cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modulation of keratin 14 and α-fetoprotein expression during hepatic oval cell proliferation and liver regeneration

Keratin 14 (K14) expression has recently been demonstrated in cell lines of non-parenchymal hepatic origin (Bisgaard et al., 1993, Mol. Carcinog., 7:60–66; Bisgaard et al., 1991, J. Cell. Physiol., 147:333–343). These cell lines are thought to represent a progeny of a dormant stem cell compartment present in the adult rat liver, which may participate in the restoration of the liver mass after experimental liver injury. Utilizing a combination of 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) administration and partial hepatectomy to activate liver regeneration by proliferation of oval cells, we examined the modulation of K14 as well as α-fetoprotein (AFP) expression in proliferating oval cells and lineages hypothesized to be derived herefrom. We showed by Northern blot and in situ hybridization analyses that K14 and AFP transcripts were initially accumulating in epithelial cells located in subsets of ductal structures in the portal areas. As oval cells infiltrated the liver parenchyma, K14 transcripts were detected in oval cells, in foci of small basophilic hepatocytes, and in structures resembling glandular intestinal-type epithelium. AFP was expressed in oval cells, and at low but detectable levels in foci of basophilic hepatocytes, but not in glandular intestinal-type epithelium. Neither K14 nor AFP transcripts were detected in bile ducts or mature hepatocytes at any time during oval cell proliferation and reconstitution of the liver mass. To further study the modulation of K14 and AFP expression we utilized an in vitro model in which spontaneous transformation of rat liver epithelial (RLE) cells appeared to mimic the process of early differentiation along the hepatic lineage in vivo. We demonstrated that undifferentiated RLE cells at a late passage expressed K14 and vimentin, whereas transformation and differentiation to hepatoblast-like progeny resulted in an abrogation of K14 and vimentin expression and an induction of K18 and AFP. We propose that K14 and AFP are sequentially modulated in subpopulations of oval cells involved in the ongoing reconstitution of the liver mass. © 1994 wiley-Liss, Inc.
Primary photochemistry of Photosystem I in chloroplasts. Dynamics of reversible charge separation in open reaction centers at 25 K

Abstract The reduction rate of oxidized reaction center chlorophyll of Photosystem I after laser-flash excitation at 25 K has been determined for D-144 subchloroplast fragments and chloroplasts. A maximum of 40% of Photosystem I reaction centers undergo irreversible charge separation (P-700, Cluster A: P-700 + , Cluster A − ) at 25 K, a percentage which is independent of laser-flash intensity. The remaining reaction centers in chloroplasts and D-144 fragments undergo reversible charge separation with biphasic recombination. Similar amplitudes and time constants (chloroplasts, 49 μs (61%); D-144 fragments, 90 μs (67%)) were obtained for the fast component, while the slower component differed considerably in time (chloroplasts, 2.9 ms; D-144 fragments, 170 ms). It is known that Fe-S Cluster A is photoreduced in less than 1 ms at 25 K. Data obtained support a model for Photosystem I involving a single intermediate in the decay path between the reduced primary electron acceptor (A − 1 ) and P-700 + and a second intermediate in the decay path between a reduced secondary electron acceptor and P-700 + . Dual laser-flash experiments to determine rate constants for these processes are included.
Chlorination and phosphorylation of cotton cellulose by reaction with phosphoryl chloride in N,N-dimethylformamide

Abstract Native cotton yarn reacts rapidly with phosphoryl chloride in N,N-dimethylformamide to produce highly chlorinated cellulose (degree of substitution of 0.5 or greater), phosphorylated cellulose, and cellulose formate. The ratio of chlorination to phosphorylation was readily controlled by varying the concentration of phosphoryl chloride in N,N-dimethylformamide. Reaction variables studied were the reagent concentration, reaction temperature, and reaction time. The effect that each of these variables has on the tensile and flammability properties of the resultant yarns was investigated. Yarns containing large proportions of chlorine have high tensile-strength and are unusually extensible, whereas yarns containing phosphorus have high flame-resistance. A mechanism for the selective chlorination or phosphorylation of the cotton cellulose is advanced.
Cyclic AMP-responsive Expression of the Surfactant Protein-A Gene Is Mediated by Increased DNA Binding and Transcriptional Activity of Thyroid Transcription Factor-1

Surfactant protein (SP)-A gene transcription is stimulated by factors that increase cyclic AMP. In the present study, we observed that three thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) binding elements (TBEs) located within a 255 base pair region flanking the 5′-end of the baboon SP-A2 (bSP-A2) gene are required for maximal cyclic AMP induction of bSP-A2 promoter activity. We found that TTF-1 DNA binding activity was increased in nuclear extracts of pulmonary type II cells cultured in the presence of cyclic AMP. By contrast, the levels of immunoreactive TTF-1 protein were similar in nuclear extracts of control and cyclic AMP-treated type II cells. The incorporation of [32P]orthophosphate into immunoprecipitated TTF-1 protein also was markedly increased by cyclic AMP treatment. Moreover, exposure of nuclear extracts from cyclic AMP-treated type II cells either to potato acid phosphatase or alkaline phosphatase abolished the cyclic AMP-induced increase in TTF-1 DNA-binding activity. Interestingly, the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), known to activate protein kinase C, also enhanced incorporation of [32P]orthophosphate into TTF-1 protein; however, the DNA binding activity of TTF-1 was decreased in nuclear extracts of TPA-treated type II cells. Expression vectors encoding TTF-1 and the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A (PKA-cat) were cotransfected into A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells together with an SPA:human growth hormone fusion gene (255 base pairs of 5′-flanking DNA from the baboon SP-A2 gene linked to human growth hormone, as reporter) containing TBEs, or with a reporter gene construct containing three tandem TBEs fused upstream of the bSP-A2 gene TATA box and the transcription initiation site. Coexpression of TTF-1 and PKA-cat increased fusion gene expression 3–4-fold as compared with expression of TTF-1 in the absence of PKA-cat. Moreover, the transcriptional activity of TTF-1 was suppressed by cotransfection of a dominant negative form of PKA regulatory subunit RIα. We suggest that a PKA-induced increase of TTF-1 phosphorylation and TBE binding activity mediates cyclic AMP-induced expression of the SP-A gene in lung type II cells.
Sheet and plated-metal measurements with a phase-ansle-type probe

The basic operating principles and design data for an instrument to measure metal thickness or plating depth for nonferrous materials are described. The mode of operation, involving the measurement of a phase angle, permits the use of a noncontacting probe suitable for the continuous inspection of samples in motion.
Regulatory roles of junctin in sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium cycling and myocardial function.

Junctin (JCN), a 26-kd sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) transmembrane protein, forms a quaternary protein complex with the ryanodine receptor, calsequestrin, and triadin in the SR lumen of cardiac muscle. Within this complex, calsequestrin, triadin, and JCN appear to be critical for normal regulation of ryanodine receptor–mediated calcium (Ca) release. Junctin and triadin exhibit 60% to 70% amino acid homology in their transmembrane domains, including repeated KEKE motifs important for macromolecular protein-protein interactions within their SR luminal tails. Recent studies have uncovered functional roles of both JCN and triadin in the mouse heart, using transgenic overexpression strategies, which exhibit varying phenotypes including mild SR structural alterations, prolongation of Ca transient decay, impaired relaxation, and cardiac hypertrophy and/or heart failure. More specifically, both in vitro adenoviral gene transfer and in vivo gene-targeting techniques to manipulate JCN expression levels have shown that JCN is an essential factor in maintaining normal cardiac Ca handling and cardiac function. This article reviews the new findings on the regulatory roles of JCN in cardiac SR Ca cycling and contractility, with special emphasis on the effects of JCN ablation on delayed afterdepolarization-induced arrhythmias and premature mortality in mouse models.
Scatterometer using a bidirectional ring laser

Abstract A technique for the absolute measurement of very low-level scattering was developed using the locking frequency for the two counter-circulating beams in a mode-locked ring cavity. The locking threshold is a function of the scattering coefficient at the crossing of the bidirectional pulses and is measured through the beat note characteristics of the laser. Backscattering coefficients of 0.6 × 10−10 and 2.2 × 10−10 were measured for BK7 samples of scratch/dig quality of 10-5 and 40-20, respectively. A beat note bandwidth of 1 Hz, as has been observed with the unstabilized laser, corresponds to a sensitivity limit of an intensity backscattering of 10−15. Even smaller limits could be achieved by stabilization.
DNA vaccination against hepatitis E virus infection in cynomolgus macaques.

Background : The feasibility of DNA vaccination against hepatitis E in non-human primates has not been evaluated. In the present study a full-length hepatitis E virus (HEV) open reading frame (ORF)2 (Burmese strain) was assembled, cloned, and used for genetic immunization of cynomolgus macaques (cynos), which were subsequently challenged with a heterologous HEV strain (Mexico). Methods : Four cynos were vaccinated intramuscularly with the HEV ORF2 DNA cassette and one animal was vaccinated with a mock DNA construct. Results : Following vaccination anti-HEV antibodies were detected in the four HEV-DNA-vaccinated cynos, but not in the control animal. When challenged, two of the four HEV-DNA-vaccinated cynos were protected against HEV infection and had no elevated alanine aminotransferase activity, viremia, or fecal shedding. The two other DNA-vaccinated animals developed HEV infection and disease. Conclusion : These findings demonstrate the feasibility of DNA vaccination for the protection of HEV infection and warrant further studies to explore routes other than intramuscular for induction of a stronger and efficacious immune response. © 2002 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd
The general form of some common network theorems

Whereas network theorems are widely used for the reduction and simplification of networks of a substantial degree of complexity, they tend to be neglected when complex systems are to be solved on a network analyzer. The network analyzer has proved to be a very satisfactory tool for power network analysis, but a review of the situation is profitable for cases of large problems which may exceed the number of impedance units available. There are two main general aspects to the use of network theorems: 1. The use of theorems for the specific investigation of a portion of a network, or the relationship between two portions of a network, e.g., Thevenin's, or the compensation, theorem. 2. The use of techniques of successive reduction, e.g., mesh-to-star transformation.
Introduction: Is an Interdisciplinary Field of Memory Studies Possible?

As any student or scholar of memory knows, defining memory is particularly challenging. Even the most cursory survey of memory research reveals that the definition and function of memory is polymorphic both within and between academic disciplines, cultural institutions, and memory practitioners. The unit of analysis, methodology, and theoretical assumptions vary greatly. Although most psychologists agree that there are three types of long-term memory systems, the survey of memory research of Roediger and Wertsch (2008) reminds us that Tulving (2007) has cataloged 256 kinds of memory mentioned in psychology journals. The difficulty of defining memory becomes even thornier when seeking similarities between synaptic changes in Aplysia (Kandel 2007) and the memory located in museums and archives, studied by architects, sociologists, and historians. As one begins to seek a common set of definitions and taxonomy, one wonders if many of the academic disciplines are studying the same thing at all. A commonly agreed-upon definition remains problematic even when specific terms are shared between disciplines. Consider the study of collective memory. Since its emergence as a distinct field of study as a result of the pioneering work of Halbwachs (1980/1925), scholars in recent decades have demonstrated an enormous interest in collective memory. Both sociologists and psychologists have adopted the term and study it largely along disciplinary lines, with little agreement or sharing of findings between the two fields (Olick 1999; Hirst and Manier 2008; Hirst and Echterhoff 2008). Given the enormous range of memory interests and methodologies used to explore them, we suspect that “memory” as the object of a field of studies will not fit neatly into a single definition. Nor would it be productive to try to construct one. However, increased attempts between scholars and students of memory to establish where various understandings of memory overlap would be a fruitful step in facilitating the emergence of a language about memory that could be more readily shared among scholars.
Systems design of a high resolution retinal prosthesis

Simulations of artificial vision suggest that 1000 electrodes may be required to restore vision to individuals with diseases of the outer retina. In order to achieve such an implant, new technology is needed, since the state-of-the-art implantable neural stimulator has at most 22 contacts with neural tissue. Considerable progress has been made towards that goal with the development of image processing, microelectronics, and polymer based MEMS. An image processing system has been realized that is capable of real-time implementation of image decimation and filtering (for example, edge detection). Application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) have been designed and tested to demonstrate closed loop power control and efficient microstimulation. A novel packaging process has been developed that is capable of simultaneously forming communication coils, interconnects, and stimulating electrodes.
Time-dependent changes in the size and volume of gelatinized starch granules on storage

Abstract Starch granules in gelatinized suspensions have been found to shrink when stored over a period of days at temperatures ranging between 1 and 20°C. The effect is more pronounced at lower temperatures and is dependent on the botanical source of the starch. Evidence from differential scanning calorimetry suggests that shrinkage is due to reassociation of amylopectin chains within the granules.
Herbivory in Complex and Simple Tropical Successional Ecosystems

To investigate the relationship between herbivory and floristic complexity, we measured losses to herbivores in four 0.1- to 4-yr-old tropical ecosystems: (1) unman? ipulated successional vegetation, (2) successional vegetation with higher plant diversity than the unmanipulated succession, (3) an ecosystem of investigator-controlled species composition, designed to imitate the physiognomy and species richness of the successional vegetation, and (4) monocultures of maize, cassava, and Cordia alliodora. We measured herbivory rates (loss of leaf area per day) on dominant plant species in each system and aggregated these over species to estimate rates for plant communities. Although herbivory rates varied widely among species, losses to herbivores in terms of mass of leaf tissue lost per unit of ground area were approximately equal in the four systems, 71.5to78.5gm-2- yr~ *. Ecosystems with greater plant species richness lost a lower proportion of available leaf area and exhibited lower temporal variability in herbivory. Species-rich ecosystems had relatively constant, predictable rates of herbivory due to counterbalancing of low rates on some species with high rates on others. The rate of herbivory on any species was strongly influenced by the nature of the surrounding vegetation. Although surrounding vegetation often conferred protection upon potential pest targets, in some cases a plant species ex- perienced increased susceptibility to herbivores through association with other species.
Neighborhood uniformity increases growth of individual Eucalyptus trees

Abstract Competition is a crucial factor in determining stand structure and productivity. Competition entails complex interactions that depend on spatial arrangement of trees, resource supplies, and the efficiency of using resources. The net outcome of competition may be characterized by the sizes and distances of trees in a neighborhood around a focal tree. We tested a hypothesis that higher variability in tree sizes within the neighborhood (=low uniformity) would directly reduce growth of individual trees. Neighborhood models tested the influence of focal tree size and neighborhood competition on focal tree growth, and whether further inclusion of a uniformity measure would improve model performance. We modeled growth of 8800 focal clonal trees in a 9 ha operational, clonal plantation of Eucalyptus grandis x urophylla to test our hypothesis by estimating the effects of size, and neighborhood competition and uniformity. The growth of a focal tree was strongly related to the tree’s size and to the neighborhood competition index that combined the sizes and distances of neighboring trees (within 8 m of the focal tree). For a given size focal tree and a given level of neighborhood competition, the uniformity of neighborhood trees influenced potential growth by −2% (very uniform neighborhoods) to −10% (for heterogeneous neighborhoods), for an overall reduction in potential stand growth of 4.3%. Higher growth of larger trees did not compensate for lower growth of smaller trees, and silviculture systems that maximize stand uniformity may lead to measurable increases in stand-level growth.
Development of an object-based framework for classifying and inventorying human-dominated forest ecosystems

This paper presents the development of a framework for classifying and inventorying Eastern US forestland based on the level of anthropogenic disturbance and fragmentation using high spatial resolution remote sensing data and a multiscale object-based classification system. We implemented the framework using a suburban area in Baltimore County, Maryland, USA as a case study. We developed a three-level hierarchical scheme of image objects. The object-based, multiscale classification and inventory framework provides an effective and flexible way of showing different mixes of human development and forest cover in a hierarchical fashion for human-dominated forest ecosystems. At the finest scale (level 1), the classification nomenclature describes basic land cover feature types, which are divided up into trees and individual features that fragment forests. The overall accuracy of the classification was 91.25%. At level 2, forest patches were delineated and classified into different categories based on the degr...
Neutrophil depletion does not prevent myocardial dysfunction after brief coronary occlusion.

Abstract Recent evidence suggests that oxygen free radicals generated during ischemia or reperfusion may contribute to myocardial dysfunction after brief coronary occlusion (“myocardial stunning”). Because neutrophil leukocytes represent a potential source of oxygen radicals, the concept of whether depletion of neutrophils could attenuate myocardial stunning after 10 min of ischemia was examined. In 16 anesthetized dogs, the left anterior descending coronary artery was perfused by an extracorporeal circuit, either with (n = 8) or without (n = 8) neutrophil filters in the perfusion line. The group with filters had near total absence of neutrophils in blood perfusing the left anterior descending coronary artery territory (16 ± 8 versus 1,826 ± 399/μl in the control group). Systolic myocardial shortening and end-systolic pressure-segment length relations were recorded during rest conditions and during incremental intracoronary infusion of dobutamine (5 to 15 μg/min) before and after 10 min of coronary flow occlusion. Before coronary occlusion, systolic myocardial shortening at rest was similar in control (15.4 ± 1.7%) and neutropenic (12.4 ± 2.2%) groups. Dobutamine (15 μg/ min) resulted in increased shortening in both control (18.2 ± 1.4%, p After 20 min of reperfusion, myocardial shortening was equally reduced in both groups (control 5.6 ± 2.8%; neutropenic 4.5 ± 2.4%, p = NS versus control), and the end-systolic pressure-length relation was similarly shifted to the right, consistent with reduced myocardial contractility. Intracoronary dobutamine (15 μg/min) produced similar increases in systolic shortening in the two groups (control 10.8 ± 1.6%, p
A transient voltage stability index based on critical equivalent impedance

Criteria and indices of transient voltage stability have attracted much attention recent years. It is a difficult problem since dynamics of load components are involved, such as induction motors and HVDC converters. A transient voltage stability index based on critical equivalent impedance and time-domain simulation is proposed in this paper. Firstly, two different static voltage stability indices based on Thevenin equivalence are introduced, and the second one provides a new idea to transient voltage stability analysis. Secondly, a transient voltage stability index is proposed, and an equivalent system is built up after a large disturbance, with a time-variant Thevenin equivalent circuit and a dynamic load. Thirdly, the algorithm process and flowchart are put forward. Fourthly, online applications of the proposed index are discussed. Finally, the proposed index and algorithm are tested on two test systems and a practical power system. Simulation results demonstrate its effectiveness and feasibility.
Comment: Why “an identified systemic model of the democracy‐peace nexus” does not persuade*

In their article in this journal, James, Solberg and Wolfson (1999) challenge our findings that two states are more likely to have peaceful relations if they are both democratic. They claim to develop a simultaneous system of two equations showing that peace and democracy foster each other, and that the effect of peace in encouraging democracy is stronger than that of democracy on peace. Their analysis, however, is flawed. Their research design employs measures of dispute and joint democracy that are inferior to those now common in the literature, and their equation for predicting peace is not properly specified. These problems distort their results. Even so, their results provide evidence of the pacific benefits of democracy. Analyses we conduct with a more completely specified model reveal stronger support for the democratic “ peace. Furthermore, a test of the effect of interstate conflict on democracy should be done at the national (or monadic) level of analysis; but James et al. perform a dyadic analy...
Acetylcholine receptor binding characteristics of snake and cone snail venom postsynaptic neurotoxins: Further studies with a non-radioactive assay

Abstract The binding of postsynaptic neurotoxins from snake and marine cone snail ( Conus sp.) venoms to nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AchR) was investigated with an ELISA-based, non-radioactive assay. Three snake postsynaptic toxins from the long-chain group ( Naja naja kaouthia cobratoxin, Naja oxiana neurotoxin I, Bungarus multicinctus α-bungarotoxin) and short-chain group ( Naja naja atra cobrotoxin, Naja oxiana neurotoxin II, and Laticauda semifasciata erabutoxin b) were studied. Both types of snake postsynaptic toxins showed a dose-response with constant AchR (50 μg/ml) and varying toxin concentrations (50-0.035 μg/ml). The minimum detection limits of the assay for snake toxins ranged from 310 to 1240 ng/ml (40–160 pmole/ml), depending on the toxin. Unlike any of the short-chain toxins, long-chain toxins consistently bound less receptor and reached maximum absorbance levels with toxin concentrations of 10–50 μg/ml. Competition for AchR binding between cone snail postsynaptic neurotoxins (conotoxins GI, MI, SI) and α-bungarotoxin or cobrotoxin resulted in a dose-response. The postsynaptic conotoxins were uniformly better competitors for AchR binding with α-bungarotoxin than with cobrotoxin. Heat stability studies with neurotoxin I, erabutoxin b, or cobrotoxin revealed a loss in AchR binding activity with increasing temperature. α-Bungarotoxin heated at 90°C had increased AchR binding activity by 105%, relative to 25°C samples, but lost the majority of its binding activity after 100°C. The enhanced binding of heated α-bungarotoxin to AchR was specific, as evidenced by a competitive dose-response with unheated α-bungarotoxin, but heated toxin lacked any biological activity in the mouse lethal assay. When conotoxins GI or MI were heated at 100°C, there was no detectable loss in AchR binding activity, and only a slight decrease in mouse lethality.
Libraries in Online Elementary Schools: A Mixed-Methods Study

School libraries serve an important role; however, elementary students who attend schools online typically do not have a school library. This study followed an online school’s inaugural year in instituting a library. A mixed methods approach examined data from focus groups, interviews, surveys, library-use records and oral reading fluency scores. Stakeholders had various goals from “to get books into the hands of the students” to teachers requesting that Library be a special class to encourage reluctant readers to access the resources. It was found that students who accessed the libraries most were those who were already motivated readers. The findings suggest that access to libraries alone was not enough to motivate students to use the resources. Rather, to empower students to access libraries, a librarian is needed to serve as an instructional partner, an information specialist, a teacher and a program administrator.
Pathogenic prion protein fragment (PrP106–126) promotes human immunodeficiency virus type-1 infection in peripheral blood monocyte-derived macrophages

Transfusion of blood and blood products contaminated with the pathogenic form of prion protein Prp(sc), thought to be the causative agent of variant a Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), may result in serious consequences in recipients with a compromised immune system, for example, as seen in HIV-1 infection. In the present study, we demonstrate that treatment of peripheral blood monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) with PrP106-126, a synthetic domain of PrP(sc) that has intrinsic functional activities related to the full-length protein, markedly increased their susceptibility to HIV-1 infection, induced cytokine secretion, and enhanced their migratory behavior in response to N-formyl-l-methionyl-l-leucyl-l-phenylalanine (fMLP). Live-cell imaging of MDM cultured in the presence of PrP106-126 showed large cell clusters indicative of cellular activation. Tyrosine kinase inhibitor STI-571, protein kinase C inhibitor K252B, and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor olomoucine attenuated PrP106-126-induced altered MDM functions. These findings delineate a previously undefined functional role of PrP106-126-mediated host cell response in promoting HIV-1 pathogenesis.
A functional form of the isoperimetric inequality for the Gaussian measure

Abstract Letgbe a smooth function on R nwith values in [0, 1]. Using the isoperimetric property of the Gaussian measure, itis proved thatφ(Φ−1(Eg))−Eφ(Φ−1(g))⩽E|∇g|. Conversely, this inequality implies the isoperimetric property of the Gaussian measure.
Impaired clearance of primary but not secondary Brugia infections in IL-5 deficient mice.

Abstract Eosinophilia in blood and tissues has been strongly associated with helminth infections for over a century. In vivo depletion of IL-5, a cytokine crucially involved in eosinophilopoiesis with an antibody or through genetic manipulation, reproducibly abrogates helminth-induced eosinophilia, but renders mice permissive only in some models of parasite infection. In the current study, we compared the ability of IL-5−/− and B6+/+ mice to clear intraperitoneal infections with Brugia pahangi L3. IL-5−/− mice had statistically significantly higher worm burdens than B6+/+. This was true for primary infections, in young as well as old mice, suggesting that IL-5 deficient mice are more permissive to Brugian infections. This increase in permissiveness seemed to correlate well with the drastically reduced eosinophil numbers in the peritoneal cavity, the site of infection. In secondary infections, primed IL-5−/− mice cleared infections in an accelerated manner, comparable with B6+/+ mice. These observations suggest that IL-5 induced eosinophilia is more important in the control of a primary infection in naive mice than a secondary infection in primed mice. Index Descriptors and Abbreviations: Brugia pahangi; Inbred mice; Parasite infection; Peritoneal inflammation; C57BL/6J; IL5; IL-5−/−; Flowcytometry; Eosinophils; B1 B cells
Evaluation of Aerodynamic Drag and Torque for External Tanks in Low Earth Orbit.

A numerical procedure is described in which the aerodynamic drag and torque in low Earth orbit are calculated for a prototype Space Shuttle external tank and its components, the “LO2” and “LH2” tanks, carrying liquid oxygen and hydrogen, respectively, for any given angle of attack. Calculations assume the hypersonic limit of free molecular flow theory. Each shell of revolution is assumed to be described by a series of parametric equations for their respective contours. It is discretized into circular cross sections perpendicular to the axis of revolution, which yield a series of ellipses when projected according to the given angle of attack. The drag profile, that is, the projection of the entire shell is approximated by the convex envelope of those ellipses. The area of the drag profile, that is, the drag area, and its center of area moment, that is, the drag center, are then calculated and permit determination of the drag vector and the eccentricity vector from the center of gravity of the shell to the drag center. The aerodynamic torque is obtained as the cross product of those vectors. The tanks are assumed to be either evacuated or pressurized with a uniform internal gas distribution: dynamic shifting of the tank center of mass due to residual propellant sloshing is not considered.
Performance Metrics: How and When

This paper compares different classification performance metrics commonly used for environmental monitoring with remotely sensed satellite data and their associated error bounds. Discriminant functions were generated for three classifiers using common training data. Identical independent test data were classified by each discriminant function. The classified test values were evaluated by each performance metric. Each performance measure, its error bound, and its significance were computed. The performance measures were divided into three classes; those measures associated with contingency matrices, casewise comparisons, and ROC curves. The operation, results, and limitations of each metric are discussed.
A comparison of input representations in neural networks: a case study in intrusion detection

Recently intrusion detection techniques have shifted from user-based and connection-based to process-based approach. Forrest et al. (1996) presented one or the first papers analyzing sequences of system calls issued by a process for intrusion detection. Warrender et al. (1999) do a comparison of the accuracy and performance of different algorithms for the analysis of sequential calls. In this paper we present a comparison of two different encoding methods for three types of neural networks. We apply these classifiers to implement an anomaly detection module for UNIX processes.
Nest-site selection : Microhabitat variation and its effects on the survival of turtle embryos

It is known that turtle embryos are prone to high rates of predation; however, little is known about microhabitat variation at the nest site and its effects on turtle embryo survival. Microhabitat characteristics were measured at nest sites of the striped mud turtle, Kinosternon baurii, on a sandhill in central Florida to determine whether females were choosing sites to oviposit their eggs that differed in vegetation structure from random sites. Also nests were experimentally manipulated in the field to determine whether survivorship of striped mud turtle embryos differed between nest sites and random sites. Female striped mud turtles selected sites to oviposit their eggs that differed from random. Nest sites were located closer to grass tussocks or other herbaceous vegetation and in areas of less bare ground than random sites. Soil at nonselected sites reached higher daily tem- peratures and maintained these higher temperatures for longer periods of time than soil at selected sites. Survivorship of embryos was higher at selected sites than at nonselected sites. Because of their small body size at sexual maturity, female striped mud turtles dig shallower nests than larger species of turtles and may need vegetative cover near the nest site to protect their embryos from thermal extremes. In these times of increased habitat destruction and alteration, it is important that we gain a more complete understanding of the quality of habitat needed for successful reproduction.
Informed initial policies for learning in Dec-POMDPs

Decentralized partially observable Markov decision processes (Dec-POMDPs) offer a formal model for planning in cooperative multiagent systems where agents operate with noisy sensors and actuators, and local information. Prevalent Dec-POMDP solution techniques have mostly been centralized and have assumed knowledge of the model. In real world scenarios, however, solving centrally may not be an option and model parameters maybe unknown. To address this, we propose a distributed, model-free algorithm for learning Dec-POMDP policies, in which agents take turns learning, with each agent not currently learning following a static policy. For agents that have not yet learned a policy, this static policy must be initialized. We propose a principled method for learning such initial policies through interaction with the environment. We show that by using such informed initial policies, our alternate learning algorithm can find near-optimal policies for two benchmark problems.
Extracellular matrix contains insulin-like growth factor binding protein-5 : potentiation of the effects of IGF-I

Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) have been shown to serve as carrier proteins for the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and to modulate their biologic effects. Since extracellular matrix (ECM) has been shown to be a reservoir for IGF-I and IGF-II, we examined the ECM of cultured human fetal fibroblasts and found that IGFBP-5 was incorporated intact into ECM, while mostly inert proteolytic fragments were found in the medium. In contrast, two other forms of IGFBP that are secreted by these cells were either present in ECM in minimal amounts (IGFBP-3) or not detected (IGFBP-4). Likewise, when purified IGFBPs were incubated with ECM, IGFBP-5 bound preferentially. IGFBP-5 was found to bind to types III and IV collagen, laminin, and fibronectin. Increasing salt concentrations inhibited the binding of IGFBP-5 to ECM and accelerated the release of IGFBP-5 from ECM, suggesting an ionic basis for this interaction. ECM-associated IGFBP-5 had a sevenfold decrease in affinity for IGF-I compared to IGFBP-5 in solution. Furthermore, when IGFBP-5 was present in cell culture substrata, it potentiated the growth stimulatory effects of IGF-I on fibroblasts. When IGFBP-5 was present only in the medium, it was degraded to a 22-kD fragment and had no effect on IGF-I-stimulated growth. We conclude that IGFBP-5 is present in fibroblast ECM, where it is protected from degradation and can potentiate the biologic actions of IGF-I. These findings provide a molecular explanation for the association of the IGF's with the extracellular matrix, and suggest that the binding of the IGF's to matrix, via IGFBP-5, may be important in mediating the cellular growth response to these growth factors.
Words and sentences: Event‐related brain potential measures

Interactions between sentences and the individual words that comprise them are reviewed in studies using the event-related brain potential (ERP). Results suggest that, for ambiguous words preceded by a biasing sentence context, context is used at an early stage to constrain the relevant sense of a word rather than select among multiple active senses. A study comparing associative single-word context and sentence-level context also suggests that sentence context influences the earliest stage of semantic analysis, but that the ability to use sentence context effectively is more demanding of working memory than the ability to use single-word contexts. Another indication that sentence context has a dramatic effect on single-word processing was the observation that high- and low-frequency words elicit different ERPs at the beginnings of sentences but that this effect is suppressed by a meaningful sentence context.
Synthesis and physicochemical analysis of gelatin-based hydrogels for cell/drug carrier matrices

This study examined the effect of environmental pH, gelatin backbone modification and crosslinking concentration on in vitro swelling/degradation kinetics and in vivo biocompatibility of gelatin-based hydrogels. Swelling/degradation studies showed that gelatin modified with polyethyleneglycol significantly increased the time to reach a maximum swelling ratio (T/sub max/) and the time to degrade (T/sub fail/), whereas gelatin modified with ethylenediaminetetraacetic dianhydride significantly increased T/sub max/. Hydrogels crosslinked in 0.01 or 0.001% glutaraldehyde showed a significant difference in T/sub max/ and T/sub fail/ over gels crosslinked in 0.1% glutaraldehyde. The level of pH did not significantly affect the maximum swelling ratio (R/sub max/), T/sub max/, the swelling ratio at failure (R/sub fail/) or T/sub fail/. In vivo studies showed that gelatin-based hydrogels elicited comparable levels of acute and chronic inflammatory response as that of the control by 21 d. Percent mass loss of samples increased with increasing implantation time and was further increased with decreasing percentage of glutaraldehyde fixation. We are currently quantifying the release kinetics of chlorhexidine from these hydrogels in vitro and investigating their potential use as a transplantation matrix for rat neural stem cells and as a drug carrier in mediating inflammation in vivo. By modulating the swelling/degradation and drug release kinetics and the in vivo biocompatibility, it is possible to develop a nonimmunogenic, bioresorbable cell/drug carrier matrix.
MRHMMs: Multivariate Regression Hidden Markov Models and the variantS

Summary: Hidden Markov models (HMMs) are flexible and widely used in scientific studies. Particularly in genomics and genetics, there are multiple distinct regimes in the genome within each of which the relationships among multivariate features are distinct. Examples include differential gene regulation depending on gene functions and experimental conditions, and varying combinatorial patterns of multiple transcription factors. We developed a software package called MRHMMs (Multivariate Regression Hidden Markov Models and the variantS) that accommodates a variety of HMMs that can be flexibly applied to many biological studies and beyond. MRHMMs supplements existing HMM software packages in two aspects. First, MRHMMs provides a diverse set of emission probability structures, including mixture of multivariate normal distributions and (logistic) regression models. Second, MRHMMs is computationally efficient for analyzing large data-sets generated in current genome-wide studies. Especially, the software is written in C for the speed advantage and further amenable to implement alternative models to meet users’ own purposes. Availability and implementation: http://sourceforge.net/projects/mrhmms/ Contact: ude.usp@dhsohg or ude.usp.tats@gnahzuy Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Redistribution of Hydrogen in Gan, Ain, and Inn

Hydrogen incorporation during gas-phase growth of III-V nitrides is thought to play an important role in determining the apparent doping efficiency, due to unintentional passivation of dopants. Hydrogen implantation can also be used for electrical and optical isolation of neighboring devices, as in other lll-V materials such as GaAs. We have implanted 2H at 40 keV to doses of 5 × 1015 cm-2 at room temperature into epitaxial layers of GaN, AIN and InN grown by MOMBE on GaAs substrates, and measured the ion ranges and hydrogen redistribution upon subsequent furnace annealing. The hydrogen profiles remain unchanged for annealing temperatures up to 800-900°C for GaN and AIN, and 600° for InN. Samples were also deuterated from an ECR plasma at 250 or 400°C for 30 min, producing 2H incorporation depths of = 1 μ in GaN. With annealing, there is no significant hydrogen redistribution observed at temperatures up 800°C. Hydrogen concentrations remain in the range ~ 1019 cm-3 under these conditions. At 900°C considerable hydrogen outdiffusion to the surface occurs. The thermal stability of hydrogen in these III-V nitride films indicates the need for post-growth annealing at high temperatures to achieve appreciable doping efficiencies.
Abundance and Distribution of Transposable Elements in Two Drosophila QTL Mapping Resources

Here we present computational machinery to efficiently and accurately identify transposable element (TE) insertions in 146 next-generation sequenced inbred strains of Drosophila melanogaster. The panel of lines we use in our study is composed of strains from a pair of genetic mapping resources: the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) and the Drosophila Synthetic Population Resource (DSPR). We identified 23,087 TE insertions in these lines, of which 83.3% are found in only one line. There are marked differences in the distribution of elements over the genome, with TEs found at higher densities on the X chromosome, and in regions of low recombination. We also identified many more TEs per base pair of intronic sequence and fewer TEs per base pair of exonic sequence than expected if TEs are located at random locations in the euchromatic genome. There was substantial variation in TE load across genes. For example, the paralogs derailed and derailed-2 show a significant difference in the number of TE insertions, potentially reflecting differences in the selection acting on these loci. When considering TE families, we find a very weak effect of gene family size on TE insertions per gene, indicating that as gene family size increases the number of TE insertions in a given gene within that family also increases. TEs are known to be associated with certain phenotypes, and our data will allow investigators using the DGRP and DSPR to assess the functional role of TE insertions in complex trait variation more generally. Notably, because most TEs are very rare and often private to a single line, causative TEs resulting in phenotypic differences among individuals may typically fail to replicate across mapping panels since individual elements are unlikely to segregate in both panels. Our data suggest that "burden tests" that test for the effect of TEs as a class may be more fruitful.
Using service models for management of Internet services

As Internet services grow in complexity, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are finding out that the ad hoc methods that they have employed thus far to monitor and diagnose their services are not sufficient to provide acceptable service quality to their subscribers. In this paper, we demonstrate how service models can he used by ISPs to effectively manage their service offerings. A service model encapsulates a human expert's knowledge of a service, its components, and its interdependencies with other services. In addition, using ongoing measurements, a service model tracks the health of the different services and their components. By traversing a service model top-down, an operator can not only assess the overall health of a service, but also easily correlate the health of all the services and service components to determine the root cause of any problems that may occur. By minimizing the time and effort needed to diagnose problems, service models enable ISP operators to efficiently resolve problems that occur in an ISP environment. Since each ISP system is unique in many respects, unique service models have to be crafted for each of the services in every ISP system. Handcrafting customized service models requires enormous effort and time on the part of a human expert, a luxury that few ISPs can afford. In this paper, we describe a methodology for constructing customized service models for a target ISP system with minimal human intervention. This methodology relies on a service model creation engine that composes a custom service model for an ISP system using a predefined service model template specification and automatically discovered information about the target ISP system. We describe a prototype implementation of this methodology and present an example of a service model obtained from a real-world ISP system. The concepts described are applicable for the management of networks and services in enterprise systems as well.
Eyewitness Identification Reform Data, Theory, and Due Process

Some commentators view my analyses (Clark, 2012, this issue) as an important step forward in assessing the costs and benefits of eyewitness identification reform. Others suggest that the trade-off between correct identifications lost and false identifications avoided is well-known; that the expected utility model is misspecified; and that the loss of correct identifications due to the use of reformed eyewitness identification procedures is irrelevant to policy decisions, as those correct identifications are the illegitimate product of suggestion and lucky guesses. Contrary to these criticisms, the loss of correct identifications has not been adequately considered in theoretical or policy matters, criticisms regarding the various utilities do not substantively change the nature of the trade-off, and the dismissal of lost correct identifications is based not on data but on an outdated theory of recognition memory.
Future broader-bandwidth optical communication systems

This paper will highlight various optical transmissions issues that might be critical for future 100-Gbit/s and 1-Tbit/s Ethernet systems. Topics will include: spectral efficiency, advanced modulation formats, combating impairments, data granularity, and performance monitoring.
The Wage Effects of Being Raised in the Catholic Religion: Does Religion Matter?

This paper provides new empirical evidence about the existence of a Catholic wage premium. A simple allocation-of-time model provides two explanations for the observation that those persons raised in the Catholic religion earn more than their non-Catholic counterparts. The Catholic religion may add to a person's stock of human capital and/or it may act as a signal of desirable labor market characteristics such as discipline, honesty, trustworthiness, and high motivation.