cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PI3Kγ deletion reduces variability in the in vivo osteolytic response induced by orthopaedic wear particles

Aseptic loosening of orthopedic implants is initiated by macrophage activation by wear particles derived from the implant.1 The activated macrophages produce pro-inflammatory cytokines that induce osteoclast differentiation and local osteolysis.1-3 This production of pro-inflammatory cytokines is due to activation in the macrophages of a number of intracellular signaling pathways associated with inflammation, including the ERK1/2 and NF-κB pathways.4-10 We have recently shown that the phosphoinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway is another signal transduction pathway that mediates the in vitro activation of macrophages by orthopedic wear particles.11 In that study, we showed that wear particles activate the PI3K/Akt pathway and that inhibitors of either PI3K or Akt reduce production of TNFα induced by the wear particles.11 The PI3K/Akt pathway has diverse effects on cellular processes, including proliferation, survival, differentiation, and migration and is especially important in both innate and adaptive immunity.12 PI3K consists of heterodimers of catalytic and regulatory subunits. The γ isoform of the catalytic subunit is primarily responsible for PI3K activity during inflammation.13-15 We therefore hypothesized that PI3Kγ mediates particle-induced osteolysis. This hypothesis was of interest since pharmacological agents that selectively inhibit PI3Kγ are being developed for inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis15-17 and lupus.16 Moreover, PI3Kγ−/− mice are substantially protected from both rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.17,18 Moreover, osteoclast differentiation and survival are reduced in PI3Kγ−/− mice leading to an increase in bone mass.19 The primary goal of this project was therefore to determine whether PI3Kγ−/− mice are also protected from particle-induced osteolysis. We also determined whether repair of particle-induced osteolysis is altered in the PI3Kγ−/− mice.
Multidimensional constant-length substitution sequences

Abstract We consider multidimensional substitutions of constant length in a primarily expository setting, explaining how results from both symbolic dynamics and tiling dynamical systems can be applied. We focus in particular on ergodic and spectral theoretic concepts in an analysis that includes results and proofs extending what is known to our case. Tools such as the frequency measure, spectral measures, and the multidimensional odometer are used. We investigate several examples, among them the class of bijective substitutions. Bijective substitutions are of particular interest due to their mixed dynamical spectrum and because they are skew products over multidimensional odometers. For these, a condition is given allowing a full decomposition of the spectral measures.
Neutron diffraction determination of the crystal structure of Ce7O12

Abstract A neutron diffraction study has been made on polycrystalline and single crystal samples of CeO1.714. The results confirm that the compound is isostructural with ternary oxides of the type UY6O12. The space group is R 3 with hexagonal unit cell dimensions a = 10.37 A and c = 9.67 A (rhombohedral cell a = 8.60 A and α = 99.4°). The hexagonal unit cell contains three formula units of Ce7O12. Totals of 79 and 24 independent reflections from the single crystal were measured at neutron wavelengths of 1.185 and 2.37 A, respectively. Simultaneous refinement of the two sets of data yielded a weighted R factor of 0.144. The structure is a rhombohedral defect type of fluorite arrangement in which pairs of oxygen vacancies are ordered along the [111] axis.
Distribution of Lutein and Zeaxanthin Stereoisomers in the Human Retina

The distribution of macular pigment stereoisomers in the human retina has been mapped and a pathway to account for the presence of the non-dietary carotenoid,meso-zeaxanthin, is proposed. Adult neural retinas were cut into three concentric areas centered on the fovea, and the extracted carotenoids were analysed and purified by high-performance liquid chromatography. The dicarbamate or dibenzoate derivatives of the collected zeaxanthin fractions for each tissue sample were further analysed by HPLC to determine their stereoisomer composition. Whole retinas from infant eyes were similarly analysed. The results show that, relative to zeaxanthin, the concentration of lutein in the adult neural retina increases with radial distance from the fovea while that ofmeso-zeaxanthin decreases. Infant retinas were found to have more lutein and lessmeso-zeaxanthin, relative to zeaxanthin, than adult retinas. Small quantities of (3S, 3′S)-zeaxanthin were also found in the adult retina, particularly in the macula. It is proposed that lutein and zeaxanthin are transported into an individual's retina in the same proportions found in his or her blood serum. Some of the lutein is then converted intomeso-zeaxanthin, primarily in the macula, by a mechanism which is less developed in infants than adults.
Angiographic patterns of in-stent restenosis and implications on subsequent revascularization.

Stent implantation has become the mainstay of percutaneous revascularization for most coronary lesions; in-stent restenosis (ISR) can occur in 6%-40% of stent procedures and the subsequent response to repeat intervention can possibly be predicted by the angiographic patterns of ISR. This study evaluated the incidence and predictors of angiographic patterns of ISR and its impact on subsequent target lesion revascularization (TLR) in 100 consecutive patients having Palmaz-Schatz ISR undergoing intervention. Diffuse ISR (>/=10 mm) was observed in 78% and focal ISR (>10 mm) in 22%. Diffuse vs. focal ISR occurred earlier after stent implantation and was more common in diabetics. Angiographic predictors of diffuse ISR were stent implantation for a restenotic lesion, long lesions, smaller vessel, stenting without debulking, and high-pressure balloon inflation (>16 atm). TLR after repeat intervention was 46% for diffuse and 14% for focal ISR (P < 0.02). Rotational atherectomy resulted in lower TLR (31%) vs. PTCA or restent (64%) in diffuse ISR (P < 0.004). Therefore, diffuse ISR is more common than focal ISR, usually occurs in the setting of aggressive intimal hyperplasia, and can be predicted by clinical and angiographic variables. Also, diffuse intimal hyperplasia within a stent responds poorly to PTCA and may benefit from a more aggressive debulking strategy such as rotational atherectomy. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Intervent. 49:23-29, 2000.
Lessons learned at the intersection of immunology and neuroscience

Neurobiologists and immunologists study concepts often signified with identical terminology. Scientists in both fields study a structure known as the synapse, and each group analyzes a subject called memory. Is this a quirk of human language, or are there real similarities between these two physiological systems? Not only are the linguistic concepts expressed in the words "synapse" and "memory" shared between the fields, but the actual molecules of physiologic importance in one system play parallel roles in the other: complement, the major histocompatibility molecules, and even "neuro"-transmitters all have major impacts on health and on disease in both the brain and the immune system. Not only are the same molecules found in diverse roles in each system, but we have learned that there is real "hard-wired" crosstalk between nerves and lymphoid organs. This issue of the JCI highlights some of the lessons learned from experts who are working at this scintillating intersection between immunology and neuroscience.
Femtosecond study of exciton dynamics in polyfluorene statistical copolymers in solutions and thin films

The formation and decay dynamics of photogenerated excitons in polyfluorene statistical co-polymers in solutions and in thin films have been studied using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. In solution photoexcitation of the polymer generates primarily intrachain singlet excitons which are initially hot and then relax quickly (< 200 fs) towards the equilibrium position in the excited state. The exciton subsequently decays following a double exponential with time constants of 30 ps and 330 ps in toluene. The fast decay is attributable to vibrational relaxation, spectral diffusion, or internal conversion (recombination) of the exciton from the excited to the ground electronic state through tunneling or thermal-activated barrier crossing before thermalization. The slow decay is assigned to conversion of the thermalized exciton to the ground state through both radiative and non-radiative pathways. In films the exciton dynamics are found to depend strongly on excitation intensity. At low intensity, the dynamics are similar to that in solutions, with a double exponential decay with time constants of 15 ps and 300 ps. At high intensities, a fast decay component with a time constant of 0.8 ps appears, which becomes more dominant at higher intensities. This fast decay is attributed to exciton- exciton annihilation due to high density of excitons created. The signal in films at both low and high excitation intensities is attributable to intrachain singlet excitons, as in solution. There is no evidence for formation of interchain bound polaron pairs in films at low intensities. At high intensities, the possibility cannot be ruled out completely, especially in relation to the fast decay. If bound polaron pairs are formed as indicated by the fast decay, they must be generated as a result of interaction between excitons on different chains since they are absent at low power, an they must be created and then decay within about 1 ps.
Equivalence relations among interconnection networks

Abstract The interconnection network equivalence notions reported in the literature are formalized via conjugation maps over the sets of interconnections of such networks. Various forms of relations including group isomorphisms among interconnection networks are introduced. Equivalence relations express the degrees of freedom in “making one network behave like another.” Examples of these relations for commutative cube-connected networks with individual stage control are also included. In addition, an algorithm is provided to construct equivalence maps among such networks.
Graphical extensions for pseudo-code, PDLs, and source code

The control structure diagram (CSD) is a new graphical notation intended to increase the comprehensibility of software described or defined with pseudo-code, PDL, or source code. The CSD is a simple graphical extension to these textual representations that provides for the explicit depiction of the control constructs and control flow at all relevant levels of abstraction. The CSD is supported by a fully operational prototype editor which is presently configured for Pascal or pseudo-code that uses the keywords of Pascal.
Best Practices for Hedge Funds Part 2 of 2

In the previous issue of this journal, a series of best practices in ethics, management policies, disclosure and transparency, valuation policies and procedures, risk monitoring and marketing and communications was featured. This second part of the report covers regulation, compliance and documentation, fees, conflicts of interest and strategy change.
THE SPONTANEOUS FORMATION OF INTRACELLULAR COLLOID DROPLETS IN SURVIVING CHICK THYROID TISSUE1

Recently, Junquiera (1947) reported the formation of large numbers of intracellular colloid droplets in rat thyroid tissue exposed in vitro to thyrotrophic hormone. None formed in control thyroid tissue. Since earlier studies had indicated that these droplets formed after the parenteral administration of pituitary gland preparations to a variety of species (Grant, 1930, 1931; Severinghaus, 1933; Okkels, 1934; Aleschin, 1935, 1939; De Robertis, 1941 a, 1942), the in vitro experiments were viewed by Junquiera as evidence of a direct action of thyrotrophic hormone on thyroid epithelium. Since droplet formation in chick thyroids had earlier been used as a basis for thyrotrophic hormone assay in intact chicks (Dvoskin, 1947), an attempt was made to determine if it would be feasible to assay thyrotrophic hormine, in vitro, by exposing chick thyroid tissue to thyrotrophic hormone. To our surprise it was observed that control chick thyroid glands formed large numbers of intracellular colloid droplets in vitro in ...
Atomic and electronic structures of thallium-based III-V-VI 2 ternary chalcogenides: Ab initio calculations

The atomic and electronic structures of ${\text{III-V-VI}}_{2}$ ternary chalcogenides ($\text{III}=\text{Tl}$, $\text{V}=\text{Sb}$ and Bi, and $\text{VI}=\text{Te}$, Se, and S) have been studied using ab initio electronic structure calculations. Most of these compounds are found to take rhombohedral structures as their lowest energy structures (except for ${\text{TlSbS}}_{2}$, which takes a triclinic structure), in agreement with experiments. There is a disagreement between theory and experiment in the case of ${\text{TlSbSe}}_{2}$, wherein our calculations identify a rhombohedral structure (as yet hypothetical), which has lower energy than a monoclinic one (given by experiment). Band-gap formation in these ternaries are controlled by a highly directional hybridization between the cation (Sb, Bi), anion (S, Se, Te), and $\text{Tl}\text{ }p$ states, and the electronic structure near the Fermi level is sensitive to the ordering on the cation sublattice.
Stopping times and an extension of stochastic integrals in the plane

Let (Ω,J,P;Jz) be a probability space with an increasing family of sub-σ-fields {Jz, z ∈ D}, where D = [0, ∞) × [0, ∞), satisfying the usual conditions. In this paper, the stochastic integral with respect to an Jz-adapted 2-parameter Brownian motion for integrand processes in the class C2(Jz) is extended, by means of truncations cations by {0, 1}-valued 2-parameter stopping times, to integrand processes that are Jz-adapted and continuous. The stochastic integral in the plane thus extended resembles a locally square integrable martingale in the 1-parameter setting. A definition of a parameter-space valued, i.e., D-valued, stopping time is also given and its characteristic process is related to a {0, 1}-valued 2-parameter stopping time.
Guiding of optical laser pulses in fast capillary discharge plasma columns

We report the generation and characterization of plasma waveguides in a highly ionized Ar plasma created by a fast capillary discharge. Their results are of interest for the efficient longitudinal laser excitation of collisional soft x-ray lasers. A discharge-driven hydrodynamic compression guides progressively lower order modes through a plasma with increasing density and degree of ionization. The mode structure and guiding properties were investigated using near and far field imaging, and transmission measurements. The lowest order mode (FWHM diameter ~ 50 um) is guided with an energy transmission of ~ 75% over a 5.5 cm long plasma a fraction of a ns before the discharge plasma column reaches the conditions for lasing in Ne-like Ar. The rapid expansion of the highly ionized plasma column after the pinch forms a significantly more leaky and absorbent waveguide.
The influence of ionospheric irregularities on sweep-frequency backscatter

Abstract Using computer simulation it is possible to predict the effect of traveling ionospheric irregularities upon the data obtained by HF sweep-frequency ground-backscatter sounders. The simulation process makes use of an ionospheric model in which radio rays are traced to determine the time distribution of energy along the distant ground after skywave travel. Subsequent computation yields a synthetic record of the echo amplitude as a function of radio frequency and time delay, much like the experimental data. The degree of realism in these synthesis is limited primarily by the need for economy; the process used here is a simplified version of one previously described. ( Croft , 1967 ) It is shown that a localized ionospheric irregularity causes a discontinuity in backscatter echo amplitude with a limited extent in frequency and with a delay which is comparatively independent of frequency. This discontinuity has the appearance of a short streak on the synthetic records and such a feature is common in experimental data. When an ionospheric irregularity exists from the ground to an unlimited altitude and is formed with its long axis tilted about 45° away from the observer, a backscatter streak appears which is spread over the entire frequency range of the background echo. Furthermore, this streak is tilted on the record, i.e., its time delay increases with an increase in frequency. When a similar anomaly is programmed so that it tilts inward toward the observer, then the resulting streak has a delay which decreases with an increase in frequency. It is thus demonstrated that there is a relation between the tilt of the anomaly and the tilt of the backscatter streak. The relation is in accord with a limited observation that tilted streaks in experimental backscatter move only in the predicted direction of anomaly tilt. Concentric anomalies (having constant altitude) are shown to produce new, short-range leading edges on the backscatter. Experimental data having this form can thus be interpreted as an indication of the presence of small ‘layerlets’ within the ionosphere, but it is noted that there are at least three other possible causes for this form of backscatter echo.
Intracranial pressure reduction by a central alpha-2 adrenoreceptor agonist after subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Abstract Pharmacological manipulation of cerebral venous blood volume is a theoretical approach to reduce elevated intracranial pressure (ICP). Microapplication of alpha-2 adrenoreceptor agonists has been shown to constrict pial veins selectively. This report explores the physiological effects of the intravenous alpha-2 agonist xylazine in a canine model of raised ICP after subarachnoid hemorrhage (mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and ICP were measured and compared in five groups: normal saline [n = 4], xylazine [0.05-1.00 mg/kg] [n = 28], tolazoline [a semiselective alpha-2 antagonist, 5 mg/kg] [n = 6], tolazoline [5 mg/kg] plus xylazine [1.0 mg/kg] [n = 7], and phenylephrine [0.008 mg/kg], a selective alpha-1 agonist [n = 3]). Treatment with xylazine produced a significant (P < 0.01), transient, dose-dependent reduction in ICP that was blocked by pretreatment with tolazoline. Treatment with tolazoline alone produced significant (P < 0.01) increases in ICP and mean arterial pressure. Treatment with phenylephrine produced significant (P < 0.01) increases in mean arterial pressure but had no affect on ICP. These results raise the possibility of using an alpha-2 adrenoreceptor agonist for the treatment of elevated ICP after brain injury.
Key Factors in the Transfer of Technology from Universities in the United States

Summary form only given. For the most part, technology transfer from universities in the United States is still not considered to be an efficient process. Reasons for this inefficiency vary, with the most obvious being the dramatically different missions of universities and businesses. Still, universities are viewed as essential sources of innovation for generating and sustaining economic growth. Of special interest in countries with emerging technology-based economies is the role of technology transfer and universities in these efforts. This research looked at six recent studies of commercialization efforts in universities in the United States in an effort to identify key factors influencing the transfer of technology between universities and businesses. These include: university/business collaboration, general university business practices, organizational characteristics, resource networks, innovation speed, and technology selectivity and support processes. The "lessons learned" from these areas are then examined as to their applicability in less developed economies attempting to tap technological innovations in university laboratories for economic growth
Effective Temperature Jump Length and Influence of Axial Conduction for Thermal Transport Through Channels With Superhydrophobic Walls

This paper presents a numerical investigation of thermal transport in a parallel-plate channel comprised of superhydrophobic walls. The scenario analyzed in this paper is laminar, fully developed, steady flow with constant properties. The superhydrophobic walls considered here have alternating micro-ribs and cavities aligned perpendicular to the flow direction. The cavities are assumed to be non-wetting and contain air. The thermal transport through the ribs is considered to have a constant heat flux while the thermal transport through the air/fluid interface over the cavity is considered to be negligible. Numerical results have been obtained over a range a Peclet numbers, cavity fractions, and relative rib/cavity widths. Results were also obtained where axial conduction was neglected and these results are compared to previous analytical work with excellent agreement. When the influence of axial conduction is not neglected, however, the results for local wall temperatures and Nusselt numbers show departure from the previous analytical results. The departure is more pronounced at low Peclet numbers and at large relative channel diameters. This paper provides a comparison over a wide range of parameters that characterize the overall influence of axial conduction. In general, the results show that the relative size of the cavity compared to the total rib/cavity module width (cavity fraction) and the flow Peclet number have a significant impact on the total thermal transport properties. Also, the rib/cavity module width compared to the hydraulic diameter affects the overall thermal transport behavior. Lastly, this paper explores the concept of a temperature jump length which is analogous to the hydrodynamic slip length. The ratio of temperature jump length to hydrodynamic slip length is presented in terms of cavity fraction, Peclet number, and relative size of the rib cavity module.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Justice, utility, and interpersonal comparisons

One of the most common objections against utilitarianism is that it cannot account for the claims of distributive justice. This objection can be answered by appeal to the principle of Diminishing Marginal Utility (DMU), which says that the value of a given portion of a commodity tends to increase as a person's supply of the commodity decreases. DMU implies that, other things equal, the way to maximize the value of a commodity is to distribute it equally. Some economists have objected to DMU on the ground that it presupposes interpersonal comparisons of utility, but the arguments which they have advanced against the objectivity of such comparisons are unsound. Moreover, the interpersonal comparisons presupposed by DMU are ordinal, rather than cardinal, and there are reasons for believing that ordinal comparisons, at least, do have an objective basis.
A Common Ground and Some Surprising Connections

There are various strategies one might follow in preparing and delivering a lecture of this kind. Since this conference is entitled Origins: The Common Sources of the Analytic and Phenomenological Traditions, I decided that the best approach would be to provide you with a kind of field guide to certain passages in the literature which bear upon the foundational theory of objects I have developed over the years. I hope this proves to be appropriate, for I believe that this foundational theory assimilates ideas from key philosophers in both the analytical and phenomenological traditions. Many of you will already know that the theory I’ve developed has its roots in the work of Alexius Meinong and Ernst Mally, and that it is grounded in a distinction between two kinds of predication. For those of you who don’t know the theory, let me say briefly that the theory postulates special abstract objects that encode the properties by which they are conceived and which constitute their nature. These abstract objects exemplify properties as well; indeed, they are complete with respect to the properties they exemplify, though they may be incomplete with respect to the properties they encode. Moreover, the theory asserts that ordinary objects stand in contrast to abstract objects in part by the fact that they only
A numerical investigation of the thermal state of the earth's mantle

Abstract An idealized convecting mantle with internal heat generation and viscosity dependent on temperature and pressure is examined with numerical calculations. Temperature and viscosity are coupled and self-regulating in the quasi-steady solutions. The lack of any tendency for upwelling flow to constrict itself to narrow channels argues against the existence of plumes. Unsteadiness is an essential feature of mantle convection, not only for mixing at large Rayleigh numbers, but also to prevent the flow from being impeded by continuous rigid regions.
Utility of urodynamics in the management of asymptomatic tethered cord in children

We have noted a recent increase in neurosurgical requests at our institution for urodynamics (UDS) prior to release of asymptomatic tethered cord. Our aim was to determine how preoperative UDS results are used in the clinical management of asymptomatic tethered cord. A retrospective review was performed of 120 patients diagnosed with primary tethered cord from 2007 to 2010. Inclusion criteria included MRI diagnosis of tethered cord and UDS performed by three pediatric urologists. Excluded were any neurologic or urologic dysfunction or associated syndromes, as well as other significant comorbidities. Thirty-eight patients (female 26; male 12), mean age of 3 years (0.2–16.3) were diagnosed with an asymptomatic tethered cord. The majority of the patients had normal preoperative renal ultrasounds. Thirty-one (82 %) of the children had normal baseline UDS, yet twenty-one (68 %) of these patients still underwent neurosurgical intervention. Of the 27 patients untethered, 15 patients (55 %) had follow-up UDS performed. Three patients had improved UDS parameters and one had worsening UDS parameters, including high PVR and DSD. Of the seven patients with abnormal baseline UDS, all had normal renal ultrasound findings and had no other significant differences in presentation from the patients with normal UDS. In children with asymptomatic tethered cord, abnormal preoperative UDS may prompt intervention, while normal UDS do not appear to prevent intervention. There is no significant correlation between abnormal preoperative UDS and abnormal preoperative imaging. Further study is needed to evaluate the utility of this procedure in the preoperative setting in this asymptomatic patient population.
An Ethical Framework for Global Psychiatry

Existing literature addresses the ethical considerations of global health work and how medical school curricula can help prepare students for them, but little has been written regarding an ethical approach to global psychiatry. In this paper we summarize prominent ethical issues that arise in global health psychiatry in order to provide a foundation for a framework in global health psychiatry. These issues include obtaining informed consent in the face of language barriers, diagnosing and treating for mental illnesses while navigating communities where such conditions are heavily stigmatized, and justifying the cessation of proving care to current patients for the sake of providing care to new patients abroad. To help prepare psychiatrists and students for work that engages these issues, we propose a multi-step process to assist the practicing global psychiatrist in recognizing ethical dilemmas and evaluating potential courses of action based on their respective ethical merits.
Use of iodine-131 to measure movements of small animals.

A technique utilizing iodine-131 was developed to study the movements of Microtus pennsylvanicus in the field. Iodine-131 (½ mc) was placed in a polyethylene capsule and inserted beneath the animal9s skin. Movements of the animal were then followed for periods of up to 2 weeks by means of a Geiger-Muller counter attached to an aluminum pole.
Use of the axial filter to measure low distribution coefficients

Abstract Relationships have been derived for determining distribution coefficients in transients observable during axial filtration. Limitation of the technique with respect to film and particle diffusion are discussed. Results obtained by this technique have been compared with results obtained with batch equilibration, for Zn2+/Na+ and Cd2+/Na+ exchange on Dowex 50W. The axial filtration method should be particularly useful for measuring distribution coefficients with highly dispersed materials such as clays. Results are reported for the adsorption of Sr2+ on the sodium form of Wyoming montmorillonite over a wide ionic strength range. These results are in good agreement with literature data on the same system, obtained by batch equilibration and column-elution experiments.
The discrete linear restricted Chebyshev approximation

A numerically stable simplex algorithm for calculating the restricted Chebyshev solution of overdetermined systems of linear equations is described. In this algorithm minimum computer storage is required and no conditions are imposed on the coefficient matrix or on the right hand side of the system of equations. Also a new way of implementing a triangular decomposition method to the basis matrix is used. The ordinary Chebyshev solution, the one-sided Chebyshev solutions and the Chebyshev approximation by non-negative functions are obtained as special cases in this algorithm. Numerical results are given.
Overexpression of c-Myc and cell immortalization alters c-Myc phosphorylation

Using an extensive series of deletion and site-specific mutation constructs, we have identified five new phosphorylation sites in c-Myc in the N-terminal transactivation domain and near the C-terminal DNA binding/heterodimerization domain. We have also found that Thr-58 phosphorylation is regulated by specific cellular events. When c-Myc is overexpressed in cells Thr-58 phosphorylation was greatly enhanced in the overexpressed, exogenous c-Myc as compared with the endogenous protein. In contrast, an inhibition of Thr-58 phosphorylation and an enhancement of Serine 62 phosphorylation was observed in c-Myc from immortalized cells compared with primary cells. No significant changes in c-Myc phosphorylation were found when transformed and nontransformed cells were compared. Finally, mutations at these phosphorylation sites, either individually or in combination with previously described sites, did not affect the ability of c-Myc to transactivate through the CACGTG Myc/Max DNA binding sites. These results further suggest that either the molecular role for c-Myc phosphorylation does not involve modulating transcriptional activity of c-Myc or that the CACGTG site does not represent a physiological promoter element.
Recent advances in arginine metabolism.

Purpose of review Arginine metabolism has been a topic of intense interest over the past 15-20 years, primarily with regard to the role of arginine as the nitrogen donor for nitric oxide synthesis. However, other important aspects of arginine metabolism, such as arginine transport and arginine catabolism via the arginases, arginine decarboxylase or agmatinase, have been less well studied. The purpose of this review is to highlight recent studies on the urea cycle, agmatine metabolism, and the arginases. Recent findings Recent advances include the cloning of complementary DNA encoding agmatinase, N-acetylglutamate synthetase, and proteins involved in mitochondrial arginine transport, as well as initial investigations of their regulation and tissue-specific expression. The most exciting results of studies in this area over the past year or so have indicated new roles for the arginases in health and disease, as a result of their effects on the synthesis of nitric oxide, proline, or polyamines, or on the expression of specific genes by their ability to limit the availability of free arginine. Summary Recent studies have led to refinements in our understanding of the urea cycle. Agmatine metabolism is still largely a mystery, although the isolation of cloned cDNA for agmatinase and possibly also arginine decarboxylase should stimulate much needed investigations in this area. The most exciting findings in the field are coming from studies indicating new roles for the arginases in various diseases.
Natural transformation as a mechanism of horizontal gene transfer among environmental Aeromonas species

Aeromonas species are common inhabitants of aquatic environments and relevant as human pathogens. Their potential as pathogens may be related in part to lateral transfer of genes associated with toxin production, biofilm formation, antibiotic resistance, and other virulence determinants. Natural transformation has not been characterized in aeromonads. DNA from wild-type, prototrophic strains that had been isolated from environmental sources was used as donor DNA in transformation assays with auxotrophs as the recipients. Competence was induced in 20% nutrient broth during the stationary phase of growth. Optimal transformation assay conditions for one chosen isolate were in Tris buffer with magnesium or calcium, pH 5-8, and a saturating concentration of 0.5 μg of DNA per assay (3.3 ng of DNA μl⁻¹) at 30°C. Sodium was also required and could not be replaced with ammonium, potassium, or lithium. The maximal transformation frequency observed was 1.95 × 10⁻³ transformants (recipient cell)⁻¹. A survey of environmental Aeromonas auxotrophic recipients (n=37), assayed with donor DNA from other wild-type environmental aeromonads under optimal assay conditions, demonstrated that 73% were able to act as recipients, and 100% were able to act as donors to at least some other aeromonads. Three different transformation groups were identified based on each isolates' ability to transform other strains with its DNA. The transformation groups roughly corresponded to phylogenetic groups. These results demonstrate that natural transformation is a general property of Aeromonas environmental isolates with implications for the genetic structures of coincident Aeromonas populations.
Design for Manufacture and Assembly Lean and Product Development Through Industrial Case Study

Lean is a key process that understands customer value and its goal is to provide perfect value to the customer by engaging a process cycle that minimizes waste. This paper focuses on the implementation of Lean in the Design and Manufacturing Industries. The complex interactions of the financial, logistical, and geological processes that are involved in developing a product and then handing it over to customers are driving forces in today’s industries. Hence, if industries do not implement Lean, product cost will rise.Lean design involves identifying wastage in the processes of product manufacturing/production. This means, specifically, eliminating waste and non-value-added activities in design, production, marketing, supply chain integration and customer interactions by making product flow through the Value Stream without any interruption. Our goal is to minimize production resources by eliminating non-value-added activities, thus saving time in production and improving product quality.The basic goal behind this paper is to reduce product cost by eliminating unnecessary elements that increase final product cost. This will be demonstrated by way of manufacturing a fuel tank by removing or redesigning the parts now used by the current industry.The paper also will show how Virtual Reality plays a key role in helping students and engineers to learn applications and to understand simulation more effectively. It is a powerful learning tool for both engineers and students. The paper will emphasize the development of active learning experiences in relation to Lean Product Development. The different models that are developed in this paper will help students and engineers to gain knowledge in various streams like Engineering, Business and Sciences, with the aid of Virtual Reality. This paper concentrates mainly on undergraduate and graduate students. Solid Works, one of the more common and available tools in most U.S. schools, is utilized as a software that allows users to change product designs on their own, so as to get better results. After learning these tools, users will be able to apply their skills in various industries to reduce non-value-added activities. Developing Lean Manufacturing models using Virtual Reality will increase any user’s capability, quality and efficiency in Product Development.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Mixing along continental slopes affects North Atlantic Deep Water

[1] In the northern Atlantic Ocean, cold salty water from the Arctic Ocean sinks to form North Atlantic Deep Water, a current that hugs the bottom of the ocean as it travels south toward Antarctica. The formation of this water mass is vital to large-scale global ocean circulation and the spread of heat and nutrients across the planet's waters—when deep waters surface, they form warm surface currents such as the Gulf Stream, which are swept by wind back to the North Atlantic, where they cool and sink, beginning the cycle anew. In the Faroe-Shetland Channel, so named because it lies between Scotland's Shetland Islands and Denmark's Faroe Islands, deep water masses that are tributaries to North Atlantic Deep Water abut the steep continental slopes that bracket the channel. The ebb and flow of ocean tides there produce horizontal and vertical waves that travel long distances and may break on the slopes like waves on a beach. These waves, called internal tides, were monitored and modeled by Hall et al., who sought to understand how they affect the mixing of different water masses that pass through the channel. They found that strong mixing due to internal tides on the slopes that bound the Faroe-Shetland Channel may be an important mechanism by which North Atlantic Deep Water acquires the physical and chemical properties that it carries across the globe. (Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, doi:10.1029/2010JC006213, 2011)
Towards leveraging model transformation to support model-based testing

The adoption of model-driven development is leading to increased use of models in conjunction with source code in software testing. Model-based testing, however, introduces new challenges for testing activities, which include creation and maintenance of traceability information among test-related artifacts. Traceability is required to support activities such as model-based result evaluation, regression testing and coverage analysis. In this paper, we present an automated approach that leverages model transformation techniques to support test generation. The test generation process includes creation of test-related models and fine-grained relationships among these models. We also motivate our approach with a simple example demonstrating support for model-based regression testing
The failure of marginal detonations in expanding channels

Abstract Critical conditions for detonation failure due to tube expansion have been observed in marginal detonations propagating in a 1 4 × 3 in. (6.35 × 76.2 mm) channel. In these experiments, a well established marginal detonation propagating in the narrow channel entered a test section in which one of the narrow walls was inclined to the central axis at positive angles which ranged from 10° to 45°. Experiments were performed at pressures ranging from 60 to 200 torr (8 to 26.7 kPa) in stoichiometric hydrogen-oxygen mixtures diluted with 20, 50 and 70% argon. Smoke track records obtained on the surface which is the major dimension of the tube, were used to determine failure, incipient failure or self-sustenance of the entering wave. Because of the narrow tube used in the studies the incident waves were marginal in that their velocity was below the expected CJ (Chapman-Jouguet) value, their transverse wave spacing was larger than one would see in a large tube, and the transverse waves were of greater strength than in an ordinary detonation. All of these indicators of marginal behavior became progressively more pronounced as the pressure dropped from 200 torr (26.7 kPa) to the limit pressure of approximately 58 torr (7.73 kPa). The most interesting result of this experimental investigation is that the theoretical analyses predicted that simple one-dimensional opening of the tube should not show a pressure dependence to failure, while the experiments showed a definite decrease in the opening angle required for failure as initial pressure decreased. This behavior is related to the marginality of the incident waves, which is observed to increase smoothly with decreased pressure. It is postulated that detonation failure in the hydrogen-oxygen system occurs when the shock velocity at the end of the cell drops to about 0.60 of the CJ value due either to marginal behavior or to an expansion of the cross section of the tube.
Performance and robustness of the Monte Carlo importance sampling algorithm using parallelized S-ADAPT for basic and complex mechanistic models.

The Monte Carlo Parametric Expectation Maximization (MC-PEM) algorithm can approximate the true log-likelihood as precisely as needed and is efficiently parallelizable. Our objectives were to evaluate an importance sampling version of the MC-PEM algorithm for mechanistic models and to qualify the default estimation settings in SADAPT-TRAN. We assessed bias, imprecision and robustness of this algorithm in S-ADAPT for mechanistic models with up to 45 simultaneously estimated structural parameters, 14 differential equations, and 10 dependent variables (one drug concentration and nine pharmacodynamic effects). Simpler models comprising 15 parameters were estimated using three of the ten dependent variables. We set initial estimates to 0.1 or 10 times the true value and evaluated 30 bootstrap replicates with frequent or sparse sampling. Datasets comprised three dose levels with 16 subjects each. For simultaneous estimation of the full model, the ratio of estimated to true values for structural model parameters (median [5–95% percentile] over 45 parameters) was 1.01 [0.94–1.13] for means and 0.99 [0.68–1.39] for between-subject variances for frequent sampling and 1.02 [0.81–1.47] for means and 1.02 [0.47–2.56] for variances for sparse sampling. Imprecision was ≤25% for 43 of 45 means for frequent sampling. Bias and imprecision was well comparable for the full and simpler models. Parallelized estimation was 23-fold (6.9-fold) faster using 48 threads (eight threads) relative to one thread. The MC-PEM algorithm was robust and provided unbiased and adequately precise means and variances during simultaneous estimation of complex, mechanistic models in a 45 dimensional parameter space with rich or sparse data using poor initial estimates.
Effects of solvent goodness and polymer concentration on rejection of polystyrene from small pores

Solutions of polystyrene of molecular weight 4.5 × 106 and 8.4 × 106 in mixed solvents of carbon tetrachloride/methanol were filtered through track-etched mica membranes at low membrane velocities. The unperturbed hydrodynamic radius of the polymer was always larger than the pore radius. The reflection coefficient σ, defined as the fraction of polymer held back by the membrane, was determined from material balances as a function of solvent flow rate per pore q, volume percent CCl4 of the solvent, and polymer concentration C0. In the dilute region (C0 C*) σ decreased significantly as C0 was increased.
Predictive mapping for tree sizes and densities in southeast Alaska

The Forest Service has relied on a single forest measure, timber volume, to meet many management and planning information needs in southeast Alaska. This economic-based categorization of forest types tends to mask critical information relevant to other contemporary forest-management issues, such as modeling forest structure, ecosystem diversity, or wildlife habitat. We propose the joint distribution of tree density and mean tree diameter as a more comprehensive set of forest measures. Focusing on those measures, we build a predictive-mapping model by using existing geographic information system data resources and existing ground-sampled inventory data. The utility of our predictive-mapping model will need to be tested with additional intensive ground-sampled data and in applications that involve forest managers, planners, and biologists. Such tests will reveal the model's utility in addressing contemporary forest-management problems and information needs.
Measuring and modeling spectral characteristics of a tallgrass prairie

This study was conducted to evaluate the diurnal and seasonal, spectral reflectance characteristics of burned and unburned areas of a tallgrass prairie, based on field measurements and models of radiation transport in plant canopies. Burning of the senescent vegetation, resulting from the previous years' growth, is a common management practice, which results in improved productivity and affects the succession of grass species. The burned and unburned grass canopies showed distinctly different, diurnal and seasonal, spectral reflectance characteristics in the visible and infrared regions of the spectrum. These were attributed to the differences in development of the two plant canopies and the azimuthal differences in sensor-sun-canopy positions during field measurements of spectral reflectance. The radiation transfer model properly simulated the diurnal spectral behavior of the two canopies. The simulated, seasonal, spectral reflectance values for the unburned grass canopy were greater than the measured ones, because of limitations in proper representation of the layer of senescent vegetation in the model.
Experimental determination of the solubility of ReO2 and the dominant oxidation state of rhenium in hydrothermal solutions

Abstract The dominant oxidation state of rhenium in high-temperature, chloride-bearing hydrothermal solutions at geologically reasonable oxygen fugacities has been experimentally determined to be +4, although a small percentage of dissolved rhenium (≤10%) may be present in the +5 or higher valence state. This conclusion is based on a series of solubility experiments in 1.0 molal KCl solutions at 500°C using ReO2, the K–feldspar–muscovite–quartz assemblage as a pH buffer, and Co–CoO, Ni–NiO, Re–ReO2, MnO–Mn3O4, and MoO2–MoO3 pairs as oxygen fugacity buffers. Experiments were also conducted on the solubility of the Re–ReO2 oxygen fugacity buffer in 0.5 and 1.5 m KCl solutions in equilibrium with the K–feldspar–muscovite–quartz pH buffer at 500°C. The solubility of Re increases dramatically with increasing KCl concentration under these conditions, implying the formation of a Cl-bearing Re species. Because Re+4 is a hard acid owing to its high ionic potential, relatively hard ligands such as Cl−, F−, O2− and OH− should be important in the transport of Re during geological processes at elevated temperatures. Mixing/dilution, which may induce changes in pH and/or chloride concentration, should be important for the deposition of Re because the solubility of rhenium has a strong dependence on pH and the concentration of Cl−. Our experimental results may have implications for the hydrothermal remobilization and enrichment of rhenium in high-temperature environments, for the Re–Os isotopic system, and for the rhenium budget in the continental crust. Our study may also have bearing on the aqueous geochemistry of fissiogenic 99 Tc , for which Re is an analogue. These implications are discussed in detail.