cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Durable lipopolysaccharide-induced potentiation of mesenchymal stem cells

Background & Aim The regenerative and immunomodulatory properties of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) have made them the focus of multiple pre-clinical studies and clinical trials. While the results from these clinical studies have established that MSCs are safe, the efficacy of these cells is not as well-established as their safety profile. In this regard, there have been increased efforts towards generating potentiated MSCs with enhanced therapeutic efficacy. Methods, Results & Conclusion In the current study, we evaluated the feasibility of ex-vivo culture with LPS from E.coli O111:B4 as a mechanism of potentiating MSC secretion. Three independent human-derived bone marrow MSCs (BMSCs) were cultured ex-vivo in the presence of 5 µg/ml LPS. After 48 hours, conditioned medium (CM) was collected. The cells were washed and cultured for an additional 48 hours in complete medium. The CM was assayed for the presence of 42 different cytokines and growth factors using the multiplex bead platform. We found that compared to control cells not stimulated with LPS, generally ex-vivo culture with LPS significantly augmented the secretory capacity of all three primary cultures assessed. There was at least a 2-fold increase in the secretion of cytokines implicated in homing, angiogenesis and wound healing such as Eoxatin-1, GM-CSF, GRO- α and TNF-α in response to LPS stimulation. Factors critical for MSC function such as IL-6 increased 5-fold, and there was an over 100-fold increase in IL-8 secretion. Interestingly, the increase in cytokine and growth factor secretion was largely maintained up to 48 hours after the stimulation with LPS had ended. 48 hours post the termination of the ex-vivoculture with LPS, the increased fold-changes seen with IL-6, GRO- α, IL-8 and GM-CSF were preserved or only decreased minimally. Surprisingly, we noted that for some analytes such as MCP-3 and VEGF-A, the increased fold change seen 48 after the LPS stimulation had ended, was even more significant. In summary, we demonstrated that ex-vivo culture with LPS from E. coli O111:B4 leads to a robust and significant increase in the release of the cytokines and growth factors which orchestrates MSC regenerative and immunomodulatory properties. Most importantly, we have shown that this effect on cytokine secretion is not transient and is maintained up to 48 hours post the termination of LPS simulation. Ex-vivo culture with LPS from E. coli O111:B4 is therefore a potential mechanism for potentiating MSC secretion and function.
Comparisons of motor and sensory abnormalities after lumbar and thoracic contusion spinal cord injury in male rats.

Abstract Rodent models of contusion spinal cord injury (SCI) are widely studied for the mechanisms underlying functional deficits after SCI. Yet, how does lesion level affect SCI-induced motor and sensory dysfunctions remains unclear. Using a computer-controlled impactor (Impact One™, Leica) and the same parameters (diameter, 2.0 mm; Speed: 4.0 m/s; Depth: 1.5 mm; Dwell time: 0.1 s), we produced contusions at mid-thoracic (T10) and rostral-lumbar (L2) spinal cord in male rats, and compared locomotor and sensory dysfunctions within the same experimental setting. The time courses of locomotor deficit were comparable between thoracic (n = 8) and lumbar (n = 7) SCI rats, but the severity was greater after thoracic SCI especially during the first week post-injury, as indicated by the lower Basso, Beattle and Bresnahan open-field locomotion scores. Both groups showed similar heightened avoiding response (hyper-reactivity) to mechanical stimulation applied at the hindpaws from day 21–56 post-injury, as indicated by decreased paw withdrawal thresholds. Compared to lumbar SCI, thoracic SCI induced a greater decrease of paw withdrawal latency in hot-plate test from day 28–56 post-injury. In contrast, lumbar SCI rats showed a greater reduction of avoidance threshold to mechanical stimulation at the girdle region, and larger overgroomed area than thoracic SCI rats at day 14 post-injury. Thus, thoracic SCI may induce greater motor deficits and hindpaw heat hyper-reactivity than did lumbar SCI. In contrast, lumbar SCI may elicit greater at-level mechanical hyper-reactivity and overgrooming behavior than thoracic SCI. Future study needs to examine the specific pathological changes underlying different dysfunctions in two SCI models.
PixelHop: A Successive Subspace Learning (SSL) Method for Object Classification.

A new machine learning methodology, called successive subspace learning (SSL), is introduced in this work. SSL contains four key ingredients: 1) successive near-to-far neighborhood expansion; 2) unsupervised dimension reduction via subspace approximation; 3) supervised dimension reduction via label-assisted regression (LAG); and 4) feature concatenation and decision making. An image-based object classification method, called PixelHop, is proposed to illustrate the SSL design. It is shown by experimental results that the PixelHop method outperforms the classic CNN model of similar model complexity in three benchmarking datasets (MNIST, Fashion MNIST and CIFAR-10). Although SSL and deep learning (DL) have some high-level concept in common, they are fundamentally different in model formulation, the training process and training complexity. Extensive discussion on the comparison of SSL and DL is made to provide further insights into the potential of SSL.
"I Think It Might Help If We Multiply, and Not Add": Detecting Indirectness in Conversation.

The strategic use of indirect language is crucial in business negotiations, doctor-patient interactions, instructional discourse, and multiple other contextss. Being indirect allows interlocutors to diminish the potential threats to their interlocutors’ desired self-image—or, face threat—that may arise by being overtly direct. Handling indirectness well is important for spoken dialogue systems, as being either too indirect or too direct at the wrong time could harm the agent-user relationship. We take the first step towards handling users’ indirection by exploring different supervised machine learning approaches for the task of automatically detecting indirectness in conversations. Accurate automated detection of indirectness may help conversational agents better understand their users’ intents, gauge the current relationship with the user in order to appropriately plan a response, and inform the strategic use of indirectness to manage the task goals and social goals of the interaction. To our knowledge we are the first to use a multi-modal approach to detecting indirect language: we rely on both verbal and nonverbal features of the interaction. Our best model acheives a 62% F1 score on our dataset, outperforming non-neural baselines including approaches used by past work for related tasks such as uncertainty detection.
Monstrously Feminine: Orientalism Embodied in 2017’s The Mummy:

In 2017, Universal Studios released a new version of The Mummy. The rebooted tale of an ancient Egyptian mummy come to life featured a female villain for the first time. The decision to feature a w...
Netsmart, Topps and Lear: Delaware Corporate Law's Optimal Penumbra

Delaware corporate law is, by all accounts, the best developed corporate law in the U.S. The judges are expert, and understand the intricacies of corporations and corporate transactions better than any other state court judges, and all but the most sophisticated Federal judges. But is Delaware law as clear as it could be? Some critics think the answer is no: that Delaware judges, perhaps to keep their position as premier interpreters of their law, deliberately leave a bit of mystery. They don`t clarify as well as they could - or should. We disagree. One of law`s most important aims is to influence behavior. Corporate actors are keenly sensitive not only to legal dictates, but also to the dictates of norms. They also can afford to be risk averse at somebody else`s expense: advisers who detail what corporate actors ought to do will be paid by the corporations rather than the individuals. Judges are well situated to influence the development of norms and to cater to corporate actors` risk aversion. Through dicta in opinions and through their other pronouncements, including those articulating best practices, they can create a penumbra extending beyond the law; the penumbra strongly shapes how corporate actors behave. Fact-sensitive decisions accompanied by articulations of principles more broadly -the locus of the supposed indeterminacy, are the best way to achieve the optimal penumbra. We use three recent cases - Netsmart, Topps and Lear-to demonstrate our point. Of course, all lawmaking also affects norms, and creates penumbras in this way. But here, there is both a difference in degree and in kind from many other types of lawmaking. Corporate actors plan their behavior carefully and with advice from smart, careful advisors. On account of concern for both legal liability and reputational costs, they want to be squarely within the envelope -- not pushing it. In sum, corporate actors are particularly receptive, and have fewer countervailing pressures.
Universally bistable shells with nonzero Gaussian curvature for two-way transition waves.

Multi-welled energy landscapes arising in shells with nonzero Gaussian curvature typically fade away as their thickness becomes larger because of the increased bending energy required for inversion. Motivated by this limitation, we propose a strategy to realize doubly curved shells that are bistable for any thickness. We then study the nonlinear dynamic response of one-dimensional (1D) arrays of our universally bistable shells when coupled by compressible fluid cavities. We find that the system supports the propagation of bidirectional transition waves whose characteristics can be tuned by varying both geometric parameters as well as the amount of energy supplied to initiate the waves. However, since our bistable shells have equal energy minima, the distance traveled by such waves is limited by dissipation. To overcome this limitation, we identify a strategy to realize thick bistable shells with tunable energy landscape and show that their strategic placement within the 1D array can extend the propagation distance of the supported bidirectional transition waves. Curved elastic shells have unique mechanical behavior and multiple stable configurations, but these properties fade when the shell thickness increases. Here the authors report a strategy to realize bistable doubly curved shells with arbitrary thickness, and how to optimize the dynamic response of one-dimensional connected arrays of such doubly-curved bistable shells.
Interplay of magnetic order, pairing, and phase separation in a one-dimensional spin-fermion model

We consider a lattice model of itinerant electrons coupled to an array of localized classical Heisenberg spins. The nature of the ground-state-ordered magnetic phases that result from the indirect spin-spin coupling mediated by the electrons is determined as a function of density and the spin-fermion coupling $J$. At a fixed chemical potential, spiral phases exist only up to values of $J$ which are less than roughly half the electronic bandwidth. At a fixed electron density and near half filling, the system phase-separates into a half-filled antiferromagnetic phase and a spiral phase. The ferromagnetic phases are shown to be fully polarized, while the spiral phases have equal admixture of up and down spins. Phase separation survives in the presence of weak pairing field $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}$ but disappears when $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}$ exceeds a critical value ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{c}$. If pairing fields are large enough, an additional spiral state arises at strong coupling $J$. The relevance of this study, especially the phase separation, to artificially engineered systems of adjacent itinerant electrons and localized spins is discussed. In particular, we propose a method which might allow for the braiding of Majorana fermions by changing the density and moving their location as they are pulled along by a phase separation boundary.
A Method for Calculating Air Traffic Controller Communication Complexity

Verbal communication is currently the primary tool Air Traffic Controllers (ATCos) use to manage traffic and ensure separation [1]. For these verbal communications to be effective they need to be clear, concise, and use proper phraseology. Under increased workload, however, ATCos may issue multiple commands in one transmission. Pilots commonly cite message complexity and length as a potential source of frustration and error [2]. The current study discusses an algorithm for calculating communication complexity values. This algorithm is applied to a simulated environment involving different speeds and numbers of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), examining the communications between the ATCos and the surrounding conventional aircraft. The findings suggest that the computer program for calculating communication complexity is a helpful tool for examining ATCo-pilot communications and can be used in future studies to analyze communications in dynamic environments.
[18F]Fluoro-β-fluoromethylene-m-tyrosine analogs, potential PET agents for presynaptic dopamine terminals : synthesis and spectroscopic characterization

Abstract 18 F-labeled ( E )-β- fluoromethylene - DL -m- tyrosine (FMMT) was prepared by the direct reaction of FMMT with [18F]acetylhypofluorite (AcOF) resulting into three product isomers. Extensive 1H, 13C and 19F-NMR spectroscopic analysis identify these products to be 2-fluoro, 6-fluoro-FMMT and 2,6-difluoro-FMMT. The HPLC isolated radiochemical EOB yields of these products were 22, 25 and 14%, respectively, based on starting [18F]AcOF. The specific activity at the end of a synthesis time of an hour was ca 200 mCi/mmol. With the possible advantage of “metabolic trapping” in dopamine nerve terminals via covalent binding to MAO and reduced metabolite formation, [18F]F-FMMT may potentially be the optimal PET tracer for CNS dopamine nerve terminals.
Social Workers and the Courts: Education, Practice, and Research Needs

Although social workers have long been actively involved with the legal system in efforts to advocate on behalf of clients, there is a noticeable gap in social work education. The gap encompasses the knowledge needed by practicing social workers to present themselves objectively and to gain respect for the profession within the legal system; the failure of the profession to adequately explore the judicial development of social policy, which is becoming increasingly critical in providing for disenfranchised groups commonly served by the profession; and the inattention of the profession to the research needs of judges and the courts. This paper outlines the issues involved and presents directions for social work educators to take in attempting to fill this gap.
The impact of PET/CT on breast cancer diagnosis and management care

2122 Objectives To determine the effectiveness of PET/CT scanning in the diagnosis and management care of patients with breast cancer at NorthShore University HealthSystem. Methods All breast cancer patients were selected from NorthShore University HealthSystem that had two or more PET/CT scans between September 2008 and August 2009. The data was further expanded to include all of the selected patients PET/CT studies. Using the electronic medical records system (Epic), the patient’s plan of care was analyzed according to diagnosis and PET/CT findings. Pre-PET/CT management care was classified into five categories; observation, additional imaging, biopsy, surgery, and treatment. Post-PET/CT management care followed the same criteria. All patients whose plan of care was changed due to the PET/CT were further evaluated. Results The average number of PET/CT scans per patient was five (168 scans/34 patients). Out of a total of one hundred sixty-eight PET/CT scans, seventy-eight (46.4%) effected change for management care. A further evaluation of the PET/CT diagnosis was done by making a comparison of the patient’s individual scans. Seventy-eight (46.4%) worsened, thirty-three (19.6%) improved, and fifty-seven (33.9%) showed no change. Overall, PET/CT effected a change for thirty-one out of thirty-four (91.2%) patients post-PET/CT management care during the course of their treatment for breast cancer. Conclusions The data suggests that PET/CT scans are necessary in the diagnosis and management care for breast cancer. Initial and repeat PET/CT scans are beneficial in the continuing plan of care for breast cancer patients
A Novel Blended Real-Time Energy Management Strategy for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Commute Trips

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) show great promise in reducing transportation-related fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. A critical research topic for PHEVs is designing an efficient energy management system (EMS), in particular, determining how the energy flows in a hybrid powertrain should be managed in response to a variety of system parameters. Most of the existing systems either rely on a priori knowledge of future driving conditions to achieve the optimal but not real-time solution (e.g. Dynamic Programming strategy), or only upon the current driving situation to achieve a real-time but not optimal solution (e.g. rule-based strategy). Towards this end, we propose a Q-Learning based blended real-time EMS for PHEVs to address the trade-off between real-time performance and optimality. The proposed EMS can optimize the fuel consumption while learning the system's characteristics in real time. Numerical analysis shows that the proposed EMS can achieve a near optimal solution with 11.93% fuel savings compared to a binary mode control strategy, but a 2.86% fuel consumption increase compared to an off-line Dynamic Programming strategy.
A linear sieve algorithm for finding prime numbers

A new algorithm is presented for finding all primes between 2 and n. The algorithm executes in time proportional to n (assuming that multiplication of integers not larger than n can be performed in unit time). The method has the same arithmetic complexity as the algorithm presented by Mairson [6]; however, our version is perhaps simpler and more elegant. It is also easily extended to find the prime factorization of all integers between 2 and n in time proportional to n.
Recent advances in resonant optothermalacoustic detection

Optothermal detection is a spectroscopic technique where the energy input into a gas or other media caused by absorption of optical radiation is measured directly by means of a thermal detector. 1–3 A fraction of the absorbed energy is transported to the thermal detector by heat conduction or molecular diffusion. In this work a conventional thermal sensor was replaced by a quartz tuning fork (QTF), and the optical power input into the gas was modulated at the QTF resonant frequency. We call this approach “resonant optothermoacoustic detection”, or ROTADE. The same experimental setup can be used to conduct a closely related technique, quartz enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS). 4 QEPAS relies on energy transfer from the initially excited molecular vibrational state to the translational degrees of freedom. In some cases this process is too slow to follow the modulation required for QEPAS. In other cases, the resonant energy transfer can result in vibrational excitation of nitrogen, which relaxes very slowly. ROTADE, on the other hand, detects the energy delivered by molecules even if this energy is still in the form of vibrational excitation. The molecules will then release their energy to the QTF upon collision with its surface. Experimental investigations of ROTADE and its comparison with QEPAS were performed in pure CO2 and 0.5% acetylene in N2 using near-infrared diode lasers. A fiber collimator and a refocusing lens were used to focus the laser to a ≈15 μm diameter waist. Its position was scanned in the QTF plane using a 3D translation stage with computer-controlled actuators. Different QTFs were used to compare the effect of modulation frequency on the ROTADE signal.
Understanding fibrosis in systemic sclerosis: shifting paradigms, emerging opportunities

Fibrosis in multiple organs is a prominent pathological finding and distinguishing hallmark of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Findings during the past 5 years have contributed to a more complete understanding of the complex cellular and molecular underpinning of fibrosis in SSc. Fibroblasts, the principal effector cells, are activated in the profibrotic cellular milieu by cytokines and growth factors, developmental pathways, endothelin 1 and thrombin. Innate immune signaling via Toll-like receptors, matrix-generated biomechanical stress signaling via integrins, hypoxia and oxidative stress seem to be implicated in perpetuating the process. Beyond chronic fibroblast activation, fibrosis represents a failure to terminate tissue repair, coupled with an expanded population of mesenchymal cells originating from bone marrow and transdifferentiation of epithelial cells, endothelial cells and pericytes. In addition, studies have identified intrinsic alterations in SSc fibroblasts resulting from epigenetic changes, as well as altered microRNA expression that might underlie the cell-autonomous, persistent activation phenotype of these cells. Precise characterization of the deregulated extracellular and intracellular signaling pathways, mediators and cellular differentiation programs that contribute to fibrosis in SSc will facilitate the development of selective, targeted therapeutic strategies. Effective antifibrotic therapy will ultimately involve novel compounds and repurposing of drugs that are already approved for other indications.
The characterization of extreme episodes of wet and dry deposition of pollutants on an above cloud-base forest during its growing season

Abstract An analysis of a 3-yr database (1986–88) acquired new Mount Mitchell (35°44′05″N, 82°17′15″W, 2038 m MSL) where the forest consists primarily of Fraser fir and some red spruce stands is presented. The site was immersed in clouds for 28%–41% of the time during each of the three growing seasons (15 May–15 September). This study only investigated extreme episodes of wet (cloud-water pH% ≤.3:1)and dry (eg., an ozone concentration ≥ 70 ppb) acidic deposition. Extreme wet events occasionally relieved periods of high ozone (≥ 70 ppb) exposures during the final field intensive. Extreme wet and dry events could activate the decline mechanism in any above cloud-base forest, especially if the trees are exposed to such events during very early or very late stages of their Lives. The exposure of the forest to natural climatic stress, such as drought condition wintertime temperatures during the growing season, snow storm during early spring, etc., would also subject the forest to a stressful period during whic...
Functional vision loss: A diagnosis of exclusion

Abstract Background Most cases of visual acuity or visual field loss can be attributed to ocular pathology or ocular manifestations of systemic pathology. They can also occasionally be attributed to nonpathologic processes or malingering. Functional vision loss is any decrease in vision the origin of which cannot be attributed to a pathologic or structural abnormality. Case reports Two cases of functional vision loss are described. In the first, a 58-year-old man presented for a baseline eye examination for enrollment in a vision rehabilitation program. He reported bilateral blindness since a motor vehicle accident with head trauma 4 years prior. Entering visual acuity was “no light perception” in each eye. Ocular health examination was normal and the patient made frequent eye contact with the examiners. He was referred for neuroimaging and electrophysiologic testing. The second case was a 49-year-old man who presented with a long history of intermittent monocular diplopia. His medical history was significant for psycho-medical evaluations and a diagnosis of factitious disorder. Entering uncorrected visual acuities were 20/20 in each eye, but visual field testing found constriction. No abnormalities were found that could account for the monocular diplopia or visual field deficit. A diagnosis of functional vision loss secondary to factitious disorder was made. Conclusions Functional vision loss is a diagnosis of exclusion. In the event of reduced vision in the context of a normal ocular health examination, all other pathology must be ruled out before making the diagnosis of functional vision loss. Evaluation must include auxiliary ophthalmologic testing, neuroimaging of the visual pathway, review of the medical history and lifestyle, and psychiatric evaluation. Comanagement with a psychiatrist is essential for patients with functional vision loss.
The Validity of Prospective and Retrospective Global Change Criterion Measures

Abstract Schmitt J, Di Fabio RP. The validity of prospective and retrospective global change criterion measures. Objective To assess the validity of retrospective versus prospective criterions of change. Design Single cohort pretest-posttest design. Setting Physical or occupational therapy outpatient clinics. Participants Volunteer sample of 211 patients with upper-extremity musculoskeletal problems. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire, the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation, the Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey; global disability rating (GDR), retrospective global rating of change (GRC), and patient satisfaction. Results Correlations were calculated among the baseline, 3-month follow-up, and change scores for each outcome measure with the change criterion instruments. Retrospective GRC and patient satisfaction ratings showed moderate correlations with the 3-month follow-up scores, but nonsignificant correlations with baseline scores. By contrast, the prospective GDR criterion showed significant correlations with both baseline and 3-month follow-up scores ranging between 0.3 and 0.4 (absolute value). Conclusions Retrospective self-report measures of change do not accurately reflect true change over time. The retrospective GRC and patient satisfaction were heavily influenced by current (posttreatment) status whereas the prospective global change measure reflected both baseline and posttreatment status equally and thus appeared to be a more valid measure of change over time. This study demonstrates the need for an alternative criterion for establishing true individual change.
A Framework for Assessing Middle School Students' Thinking in Conditional Probability and Independence.

Based on a synthesis of research and observations of middle school students, a framework for assessing students’ thinking on two constructs—conditional probability and independence—was formulated, refined and validated. For both constructs, four levels of thinking which reflected a continuum from subjective to numerical reasoning were established. The framework was validated from interview data with 15 students from Grades 4–8 who served as case studies. Student profiles revealed that levels of probabilistic thinking were stable across the two constructs and were consistent with levels of cognitive functioning postulated by some neo-Piagetians. The framework provides valuable benchmarks for instruction and assessment.
A sensitive and specific assay to detect Ro(SS-A) and La(SS-B) antibodies.

This paper describes a sensitive and specific immunoblotting procedure to detect Ro(SS-A) and La(SS-B) autoantibodies in the serum of patients with lupus erythematosus. In order to perform this procedure, we have partially purified the Ro(SS-A) and La(SS-B) antigens from human spleen extracts by DEAE-cellulose and Sephacryl S-300 chromatography. The Ro(SS-A) and La(SS-B) antigens were immobilized on nitrocellulose paper after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and tested against a panel of sera at different dilutions: normal bureau sera (n = 14), Ro(SS-A) antisera (n = 6), La(SS-B) (n = 7), Ro(SS-A)/La(SS-B) (n = 8), Sm-nRNP-La(SS-B) (n = 2). We found that Ro(SS-A) antisera react with a protein of an approximate Mr of 58K, whereas the La(SS-B) antisera reacted with two bands of Mr 42 and 40K, respectively. Antisera with both autoantibodies [Ro(SS-A) and La(SS-B)] reacted with both antigens, whereas the control NHS, anti-nRNP, and anti-Sm did not stain the Ro(SS-A) and La(SS-B) protein bands. In addition, some of the positive sera continued reacting with the respective antigens at extremely high dilutions. This procedure can be easily adapted to test many serum samples and produce data which include Mr of the antigen and titer of autoantibodies in the patient's serum.
‘Yin–Yang’ functions of transforming growth factor‐β and T regulatory cells in immune regulation

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and forkhead box p3-expressing T-regulatory (Treg) cells are critical in maintaining self-tolerance and immune homeostasis. The immune suppressive functions of TGF-beta and Treg cells are widely acknowledged and extensively studied. Nonetheless, recent studies revealed the positive roles of TGF-beta and Treg cells in shaping the immune system and the inflammatory responses. This review discusses our and other's efforts in understanding the negative (Yin) as well as the positive (Yang) roles for TGF-beta and Treg cells in immune regulation.
A naturally occurring C-terminal fragment of the prion protein (PrP) delays disease and acts as a dominant-negative inhibitor of PrPSc formation.

The cellular prion protein (PrPC) undergoes constitutive proteolytic cleavage between residues 111/112 to yield a soluble N-terminal fragment (N1) and a membrane-anchored C-terminal fragment (C1). The C1 fragment represents the major proteolytic fragment of PrPC in brain and several cell types. To explore the role of C1 in prion disease, we generated Tg(C1) transgenic mice expressing this fragment (PrP(Δ23–111)) in the presence and absence of endogenous PrP. In contrast to several other N-terminally deleted forms of PrP, the C1 fragment does not cause a spontaneous neurological disease in the absence of endogenous PrP. Tg(C1) mice inoculated with scrapie prions remain healthy and do not accumulate protease-resistant PrP, demonstrating that C1 is not a substrate for conversion to PrPSc (the disease-associated isoform). Interestingly, Tg(C1) mice co-expressing C1 along with wild-type PrP (either endogenous or encoded by a second transgene) become ill after scrapie inoculation, but with a dramatically delayed time course compared with mice lacking C1. In addition, accumulation of PrPSc was markedly slowed in these animals. Similar effects were produced by a shorter C-terminal fragment of PrP(Δ23–134). These results demonstrate that C1 acts as dominant-negative inhibitor of PrPSc formation and accumulation of neurotoxic forms of PrP. Thus, C1, a naturally occurring fragment of PrPC, might play a modulatory role during the course of prion diseases. In addition, enhancing production of C1, or exogenously administering this fragment, represents a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of prion diseases.
An Appreciation of Ralph Marvin Steinman (1943-2011)

Ralph Steinman, an editor at the Journal of Experimental Medicine since 1978, shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of dendritic cells (DCs) and their role in immunity. Ralph never knew. He died of pancreatic cancer on September 30, 3 days before the Nobel announcement. Unaware of his death at the time of their announcement, the Nobel Committee made the unprecedented decision that his award would stand. Ralph was the consummate physician-scientist to the end. After his diagnosis, he actively participated in his 4.5 years of treatments, creating experimental therapies using his own DCs in conjunction with the therapies devised by his physicians, all the while traveling, lecturing, and most of all pursuing new investigations in his laboratory. For 38 years—from his discovery of DCs to his Nobel Prize—Ralph pioneered the criteria and methods used to identify, isolate, grow, and study DCs. He and his colleagues demonstrated that DCs are initiators of immunity and regulators of tolerance. In his most recent studies, Ralph was harnessing the specialized features of DCs to design improved vaccines. The following synopsis describes some of his seminal discoveries.
Gender Differences in the Salaries and Salary Growth Rates of University Faculty: An Exploratory Study:

This study uses individual growth modeling to examine gender differences in salaries and salary growth rates between 1985 and 1995 for a sample of 306 faculty members at a research university. We analyze gender differences in estimated annual salary in 1985, the start of the ten-year period of study, as well as differences in the rate of salary growth during subsequent years. Individual growth modeling is particularly well suited to an analysis of salary changes over time, since it has the advantage of making use of all available data points rather than only two, as is the case with traditional change models. Findings show that a sizable gap between men's and women's estimated 1985 salaries remains after controlling for relevant factors. However, women show higher rates of salary growth during the ten-year period. Faculty with the highest growth rates are those most likely to leave the university, and, as a result, the salary growth rates for women and men are virtually identical by the end of the ten-yea...
Fully aromatic thermotropic liquid crystalline polyesters of substituted 4,4′‐biphenols. IV. Homopolyesters with terephthalic acid and copolyesters with terephthalic acid and 4‐hydroxybenzoic acid

A series of fully aromatic thermotropic polyesters based on mono-, di-, and tetra-substituted biphenols was prepared by the melt polycondensation method and examined for their thermotropic behavior by a variety of experimental techniques. The homopolyesters obtained from substituted biphenols containing either one phenyl or two phenyl groups as substituent(s) and TA formed nematic melts, but the homopolymers of the substituted biphenols containing either four sec-butyl groups or two tert-butyl groups with TA had melting transitions, Tm, above 400°C. Thus, it was not possible to determine whether they formed nematic melts. On copolymerization with 30 mol % HBA most of the resulting copolyesters had much lower Tm values, compared to those of respective homopolyesters, and the copolymers of the biphenol monomer containing the tert-butyl groups formed a nematic melt at an observable temperature. However, the copolymer of the biphenol with sec-butyl groups still had a Tm above 400°C. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Photophysical and Electron-Transfer Properties of Mono- and Multiple-Functionalized Fullerene Derivatives

Mono- and multiple-functionalized C60 derivatives were synthesized and studied for their photophysical properties. Electronic absorption spectra and absorptivities of the C60 derivatives in solution were measured and compared. By recording the fluorescence spectra using a near-infrared-sensitive emission spectrometer, we quantitatively determined fluorescence quantum yields of the C60 derivatives. For the mono-functionalized C60 derivatives, the compound with a [5,6]-open fulleroid addition pattern on the fullerene cage appeared to be considerably less fluorescent than those with a [6,6]-closed cage addition pattern. Despite the disturbance of the electronic structure via multiple additions to the fullerene cage, the multiple-functionalized C60 derivatives exhibited no dramatic changes in fluorescence quantum yields in comparison with the mono-functionalized C60 derivatives. The fluorescence lifetimes of the C60 derivatives, obtained using the time-correlated single photon-counting technique, were all in ...
Influence of surface tension on effective packing area

Effective packing areas of Sulzer Mellapak 250Y and 500Y structured packings were determined in a 0.46-m OD packed column. A chemical method (absorption of CO2 from air using 0.1 kmol/m3 NaOH) was employed for the measurements. The packing performance was reported as fractional area, defined as effective area normalized by specific packing area. Under high surface tension conditions (∼72 mN/m), the fractional area decreased by approximately a factor of 2 in going from the 250Y to the 500Y packing. When similar tests were conducted at reduced surface tensions (∼35 mN/m, achieved by the addition of surfactant), the fractional area of the 250Y was unchanged, whereas that of the 500Y increased by 50% relative to the base case. The results indicate that, at high surface tension, access to the surface of the 500Y packing was being inhibited. Lowering the surface tension served to maximize the effective area of the packing.
Increasing the Landscape of Structural Motifs in Co-crystals of Resorcinols with Ditopic Aromatics: A One-dimensional π-Stacked Hydrogen-Bonded Polymer Involving a Phenanthroline

Co-crystals involving 4,6-dichlororesorcinol (4,6-diCl-res) and 2,9-phenanthroline (2,9-phen) of composition 2(4,6-diCl-res) ··· 2(2,9-phen) ··· (nitromethane) ( 1 ) reveal a previously unobserved one-dimensional structural motif that involves a π-stacked columnar polymer held together by O–H···N hydrogen bonds. Each resorcinol participates in short Cl···O contacts and Cl···Cl forces along the polymer backbone. The included nitromethane solvent molecules pack in columns held together by C–H···O forces.
Selection for Rapid Manufacturing Under Epistemic Uncertainty

Rapid Prototyping (RP) is the process of building three-dimensional objects, in layers, using additive manufacturing. Rapid Manufacturing (RM) is the use of RP technologies to manufacture end-use, or finished, products. At small lot sizes, such as with customized products, traditional manufacturing technologies become infeasible due to the high costs of tooling and setup. RM offers the opportunity to produce these customized products economically. Coupled with the customization opportunities afforded by RM is a certain degree of uncertainty. This uncertainty is mainly attributed to the lack of information known about what the customer’s specific requirements and preferences are at the time of production. In this paper, we present an overall method for selection of a RM technology under the geometric uncertainty inherent to mass customization. Specifically, we define the types of uncertainty inherent to RM (epistemic), propose a method to account for this uncertainty in a selection process (interval analysis), and propose a method to select a technology under uncertainty (Hurwicz selection criterion). We illustrate our method with an example on the selection of an RM technology to produce custom caster wheels.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Impacts of removing Chinese privet from riparian forests on plant communities and tree growth five years later.

An invasive shrub, Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense Lour.), was removed from heavily infested riparian forests in the Georgia Piedmont in 2005 by mulching machine or chainsaw felling. Subsequent herbicide treatment eliminated almost all privet by 2007. Recovery of plant communities, return of Chinese privet, and canopy tree growth were measured on removal plots and heavily invaded control plots in 2012 approximately five years after complete removal of privet. Plant communities were also measured on three ‘desired future condition’ plots which were never heavily infested with privet. These areas provided a goal condition for plant communities on removal plots. Approximately 7% of mulched plots and 3% of felling plots were re-infested by Chinese privet. In contrast, non-privet herbaceous plants covered 70% of mulched plots and 60% of felling plots compared to only 20% of untreated control plots and 70% in desired plots. Both mulched and felled plots had more plant species than the control plots, and mulched plots had more species than felled plots. Analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS) ordination indicated that control, removal, and desired future condition plots had three distinct plant communities but the methods used to remove privet did not result in different communities. There was no difference in growth of canopy trees in removal and control plots five years after removal. Removing Chinese privet from riparian areas is beneficial to plant communities, promoting biodiversity and secondary succession while progressing toward a desired condition regardless of the method used to remove it.
Case study: Initiating and maintaining a nonruminative response in an adult male who is profoundly retarded

A 51-year-old male with profound retardation and an 11-year history of rumination was treated using a simple intervention that included shaping, time-out, and stimulus control. An A-B-A-B design was used to evaluate treatment. Results indicated that the mean rate of rumination decreased from an average of 16.1 times per day during baseline to less than once per day at the conclusion of treatment. The potential prosocial effects of eliminating rumination and the implications of using less aversive interventions for serious and potentially life-threatening disorders in individuals with developmental disabilities are discussed.
Radiation and actinomycin D mortality studies. Circadian variations in lethality due to independent effects of either agent

SummaryC57BL/6 mice were exposed to either ionizing radiation or actinomycin at the peak and nadir of jejunal crypt cell mitotic activity. Animals exposed at the peak were more sensitive than animals exposed at the nadir. Conversely, animals treated with actinomycin D were slightly more sensitive at the nadir. These observations suggest that studies of the combined lethal effects of ionizing radiation and actinomycin D may be complicated by the change in sensitivity of normal tissues to either treatment under the influence of a circadian variable.
Management Briefs: Immersion of Larval Atlantic Salmon in Calcein Solutions to Induce a Non-Lethally Detectable Mark

Abstract At 60 d posthatch. larval Atlantic salmon Salmo salar were immersed in water containing calcein at 125 or 250 mg/L or oxytetracycline at 250 mg/L or in untreated control water. Immersions were static, 48-h treatments. All fish immersed in calcein solutions acquired a chemical mark visible microscopically under long-wave ultraviolet light and manifested as apple-green fluorescence in calcified structures, including fin rays. No fluorescence was detected in fish immersed in oxytetracycline or untreated water when viewed in the same manner. Mortality from the time of immersion through day 10 was significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) in 250 mg calcein/L (10.5%) than in 125 mg calcein/L (< 1.0%). At 234 d postimmersion, the calcein mark was detected non-lethally in samples of caudal fin tissue from over 93% of calcein-treated fish examined. Results suggest that calcein may be a valuable tool for mass-marking larval fish for long-term hatchery product evaluation.
The convergence of BPH renormalization

The convergence of the integrals defining BPH renormalized Feynman amplitudes is derived from the known additive structure of analytic renormalization.
Exudative effusions in congestive heart failure.

Objectives Pleural effusions due to congestive heart failure (CHF) typically are transudates, but an occasional patient with CHF is found to have an exudate in the absence of an apparent cause other than CHF. We sought to determine the incidence and clinical significance of such exudative effusions. Design Patients with CHF and effusions seen during the 7-year period from January 1994 through December 2000 were identified from their hospital discharge diagnoses and radiographs, while those who had undergone thoracentesis were identified from a review of the laboratory logs. The presenting symptoms and clinical course were determined from a review of the medical records. The effect of RBC contamination on pleural fluid lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels was determined by measuring the LDH activity of mock pleural fluid containing known amounts of RBC. Results Seven hundred seventy patients had CHF with an effusion, but only 175 patients underwent a thoracentesis. In this select group, 86 patients had transudates and 89 had exudates. A noncardiac cause for the exudate was readily identified in 59 patients by hospital discharge, and 7 more patients had an etiology found during follow-up. Eleven of the remaining 23 patients had undergone coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery ≥ 1 year prior to presentation, and 50% of the effusions in patients who had undergone CABG surgery were exudates. Thus, CHF-related exudates were identified in only 12 patients, and in 4 of these patients the exudates could be explained by RBC contamination of the pleural fluid. The clinical presentation of patients with CHF-associated exudates was similar to that of CHF patients with transudates. Conclusion In most patients who have CHF and an exudative effusion, there is a noncardiac cause for the pleural effusion. The high frequency of exudates in patients with a history of CABG indicates a persistent impairment in lymphatic clearance from the pleural cavity. Exudative effusions due solely to CHF are rare.
Loss of hairless confers susceptibility to UVB-induced tumorigenesis via disruption of NF-kappaB signaling.

In order to model squamous cell carcinoma development in vivo, researchers have long preferred hairless mouse models such as SKH-1 mice that have traditionally been classified as ‘wild-type’ mice irrespective of the genetic factors underlying their hairless phenotype. The work presented here shows that mutations in the Hairless (Hr) gene not only result in the hairless phenotype of the SKH-1 and Hr−/− mouse lines but also cause aberrant activation of NFκB and its downstream effectors. We show that in the epidermis, Hr is an early UVB response gene that regulates NFκB activation and thereby controls cellular responses to irradiation. Therefore, when Hr expression is decreased in Hr mutant animals there is a corresponding increase in NFκB activity that is augmented by UVB irradiation. This constitutive activation of NFκB in the Hr mutant epidermis leads to the stimulation a large variety of downstream effectors including the cell cycle regulators cyclin D1 and cyclin E, the anti-apoptosis protein Bcl-2, and the pro-inflammatory protein Cox-2. Therefore, Hr loss results in a state of uncontrolled epidermal proliferation that promotes tumor development, and Hr mutant mice should no longer be considered merely hairless 'wild-type' mice. Instead, Hr is a crucial UVB response gene and its loss creates a permissive environment that potentiates increased tumorigenesis.
Aging and Ethnicity

The purpose of this book is to attempt to synthesize social gerontological literature on Americas major ethnic groups in order to make it more accessible to scholars and students. Chapters are included on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics mortality and health and family structure and family relations. (EXCERPT)
A Hierarchical System of Performance Measures for Concurrent Engineering

As firms respond to increased competitive pressures by adopting new strategies, it becomes necessary to identify and measure factors that reflect the successes or failures of such strategies In this paper, we address the issue of performance measures for one such strategy—con current engineering Traditional accounting-based performance measures are inappropriate for monitoring and diagnosing deficiencies at the operational (or process) level Here, we propose a three level hierarchical system of process based metrics for the product delivery performance achieved with concurrent engineering Metrics at the primary level monitor performance and serve as a basis for benchmarking Metrics at the secondary and tertiary levels diagnose performance, that is, they help explain results obtained at the primary level