track sessions; poster sessions; small group meetings; and corporate exhibits, presentations, and workshops.Originality/value – A conference report of interest to information management professionals, especially those involved with higher education.
Spleen hemostasis using high-intensity ultrasound: survival and healing.

Background Previous studies have shown that high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) can effectively control bleeding of incised livers and spleens and punctured vessels. This current study investigated the long-term safety of HIFU in splenic hemostasis. Methods A total of 21 rabbits were randomly assigned to two groups: HIFU treatment (n = 14), and sham treatment (n = 7). All animals underwent sterile laparotomy and splenic exposure. The HIFU-treated animals received splenic incisions, 8 to 10 mm long and 4 to 5 mm deep, and immediate 9.6-MHz HIFU until hemostasis was achieved. After recovery, ultrasound images, blood samples, and histologic samples were collected on days 0, 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, and 60. Results All 14 splenic injuries were hemostatic after an average of 96 seconds of HIFU application. There was evidence of rebleeding in one animal between days 3 and 7 posttreatment. Subsequent blood analysis showed no significant difference in serial hematologic or coagulation measures between HIFU and sham groups. Histologic examination up to 60 days posttreatment revealed scarring and spleen tissue regeneration at the treatment site. Conclusion HIFU provides an effective and safe method of achieving hemostasis after acute splenic injury.
SYNCHRONOUS/REACTIVE PROGRAMMING OF CONCURRENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE

Synchronous languages are intended for programming reactive systems. Reactive systems, which include real-time systems and key operating system components, interact continually with their environment. This paper considers the applicability of imperative synchronous/reactive languages to the development of general system software, that is, to the implementation of operating system kernels, file systems, databases, networks, server architectures, device drivers, etc.. The languages Esterel and Reactive C (RC) receive special attention as Esterel is the oldest and most developed such language and RC is specifically designed for compatibility with C systems programming. An alternative soft-instruction software architecture is described which is well suited to real-world system programming.
D-Threose 2,4-diphosphate inhibition of 3-phosphoglyceric acid photoreduction by a sonically ruptured spinach chloroplast system.

Abstract 1. 1. [I- 14 C]PGA is readily reduced by a sonically ruptured chloroplast system in light. This reduction is inhibited by threose 2,4-diphosphate. 2. 2. PGA accumulates when 14 CO 2 is incubated in light with the sonically ruptured chloroplast system in the presence of threose 2,4-diphosphate. This indicates that PGA is in the major pathway of photosynthetic CO 2 fixation in the system. 3. 3. Threose diphosphate inhibition of the total 14 CO 2 fixation by the carbon cycle of sonically ruptured spinach chloroplasts is not due to inhibition of carboxydismutase, but due primarily to inhibition of triose phosphate dehydrogenase which in turn limits the formation rate of the photosynthetic carbon cycle CO 2 acceptor, RuDP.
Comparison of internal mammary artery ligation and sham operation for angina pectoris.

Abstract A sham operation was compared to ligation of the internal mammary arteries in patients with angina pectoris. Patient improvement was identical. The exercise electrocardiogram was not altered by either procedure.
Optimal discrete-time control for non-linear cascade systems

Abstract In this paper we develop an optimality-based framework for designing controllers for discrete-time non-linear cascade systems. Specifically, using a non-linear—non-quadratic optimal control framework we develop a family of globally stabilizing backstepping-type controllers parameterized by the cost functional that is minimized. Furthermore, it is shown that the control Lyapunov function guaranteeing closed-loop stability is a solution to the steady-state Bellman equation for the controlled system and thus guarantees both optimality and stability.
Solvent effects on the resonance Raman and hyper-Raman spectra and first hyperpolarizability of N,N-dipropyl-p-nitroaniline.

Linear absorption spectra, resonance Raman spectra and excitation profiles, and two-photon-resonant hyper-Rayleigh and hyper-Raman scattering hyperpolarizability profiles are reported for the push−pull chromophore N,N-dipropyl-p-nitroaniline in seven solvents spanning a wide range of polarities. The absorption spectral maximum red shifts by about 2700 cm-1, and the symmetric −NO2 stretch shifts to lower frequencies by about 11 cm-1 from hexane to acetonitrile, indicative of significant solvent effects on both the ground and excited electronic states. The intensity patterns in the resonance Raman and hyper-Raman spectra are similar and show only a small solvent dependence except in acetonitrile, where both the Raman and hyper-Raman intensities are considerably reduced. Quantitative modeling of all four spectroscopic observables in all seven solvents reveals that the origin of this effect is an increased solvent-induced homogeneous broadening in acetonitrile. The linear absorption oscillator strength is nea...
State–space model for light-based tracking of marine animals

A coherent model is presented to estimate the most probable track of geographic positions directly from a series of light measurements. The model estimates two geographic positions per day, without reducing the daily light data to two threshold crossing times, its covariance structure is designed to handle high correlations due to for instance local weather conditions, and it can estimate the yearly pattern in latitudinal precision by propagating the data uncertainties through the geolocation process. The model is applied to one mooring study, one GPS drifter buoy study, and numerous simulated cases. The simulations are performed with realistic assumptions about the relationship between solar altitude and light and with realistic uncertainty parameters (all taken from real data). The simulations showed that all model parameters were identifiable, and that all tracks could be reconstructed within 1 ◦ or 2 ◦ latitude and 0.5 ◦ or 1 ◦ longitude. The mooring and drifter buoy data showed that the tracks could be reliably estimated, even in cases where the other methods had completely failed. Resume : Nous presentons un modele coherent pour estimer directement le trace le plus probable des positions geographiques a partir d'une series de mesures de lumiere. Le modele estime deux positions geographiques par jour, sans reduire les donnees de lumiere journalieres a deux periodes de traversee du seuil; il possede une structure de covariance concue pour tenir compte des fortes correlations dues, par exemple, aux conditions climatiques locales; il peut aussi estimer le patron annuel de precision des latitudes en faisant passer les incertitudes des donnees dans le processus de geopositionnement. Nous utilisons le modele sur une etude a bouee fixe, une etude a bouee derivante munie d'un GPS et plusieurs cas de simulation. Les simulations comportent des presuppositions realistes concernant la relation entre l'altitude du soleil et la lumiere, ainsi que des parametres d'incertitude realistes (tous tires de donnees reelles). Les simulations montrent que tous les parametres du modele sont identifiables et que tous les traces peuvent etre reconstitues avec une precision de 1 ◦ ou 2 ◦ latitude et de 0,5 ◦ ou 1 ◦ longitude. Les donnees obtenues des bouees fixes et derivantes montrent qu'il est possible d'estimer les traces de facon fiable, meme dans les cas ou les autres methodes ont ete completement incapables de le faire. (Traduit par la Redaction)
Design of process variation tolerant radio frequency low noise amplifier

Design of a self compensating process variation tolerant RF low noise amplifier (LNA) is described. A novel non-intrusive mixing technique is proposed which enables minimal intrusion negative feedback in RF circuits making them process variation tolerant. The proposed design technique provides 18% yield improvement over comparable conventional LNA under severe process variation.
Effective Student Teams: A Faux Hiring And Peer Evaluation Process

Student team projects provide benefits to the education process and provide experience valued by employers, but they can also be a source of conflict, free-riding and are fraught with ‘fairness’ issues. The advantages of using teams for faculty are that they provide opportunities for synergies and collaboration, while also simulating group work processes. However, due to free-riding, scheduling problems and differing goals, there are fertile grounds for team conflicts. Therefore, there exists a need for better methods of forming teams and a process to assure shared goals by team members. This research proposes an innovative approach to team creation where students participate in a ‘hiring’ process that increases team cohesiveness and ultimately team performance. Preliminary empirical validation is also provided that supports this approach.
Sustainable Mountain Tourism: An Analysis of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Wine Tourism and its Future

Bosnia-Herzegovina (B-H) remains one of the most underdeveloped countries on the European Continent [1] yet it holds great potential as a tourist destination for outdoor adventurers, history enthusiasts, and now, wine connoisseurs. The southern part of this merged nation has always been an area of wine production, but the industry has been slow to develop into a net exporter of its wines. The author and many of the industry’s supporters believe that it would be more lucrative to follow in the footsteps of its western neighbor, Croatia, and develop the wine industry through wine tourism. Utilizing historical data, interviews, analysis of governmental statistics, review of the literature and finally a SWOT analysis, this paper suggests changes and expenditures required for Bosnia-Herzegovina to become a successful wine tourism destination. It is hoped that the suggestions made herein will direct further discussions if not actions in that direction.
Interferon-γ production to inner ear antigens by T cells from patients with autoimmune sensorineural hearing loss

Autoimmune sensorineural hearing loss (ASNHL) typically produces bilateral rapidly progressive loss of hearing over a few days or weeks, but may also produce sudden loss over a few hours. The diagnosis is made by excluding ototoxicity, systemic disease, and other factors that mimic ASNHL and by showing a therapeutic response to corticosteroid treatment. Antibody production and T-cell proliferative responses to inner ear antigens have been implicated in the etiopathogenesis of ASNHL. In the current study, we have extended these autoimmune investigations by determining the frequencies of inner ear specific IFN-γ producing T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from ASNHL patients and from age- and sex-matched control subjects. ELISPOT analysis showed that 25% of ASNHL patients have significant increased frequencies of inner ear specific IFN-γ producing T cells in their PBMC. All control subjects were relatively unresponsive. Our results implicate inner ear specific IFN-γ producing proinflammatory T cells in the pathogenesis of ASNHL.
Valvular endocarditis associated with Helcococcus ovis infection in a bovine.

A 12-month-old Angus bull calf with a history of fever and lethargy of several weeks' duration was necropsied. Macroscopic findings included general dehydration, congestion, and edema within the craniodorsal lobes of the lung, multifocal ecchymotic hemorrhages on the dorsal epaxial and gluteal muscles, bloody ingesta within the gastrointestinal tract, and a 4- × 4- × 5-cm irregular plaque located on the right atrioventricular heart valve. Microscopically, there were focally extensive pulmonary alveolar infiltrates of histiocytes and neutrophils, large numbers of necrotic hypereosinophilic hepatocytes located within the centrilobular and midzonal regions of the liver, and, within the plaque from the right atrioventricular valve, a large mass formed by abundant laminated fibrin that contained numerous small multifocal aggregates of Gram-positive cocci. This report describes the first apparent isolation of Helcococcus ovis from cattle.
A 200-MHz CMOS phase-locked loop with dual phase detectors

A high-frequency integrated CMOS phase-locked loop (PLL) including two phase detectors is presented. The design integrates a voltage-controlled oscillator, a multiplying phase detector, a phase-frequency detector, and associated circuitry on a single die. The loop filter is external for flexibility and can be a simple passive circuit. A 2- mu m CMOS p-well process was used to fabricate the circuit. The loop can lock on input frequencies in excess of 200 MHz with either or both detectors and consumes 500 mW from a single 5-V supply. The oscillator is a ring of three inverting amplifiers and draws from an internal supply voltage regulated by an on-chip bandgap reference. This combination serves to reduce the supply and temperature sensitivity is less than 5%/V, and the oscillator temperature variation is 2.2% in the range of 25 to 80 degrees C. The typical oscillator tuning range is 112 to 209 MHz. The multiplying phase detector and phase-frequency detector exhibit input-referred phase offsets of >
Benefits of cardiac resynchronization therapy in outpatients with indicators for heart transplantation

Abstract Background: Despite several new advances in the treatment of end-stage congestive heart failure (CHF) the number of patients moving onto the heart transplant list continues to rise. Recently, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has become a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapy for advanced CHF. Currently, there are no available data on CRT in cardiac transplant candidates. Methods: To determine the effects of CRT on potential transplant candidates we retrospectively reviewed patients ( n = 34) enrolled in resynchronization trials at our center who met accepted criteria for transplantation. Ventricular function, oxygen uptake and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class were compared at baseline and after 6 months of active therapy for each patient. Results: CRT reduced QRS duration from 178 ± 29 to 143 ± 17 msec ( p p p 2 increased from 11.9 ± 1.8 to 15.3 ± 3 ml/kg/min ( p Conclusions: CRT improves ventricular function, oxygen uptake and NYHA class in ambulatory patients who have a QRS of >130 msec and might be considered candidates for cardiac transplantation. Transplantation can be prevented or deferred in the majority of patients. Outpatients with chronic CHF and a widened QRS should be evaluated for CRT before being listed for cardiac transplantation. J Heart Lung Transplant 2003;22:000–000.
Error Tolerance of DNA Self-Assembly by Monomer Concentration Control

This paper proposes the control of monomer concentration as a novel improvement of the kinetic Tile Assembly Model (kTAM) to reduce the error rate in DNA self-assembly. Tolerance to errors in this process is very important for manufacturing highly dense ICs; the proposed technique significantly decreases error rates (i.e. it increases error tolerance) by controlling the concentration of monomers. A stochastic analysis based on a new state model is presented. Error rates reductions of at least 10% are found by evaluating the proposed scheme comparing to a scheme with constant concentration. One of the significant advantages of the proposed scheme is that it doesn?t entail an overhead such as increase in size and a slow growth, while still achieving a significant reduction in error rate.
Converting data-parallelism to task-parallelism by rewrites: purely functional programs across multiple GPUs

High-level domain-specific languages for array processing on the GPU are increasingly common, but they typically only run on a single GPU. As computational power is distributed across more devices, languages must target multiple devices simultaneously. To this end, we present a compositional translation that fissions data-parallel programs in the Accelerate language, allowing subsequent compiler and runtime stages to map computations onto multiple devices for improved performance---even programs that begin as a single data-parallel kernel.
In Vitro-Generated Antigen-Specific CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ Regulatory T Cells Control the Severity of Herpes Simplex Virus-Induced Ocular Immunoinflammatory Lesions

Generating and using regulatory T cells (Tregs) to modulate inflammatory disease represents a valuable approach to therapy but has not yet been applied as a means to control virus-induced immunopathological reactions. In this report, we developed a simplified technique that used unfractionated splenocytes as a precursor population and showed that stimulation under optimized conditions for 5 days with solid-phase anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody in the presence of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) and interleukin-2 could induce up to 90% of CD4(+) T cells to become Foxp3(+) and able to mediate suppression in vitro. CD11c(+) dendritic cells were intricately involved in the conversion process and, once modified in the presence of TGF-beta, could convert Foxp3(-) CD4(+) cells into Foxp3(+) CD4(+)cells by producing TGF-beta. The converted cells had undergone cell division, and the majority of them expressed activation markers along with surface molecules that would facilitate their migration into tissue sites. The primary reason for our study was to determine if such in vitro-converted Tregs could be used in vivo to influence the outcome of a virus-induced immunoinflammatory lesion in the eye caused by herpes simplex virus infection. We could show in three separate models of herpetic stromal keratitis that adoptive transfers of in vitro-converted Tregs effectively diminished lesion severity, especially when given in the initial phases of infection. The suppression effect in vivo appeared to be polyspecific. The protocol we have developed could provide a useful additional approach to control virus-induced inflammatory disease.
A dead-zone based filter for systems with unknown parameters

In this paper, we focus on parameter estimation in systems with output noise. By adding a dead-zone to the linear adaptive estimator, it is shown that statistically the bounded output noise can be filtered out and that the true unknown parameters are estimated exactly. This time-domain noise filter, which applies to systems with unknown parameters, is denoted as filtered deadzone estimator and it is later extended to situation where the output noise is white noise. The difference between model disturbance and output noise is discussed and the extension to situation where both of them exist is proposed.
Complexes of poliovirus serotypes with their common cellular receptor, CD155.

Structures of all three poliovirus (PV) serotypes (PV1, PV2, and PV3) complexed with their cellular receptor, PV receptor (PVR or CD155), were determined by cryoelectron microscopy. Both glycosylated and fully deglycosylated CD155 exhibited similar binding sites and orientations in the viral canyon for all three PV serotypes, showing that all three serotypes use a common mechanism for cell entry. Difference maps between the glycosylated and deglycosylated CD155 complexes determined the sites of the carbohydrate moieties that, in turn, helped to verify the position of the receptor relative to the viral surface. The proximity of the CD155 carbohydrate site at Asn105 to the viral surface in the receptor-virus complex suggests that it might interfere with receptor docking, an observation consistent with the properties of mutant CD155. The footprints of CD155 on PV surfaces indicate that the south rim of the canyon dominates the virus-receptor interactions and may correspond to the initial CD155 binding state of the receptor-mediated viral uncoating. In contrast, the interaction of CD155 with the north rim of the canyon, especially the region immediately outside the viral hydrophobic pocket that normally binds a cellular “pocket factor,” may be critical for the release of the pocket factor, decreasing the virus stability and hence initiating uncoating. The large area of the CD155 footprint on the PV surface, in comparison with other picornavirus-receptor interactions, could be a potential limitation on the viability of PV escape mutants from antibody neutralization. Many of these are likely to have lost their ability to bind CD155, resulting in there being only three PV serotypes.
Identification, bioinformatics analyses, and expression of immunoreactive antigens of Mycoplasma haemofelis.

ABSTRACT Mycoplasma haemofelis infection frequently causes anemia in cats. Despite an intense immune response and/or antibiotic treatment, cats often remain asymptomatic carriers following infection. Our hypothesis is that detection of antibodies to M. haemofelis is a sensitive approach for identifying infected cats, particularly carriers. To date, no immunoassay has been developed. This is due largely to the inability to culture M. haemofelis in vitro; hence, a source of antigen is not readily available. The objective of this study was to identify, express, and purify immunogenic proteins of M. haemofelis. To accomplish this, two whole-genomic expression libraries were created in the Lambda ZapII vector and immunoscreened with preimmune plasma, plasma from specific-pathogen-free cats, and pooled acute- and convalescent-phase plasma from experimentally infected cats. The inserts from 21 immunoreactive clones were sequenced, resulting in the identification of 60 genes coding for putative proteins necessary for diverse cellular functions, along with several novel genes of M. haemofelis. Fragments of selected genes based on bioinformatic analyses were PCR amplified, cloned into a high-level protein expression system, and subsequently expressed in Escherichia coli as a His6-fusion protein. The recombinant fusion proteins of M. haemofelis were purified and evaluated as an antigen in a Western blot to verify the findings of previous immunoscreening. Together with bioinformatics analyses of individual genes, this approach provided several putative candidate antigens. Five antigens of M. haemofelis were reactive by Western blotting against the immune plasma and negative against nonimmune plasma; these antigens might be useful serologic or even vaccine targets.
Involvement of inflammation in severe post-operative pain demonstrated by pre-surgical and post-surgical treatment with piroxicam and ketorolac.

Objectives Post-operative pain is considered to involve inflammation caused by tissue injury. However, the mechanism and timing of the involvement of inflammation in the post-operative pain remain complicated because they can vary among different types of surgery. In this study a rat incision model was used to investigate how inflammation induced by cyclooxygenases (COXs) is involved in severe post-operative pain. Methods Longitudinal incision with a length of 1 cm was made through skin and fascia on the right hind paw of rats, starting 0.5 cm from the edge of the heel and extending towards the toes. Allodynia was evaluated using the von Frey hair test and its degree was recorded as the paw withdrawal threshold (PWT). Two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), piroxicam and ketorolac, were given to rats after or before surgery, and the effects of the drugs on allodynia induced by the hind paw incision were examined. Key findings The PWT reduction reached a sub-maximal level at 3 h, a maximal level at one day after the surgery and lasted for more than 8 days, with the parallel development of inflammation (characterized by cell infiltration and oedema). Treatment with morphine (1 mg/kg, s.c.) at one day after the surgery showed a significant anti-allodynic effect. Treatment with either piroxicam (10 mg/kg, p.o.) or ketorolac (10 mg/kg, p.o.) at one day after the surgery did not exhibit significant anti-allodynic effect, whereas pre-surgical treatment with each drug showed significant anti-allodynic effects at 3 h after surgery. Conclusions These findings suggest the involvement of cyclooxygenases in evoking pain that occurs in the immediate post-operative period, and that an initial suppression of rapid inflammation by treatment with NSAIDs before major surgery plays an important role in the management of severe post-operative pain.
Spontaneous recombination rate and luminescence efficiency of staggered InGaN quantum wells light emitting diodes

Spontaneous emission characteristics and power-dependent cathodoluminescence (CL) of staggered InGaN quantum wells (QWs) light emitting diodes were analyzed. The measurements indicated ~4-times improvement in integrated CL intensity and ~50% reduction in non-radiative recombination rate.
Re-tuning bone formation.

![Figure][1] Insight from Gerard Karsenty Fibrillin-1 (FBN1) is a structural component of microfibrils in the extracellular matrix that plays a role in tissue development. Genetic defects in FBN1 are associated with a number of clinical conditions including systemic sclerosis (SSc)/
Congenital eye defects in the mouse. III. Lens opacity in NAW‐wa‐2+ − +/Sp

A pin-point lens opacity can be detected at a frequency of 90% in weanling mice from inbred strain NAW-wa-2+ − +/Sp. Defective lenses show abnormal thickening of the anterior epithelium localized over a region of persistent contact between the primary lens fiber mass and the epithelium. A morphological study of lens development indicates that the mutant strain clearly differs from normal as early as the twelfth day of embryonic life. In a lens sector associated with the naso-ventral quadrant of the optic cup, cells undergoing the elongation characteristic of primary lens fibers are separated from the normal boundary of the anterior epithelium by a peculiar group of cells. These cells can still be detected on the following day; they do not differentiate into primary fibers. They contribute to the anterior epithelium instead, and the zone of elongation is asymmetrically displaced from the equator. Secondary fibers formed in this sector before birth do not completely displace the primary fibers from contact with the anterior epithelium. If secondary fibers formed during the neonatal period do not accomplish separation, abnormal thickening of the anterior epithelium begins around the end of the second week of postnatal life. The epithelial thickening and capsule-like material deposited within it apparently provide the structural basis for the opacity detected upon gross examination.
Using conservation to reduce energy system uncertainty in the US north–west electric system

The uncertainty of the US north–west electric system was the subject of a recent study for the Bonneville Power Administration. The study focused on the impact of efficiency standards that would reduce the electricity used in new buildings and appliances. The main question was whether the standards would also reduce the long–term uncertainty in the system. This paper summarises the case study findings which should be of interest to energy planners in Europe as well as in the USA.
Education in Tibet: Familiar Problems in an Unfamiliar Context

This article reviews Catriona Bass's book "Education in Tibet, Policy and Practice Since 1950." While the political and religious tensions between Tibet and the central Chinese government are familiar to many, this book provides a rare English language examination of the educational system in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), and how such education reflects the relationship between Tibet and the central Chinese government. In the words of the author, this book "is the first full-length account of education in the TAR published outside China."
Apparent Chorionic Gonadotropin Immunoreactivity in Human Non-Placental Tissues

The human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is produced by cyto- and syncytiotrophoblast of human placenta (Yoshimoto et al., 1977) and by malignant tumors (Rosen et al., 1975; Vaitukaitis et al., 1976; Root et al., 1968; Becker et al., 1968). Recently, hCG-like material has been reported to be also in bacteria (Wuerthele-Caspe et al., 1974; Cohen and Strampp, 1976), normal human testis (Braunstein et al., 1975), pituitary gland (Chen et al., 1976; Robertson et al., 1978), liver and colon (Yoshimoto et al., 1977), and kidney, lung, ovary, pancreas, and spleen (Braunstein et al., 1978).
Partners in academia and practice: Expediting and transforming scholarly nursing projects

The introduction of evidenced-based practice and research, and the clinical application of knowledge is commonplace in accreditednursing curricula. Through projects, capstone development, and dissertations, students are provided opportunities to enhanceknowledge and strengthen the pathways that lead to further professional query. It is essential that students practicing in thecommunity are presented with standardized expectations and that they are uniformly mandated throughout the hosting clinicalsites. A consortium that included nurse researchers from academic institutions and hospitals was formed to identify the elementsof successful scholarly proposals. The goal of this project was to provide comprehensive and meaningful guidelines for thedevelopment of successful scholarly proposals. A packet was developed and used to guide students and health care organizationsthrough the required steps for proposal approval. The change was implemented using Kotter’s Eight Step Process for LeadingChange.
Audio re-sampling detection in audio forensics based on EM algorithm

In audio forensics, re-sampling detection is an important part of signal interpolation detection, for the reason that audio interpolation is often accompanied with re-sampling. Re-sampled signals usually contain some periodic artifacts, which can be a proof of forgery. EM algorithm was applied in parameter estimation of the periodic artifacts to detect if the signal was interpolated. To work out a satisfying result in applying EM algorithm and make it more suitable to audio signal detection, audio signal histogram was introduced to describe the exact distribution, the silence and the local linear relationship was taken into account. In addition, the statistical moments in frequency domain were chosen as features to classify the original and the interpolated audio signals. The whole detection process was used on statistical classifying experiments. The result shows that it can get a high correct rate. It also took effect in local re-sampling detection.
Regulatory volume decrease in HL-60 cells: importance of rapid changes in permeability of Cl- and organic solutes

Results obtained through the use of inhibitors and isotope flux and equilibration techniques indicate that the regulatory volume decrease (RVD) response of human promyelocytic leukemic HL-60 cells ...
Tin-oxide layers for LCDs

Transmissive, conductive SnO2 layer was prepared. The applicability for liquid crystal displays as a function of the technological parameters was studied. The layers were made by aerosol and CVD techniques, in both cases by the hydrolysis of SnCl4. The layer structure was investigated. Electronmicroscopic examinations showed that the structure changed on varying the composition and deposition rate. The structure has an effect on the subsequent orientation.
Mode of action of psychomotor stimulant drugs.

Publisher Summary Amphetamine or “Weckaminen” and a number of related drugs are classified as “psychomotor stimulant drugs.” Alertness, suppression of fatigue and sleepiness, stimulation of motor activity, and other symptoms of central excitation are a characteristic effect of the psychomotor stimulant drugs. The various members of this category in varying degrees have side effects in the peripheral and central nervous system. In the peripheral nervous system, the sympathomimetic effects of amphetamine and the local anesthetic effects of cocaine occur; in the central nervous system, the anorectic effects of amphepramon and phentermine predominate. The amphetamines have little therapeutic value with regard to their central excitatory effects, but they are frequently used as appetite suppressants. Abuse of amphetamine and related drugs is widespread both as agents to increase performance and endurance in sport events (doping) and to induce excessive stimulation and euphoria in addicts. The toxic effects of the amphetamines with respect to the sympathomimetic and central stimulant actions are severe. Cardiovascular collapse and drug-induced psychosis are often seen after chronic abuse of amphetamines. Amphetamine and related drugs have been used in many experimental pharmacological and neuropharmacological studies. As a consequence, an immense amount of data on these stimulants is now available and certain aspects of the mechanism of action are presented.. Evidence is available that the amphetamines act at neurons where catecholamines are transmitter substances. Braindopamine in particular appears to have a predominant role in psychomotor stimulant action.
Paneth Cell Alterations in the Development and Phenotype of Crohn’s Disease

Pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD) involves immune and microbial dysregulation, induced by environmental factors in genetically susceptible individuals. There are believed to be multiple subtypes of CD, which contributes to its observed clinical heterogeneity. This concept has been reinforced by recognition of the complexity of the genetic, microbial, immune, and environmental factors that affect risk for CD. Paneth cells mediate immunity and maintain the small intestinal epithelium; defects in activities of these cells have been observed in high proportions of patients with CD, and are associated with a more aggressive CD phenotype. Paneth cells integrate complex genetic, immune, and environmental signals, therefore alterations in their function could lead to different subtypes of CD, as observed in studies in cohorts of primarily European descent. Subtypes of CD associated with Paneth cell function have been observed even among patients from different genetic backgrounds. We discuss genetic susceptibility loci for CD and how these affect Paneth cell activity.
Functional Graphical Models for Manufacturing Process Modeling

Graphical models are widely used to model the statistical relationships among variables in a system. Existing graphical models can be used to model the relationships among scalar variables, but cannot be directly applied to model a system with functional variables. In this paper, a novel functional graphical model is proposed to model complex systems where functional variables are measured. To cope with the small sample size problem, we further develop a special sparsity penalization approach to robustly learn the graphical model from limited sample size, and develop a difference from the mean penalization for functional variables. Simulation studies and a case study in a plasma spray manufacturing process are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Note to Practitioners —Emerging sensing and information technologies have provided unprecedented functional data collection capacity from systems over time. It is important and challenging to model the relationships among these variables. Among many different modeling alternatives, graphical models are powerful tools to characterize the underlying relationships among variables in systems. However, traditional graphical models cannot directly model a system with a mixture of functional and scalar variables. The proposed model aims to address this challenge by proposing a functional graphical model. Based on simulation studies and a case study for a plasma spray manufacturing process, it is shown that the proposed method performs well under various conditions.
Sedentary behavior and physical activity of young adult university students

Movement and non-movement behaviors include sleep, sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA). While young adults are generally perceived as healthy, the level and relationship of SB and PA in college-age students has not been greatly explored. The purpose of this study was to objectively measure the levels of SB and PA in 18-20 year-old university students, record their self-reported extracurricular activities, and explore the relationship of all these with body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). Male (n = 48) and female (n = 46) students participated in this cross-sectional study. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to examine time spent in SB, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), number of self-reported sedentary extracurricular activities, and their relation to the dependent variables of BMI and WC. In correlation analyses, SB (p < .001) and MVPA (p = .017) both were negatively associated with BMI, and "other" race or ethnicity (African American, Hispanic, mixed; p = .013) and number of self-reported sedentary extracurricular activities (p = .006) were positively associated with BMI. In the WC regression model, SB (p = .018) was negatively associated and number of self-reported sedentary extracurricular activities (p = .006) was positively associated with WC. University students may be both highly active and highly sedentary. Future researchers should consider targeting interventions to reduce SB in addition to improving PA.
Abstract 202: Vision Outcomes for Paraclinoid Aneurysms Treated with Clipping, Coiling, or Flow Diversion: A Meta-analysis

Introduction: Paraclinoid aneurysms commonly present with visual impairment. They were traditionally treated with clipping or coiling, but flow diversion has recently been introduced as an alternative treatment modality. Although there is still initial aneurysm thrombosis, flow diversion is hypothesized to reduce mass effect, which may decompress the optic nerve when treating visually symptomatic paraclinoid aneurysms. We performed a meta-analysis to compare vision outcomes following clipping, coiling, or flow diversion of paraclinoid aneurysms in patients presenting with visual impairment. Methods: A systematic literature review was performed using the PubMed and Web of Science databases. Studies written in English between 1980-2016 were included if they reported preoperative and postoperative visual function in at least 5 patients with visually symptomatic paraclinoid aneurysms (cavernous segment through ophthalmic segment) treated with clipping, coiling, or flow diversion. Neuro-ophthalmologic assessment was used when reported. Results: Thirty-nine studies totaling 2458 patients (20%, 510 of whom presented with visual symptoms) met our inclusion criteria, including 309 visually symptomatic cases treated with clipping (mean follow-up, 25.9 mo), 138 treated with coiling (17.1 mo), and 63 treated with flow diversion (11 mo). Postoperative vision in these patients was classified as improved, unchanged, or declined compared to preoperative vision. We found that vision improved in 57% (95% CI 47-67) of patients after clipping, 45% (34-57) after coiling, and 73% (56-88) after flow diversion. Vision worsened in 11% (7-17) of patients after clipping, 8% (2-17) after coiling, and 7% (0-27) after flow diversion. New visual deficits were found in patients with intact baseline vision at a rate of 0.69% (0-2) for clipping, 0.53% (0-3) for coiling, and 0.80% (0-3) for flow diversion. Conclusion: Our data demonstrates a high rate of visual improvement and a low rate of iatrogenic vision impairment for patients with paraclinoid aneurysms treated with flow diversion. Further analysis is needed to compare flow diversion to clipping and coiling and inform clinical management of visually symptomatic paraclinoid aneurysms.