cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of 70-150μm (M1) versus 100-300μm doxorubicin drug-eluting beads in transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma

tive, single arm, multicenter registry study with target number of patients of 200. The primary endpoint of the study was 6-month tumor response assessed by mRECIST. The inclusion criteria of the study included: single nodular or multinodular HCCs, measurable lesion Z 1 cm, no evidence of vascular, biliary invasion or distant metastasis, performance status 0 or 1, Child-Pugh score 5-7. Review of medical records were performed to find any adverse event following the treatment. The study protocol was terminated when a patient had progression of disease, had additional treatment other than DEB-TACE, was lost to follow-up, was transferred to other institute or expired. Results: The patients were enrolled in the study between May 2011 and April 2013. On central review, 48 patients were excluded from analysis and 152 patients (M:F1⁄4125:27, mean age 61) remained. Child-pugh class was dominantly A (143/ 152, 94.1%). The tumor was single nodular in 84 (55.3%) and BCLC stage was O in 15 (9.9%), A in 103 (67.8%) and B in 34 (22.4%). After first DEB-TACE procedure, 111 (73.0%) of the patients suffered from post-embolization syndrome (PES), and there was serious adverse event (SAE) in 8 (5.3%). Total 73 sessions of additional treatment was performed in 59 patients (38.8%). There were 2 patients with SAE after additional treatments. There was 51 (33.6%) patients with bile duct injury confirmed by follow-up imaging. According to mRECIST, 1month response was CR in 64 (42.1%), PR in 77 (50.6%), SD in 8 (5.3%) and PD in 3 (2.0%) patients. Before 6-month followup, the protocol was terminated in 45 (29.6%) patients. Total 120 patients (including patients with protocol termination with PD) were eligible for 6-month response evaluation, and the response was CR in 55 (45.8%), PR in 13 (10.8%) and SD in 2 (2.0%) and PD in 50 (41.7%). There was 2 mortality until 6month follow up. Conclusion: In nodular HCC, DEB-TACE had 92.7% 1month and 56.6% 6-month response rate. PES and bile duct injury was common, and there were 2 cases with mortality.
Haptic rendering: programming touch interaction with virtual objects

Haptic rendering is the process of computing and generating forces in response to user interactions with virtual objects. Recent efforts by our team at MIT's AI laboratory have resulted in the development of haptic interface devices and algorithms for generating the forces of interaction with virtual objects. This paper focuses on the software techniques needed to generate sensations of contact interaction and material properties. In particular, the techniques we describe are appropriate for use with the Phantom haptic interface, a force generating display device developed in our laboratory. We also briefly describe a technique for representing and rendering the feel of arbitrary polyhedral shapes and address issues related to rendering the feel of non-homogeneous materials. A number of demonstrations of simple haptic tasks which combine our rendering techniques are also described.
Theory of thin airfoils in fluids of high electrical conductivity

Steady, plane flow of incompressible fluid past thin cylindrical obstacles is treated with two different orientations of the undisturbed, uniform magnetic field; namely, parallel and perpendicular, respectively, to the undisturbed, uniform stream. In the first case, the flow of an infinitely conducting fluid is shown to be irrotational and current-free except for surface curents at the walls of the obstacles. With large but finite conductivity the surface currents are replaced by thin boundary layers of large current density.In the second case, for infinite conductivity the flow field is made up of an irrotational current-free part and a system of waves involving currents and vorticity extending out from the body. For large, finite conductivity these waves attenuate exponentially with distance from the body.In both cases the forces on sinusoidal walls and on airfoils are calculated. In the second case positive drag occurs.
Returns to Skills and the College Premium

A substantial literature documents the evolution of the college premium in the U.S. labor market over the last 40 years or so. There are at least three different interpretations of this fact: (i) shifts in the relative supply of and demand for college versus high school labor, (ii) shifts in the relative supply of and demand for skills in the college versus high school sector, and (iii) composition effects. We investigate how each of these components contributes to the dynamics of the college premium and find that all three play a role, but the increase in the college premium is primarily driven by the first component. We also find that during the 1980s, the college premium for high school workers diverged from the college premium for college workers and a substantial fraction of the gap that opens up is primarily due to the increase in the returns to cognitive skills.
1995 Jonathan E. Rhoads Lecture. The Nutrition Management of the Patient With Acute Renal Failure

The clinical status of patients with acute renal failure (ARF) varies greatly. Some individuals have only mild or moderate ARF or may have only mild perturbations of their metabolic status. Other patients exhibit a severe reduction in renal function with oliguria or anuria Depending upon their comorbid conditions, ARF patients may be among the most hypercatabolic patients in the hospital. Clinical trials have not clearly shown a beneficial effect of nutrition support on morbidity or mortality in patients with ARF, although limitations in sample size and experimental design and inclusion of patients with widely disparate clinical conditions may have contributed to the difficulty in demonstrating benefits. Several recent therapeutic approaches that have been studied either in experimental animals with ARF or in small numbers of humans with ARF hold promise for improving clinical outcome. Continuous arteriovenous or venovenous hemofiltration with or without dialysis is such a therapy. In comparison to intermittent hemodialysis this former treatment more safely removes large quantities of water and solutes from critically ill patients with unstable hemodynamics and allows them to receive rather large quantities of nutrients, including amino acids. Also promising are studies in experimental animals with ARF which indicate that several growth factors may accelerate the recovery of renal function. In rats with ARF, insulin-like growth factor 1 both enhances recovery of renal function and suppresses their enhanced catabolism. For most patients with ARF requiring nutrition support, evidence suggests that both essential and nonessential amino acids should be employed. However, there appears to be a therapeutic role for small quantities of essential amino acids, without nonessential amino acids, in selected patients. Data support the importance of proactive measures to prevent fluid and electrolyte imbalances in patients with ARF.
An experimental analysis of joint nesting in the salamander Hemidaetylium scutatum (Caudata: Plethodontidae): the effects of population density

Abstract Three nesting behaviour patterns are documented in the plethodontid salamander Hemidactylium scutatum. A female may lay eggs (1) in a solitary nest and brood them, (2) in a joint nest and brood them as well as eggs of other females, or (3) in a joint nest that is brooded by another female. The hypothesis that population density was positively associated with joint nesting was tested by following two populations for 5 years and by experimentally manipulating the population density of nesting females in artificial habitats for the latter 2 years. The proportion of joint nests did not vary with density, although joint nests tended to contain eggs of more females at the high population density. Joint nests were usually brooded by one female; thus, most females that laid eggs in joint nests did not brood them at high density. The reproductive success, as measured by survival of embryos, of solitary and joint nesters was equivalent. Joint nests were deserted less often, however, which decreased the probability of catastrophic mortality. The number of days of brooding was significantly positively correlated with loss of body mass of females, suggesting a cost to brooding behaviour. Joint nesting with solitary brooding is not explained by aggressive usurpation of nests or by brood parasitism.
Developmental changes in tonic immobility in young chicks (Gallus gallus).

Tonic immobility (TI) was induced by means of ventral restraint in White Leghorn chicks within 12-hr posthatch (Day 0) and, in independent groups, on succeeding days through Day 10. Durations of immobility and eye closure increased and incidence of immobility termination and vocalization decreased significantly with age. Marked qualitative changes in immobility reactions were also apparent over the first few posthatch days.
Fluvoxamine and Sleep Disturbances in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

This study assesses the efficacy of fluvoxamine treatment on different domains of subjective sleep quality in Vietnam combat veterans with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Medically healthy male Vietnam theater combat veterans (N = 21) completed a 10-week open label trial. Fluvoxamine treatment led to improvements in PTSD symptoms and all domains of subjective sleep quality. The largest effect was for dreams linked to the traumatic experience in combat. In contrast, generic unpleasant dreams showed only a modest response to treatment. Sleep maintenance insomnia and the item “troubled sleep” showed a large treatment response, whereas sleep onset insomnia improved less substantially. These therapeutic benefits contrast with published reports that have found activating effects of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors on the sleep electroencephalogram.
A Framework for Institutional Analysis of Decentralization Reforms in Natural Resource Management

Reforms directed toward decentralizing the management of natural resources are intended to increase stakeholder involvement and improve the effectiveness and sustainability of resource management arrangements though application of the principle of subsidiarity. The widespread advocacy of such reforms has given rise to numerous case-study examples around the world. This article presents a framework for such studies, based in institutional analysis, for researchers who wish to assess both the decentralization process and the outcomes of decentralization efforts. Rationale for the inclusion of variables and hypothesized relationships of variables to prospective outcomes are explained.
AIP Conference Proceedings #383 from the Taos Meeting: Workshop on the Earth's Trapped Particle Environment

Studies of the Earth's radiation belts were among the first in situ space experiments in the late 1950s, the 1960s, and the early 1970s. A series of annual McCormack-conferences were held during those early years. After that the field received less attention and decreasing resources; during the late 1970s and the 1980s radiation belt physics were discussed at only a few topical conferences. However, the fields of radiation belt and ring current research experienced a small renaissance during the 1990s.
An Energy Efficient Framework for Localization and Coverage in Participatory Urban Sensing

Participatory sensing is an approach to data collection where individuals use their smartphones to capture different scenarios, and upload to a server to create knowledge. A fundamental issue in such data collection process is the coverage of the collected data that reflects how well the targeted area is monitored. To ensure coverage requirements, the traditional approaches require the server to know the location of the participating mobile devices that takes significant amount of energy. In this paper, we propose a novel framework called PLUS for data collection in participatory sensing ensuring partial coverage, where a mobile device does not send location updates to the server. We also propose an energy efficient localization scheme called sLoc, designed for a mobile device to participate in the data collection process with PLUS. Finally, simulating a continuous monitoring application, we show that PLUS can save significant amount of energy, as compared to traditional approaches.
QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENT OF SEXUAL RECEPTIVITY IN FEMALE RATS 1)

Thirty-four intact female rats were observed at hourly intervals in standardized tests designed to reveal the presence and intensity of sexual receptivity. The onset of this condition was related to the artificial light-dark cycle, with a majority of females becoming receptive a few hours before or shortly after the beginning of the dark phase. Disappearance of receptivity was less closely related to conditions of illumination. The median duration of the receptive period was 19 hours. As measured by a specially devised "Sensitivity Index", the degree of sexual responsiveness increases sharply during the early stages of the receptive period, and then undergoes a more gradual decline. The duration of the female's mating response (lordosis) depends in part upon the nature of the male's mating reaction. Mounting without intromission evokes a very brief reaction, whereas a response involving ejaculation by the male elicits a protracted response on the part of the receptive female. This seems to be independent of the stage of receptivity but to bear some relation to the individual level of over-all sexual responsiveness of the particular female in question.
Suppression of experimental autoimmune thyroiditis in the guinea pig by pretreatment with thyroglobulin in incomplete Freund's adjuvant.

Abstract Pretreatment of Strain 2 and Strain 13 guinea pigs with guinea pig thyroglobulin (GPTG) 2 in incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA) reduced both the incidence and severity of experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT) in animals subsequently challenged with GPTG in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Antithyroglobulin antibody titers were reduced by pretreatment with GPTG in IFA in some, but not all, experiments while delayed hypersensitivity to GPTG was not affected. The suppressive effect induced by antigen pretreatment was transferrable by lymphoid cells but not by serum from pretreated animals.
High-pressure compaction of municipal solid waste to form densified fuel

Abstract A unique piston-in-mold (punch-in-die) process, developed at the Capsule Pipeline Research Center (CPRC), University of Missouri-Columbia, USA, was used to study the compaction of the combustible components found in municipal solid waste (MSW) stream to produce a densified fuel. The compaction was performed under room temperature without binder and at pressures up to 138 MPa. The materials included waste paper, plastics (both film and hard products), textiles, and wood. They were compacted into 49-mm-diameter logs in different mixtures and under various moisture contents and pressures. The mixtures compacted include: (1) paper and plastic film, (2) paper and hard plastics, (3) paper and mixed plastics (both filmed and hard), and (4) paper, plastics, textiles, and wood. The properties of the logs, including density, abrasion resistance, impact resistance, combustion characteristics, and long-term performance were tested. The results show that the waste paper in the mixtures played a role of binder in the formation of the compacted logs. Moisture content and compaction pressure were two key parameters for producing good logs. For all these mixtures, a moisture content of less than 15% is necessary to produce dense (dry density equal to or higher than 0.8 g/cm3) and strong logs. A minimum compaction pressure of 70 MPa is needed for mixtures 1, 2, and 3, and 100 MPa for mixture 4. The logs made from the mixtures of the combustible wastes have a heating value equivalent to that of subbituminous coal, and can be cofired with coal in power plants.
Geophysical Techniques for Studying the Earth's Interior

A great variety of instruments are being used to measure geophysical parameters. Many of these parameters exhibit extremely small variations about a large average value. Since it is often the small variations that are of interest to the geophysicist, these instruments usually must be extremely sensitive and stable.
Metal-ion Assisted, Radiation-induced Conversion of B- to Z-DNA in Poly (dGdC) and Two Natural DNAs

Metal-ion assisted, gamma-radiation-induced B-Z conformation changes have been observed with UV and circular dichroism spectroscopy for poly (dGdC), calf thymus and herring testis DNA. These conformational changes are similar to those induced by increasing multivalent metal ion concentrations in DNA containing alternating purine and pyrimidine base sequences. In both the metal-ion-induced and the metal-ion-assisted, radiation-induced conformation changes, the conversions were from the right-handed B-DNA to the left-handed Z-DNA conformation. It is proposed that radiation-induced DNA strand breaks markedly reduce the high activation energy barrier in the metal ion-driven B-Z conformation conversion and allow much smaller metal ion concentrations to induce this conversion than in the absence of strand breaks. The biological importance of such radiation-induced conformational changes is discussed in terms of the potential significance of the Z-DNA conformation in the control of the DNA transcription process.
Species distributions and shell characteristics of Pisidium (Mollusca: Bivalvia) in the Colorado Front Range : the role of abiotic factors

SUMMARY. 1 Forty lakes in the Colorado Front Range were sampled to examine the relationship between water chemistry and the distributions and shell characteristics of Pisidium species. Alkalinity, pH, and dissolved organic carbon contributed most to the classification of lakes according to the dominant Pisidium species. Alkalinity was also strongly correlated with mean clam weight for populations of P. casertanum, the most common of the five species collected. 2 Historical evidence shows a reduction in the number of lakes occupied by clams and a constriction in the distributions of certain species. These changes have occurred mainly in lakes that now have low alkalinity. 3 A role for acidification is suggested because the recorded changes in distributions have occurred during the last 20 years, coincident with a general decline in alkalinity in waters of the Front Range.
Radiosynthesis of antitumor spliceosome modulators

A set of novel antitumor agents (the sudemycins) has recently been described that are analogs of the natural product FR901464. We report the radiosynthesis of two of these antitumor drug lead compounds, using a three step procedure: (1) ester hydrolysis, (2) Lindlar's catalyst/tritium gas to give a (S,Z)-4-acetoxypent-2-enoic acid derivative, and finally (3) amide bond formation. These labeled analogs are useful in developing a better understanding of the pharmacological properties of this new class of therapeutic lead compounds.
Accounting and billing software and user reactions: An interactive diagnostic audit trail

Abstract The selection of an accounting and billing software (ABS) system is a complicated process. The overall satisfaction derived from a system depends on many variables. This study analyzes the influence of ABS (predictor) variables on overall satisfaction. It confirms our hypotheses that ease of operation, computer reliability, and ease of programming are the major determinants of overall computer user satisfaction. These factors were used in the design of an ABS diagnostic system based on audit trails (DSAT).
Particulate and dissolved mercury export in streamwater within three mid-Appalachian forested watersheds in the US

Summary Forested uplands retain Hg in soils from atmospheric deposition and are a potential long-term source of Hg to downstream waters. Accurate estimates of dissolved and particulate mercury (HgD and HgP, respectively) streamwater fluxes are needed to track the movement and storage of Hg in these ecosystems. It is well established that frequent sampling during high-flow events, when Hg concentrations can vary by orders of magnitude, is necessary to quantify Hg export in these systems. However, in part due to the difficulties of consistently sampling during these short-duration periods, and lack of alternative surrogate measures, no studies have quantified HgD and HgP export during storm flow relative to the total annual flux. At three mid-Appalachian forested watersheds, we sampled streamwater bi-weekly and hourly during storm events using both manual and automated techniques for 18 months and investigated the feasibility of using turbidity measured with an in situ sonde as a surrogate measure for HgP. We determined turbidity had a much stronger correlation to HgP (r2 = 0.78–0.98) as compared to specific discharge (r2 = 0.36–0.55), making it an effective high-frequency surrogate at each site. For the year-long study, we found that approximately 80% of the total Hg (HgT) flux was exported during the high-flow periods corresponding to approximately 1% of the time. Particulate Hg accounted for the majority of annual HgT fluxes at all three sites (58–85%) as a consequence of being more strongly flow-activated relative to the dissolved form. Despite being associated with relatively low dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations, the HgT fluxes from these forested Appalachian watersheds, which ranged from 1.26 to 3.71 μg m−2 yr−1, were comparable to fluxes reported in other regions of the world
Elemental loss during electron beam irradiation

The loss of chlorine from polyvinyl chloride films subject to electron beam irradiation has been studied in the scanning electron microscope under conditions identical to those used in elemental energy dispersive X -ray analysis. The data were obtained by measuring residual chlorine in the PVC film as a function of dose. Of the number of mechanisms proposed for loss of mass from these films, it was found that the experimental curves obtained most closely followed a model of first order radiation limited reaction. It was also shown that the precentage and chloride initially contained within the film could be calculated to good precision by analysis of the mass loss curves.
Essential Nature of the mreC Determinant of Bacillus subtilis

The mre genes of Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis are cell shape determination genes. Mutants affected in mre function are spheres instead of the normal rods. Although the mre determinants are not required for viability in E. coli, the mreB determinant is an essential gene in B. subtilis. Conflicting results have been reported as to whether the two membrane-associated proteins MreC and MreD are essential proteins. Furthermore, although the MreB protein has been studied in some detail, the roles of the MreC and MreD proteins in cell shape determination are unknown. We constructed a strain of B. subtilis in which expression of the mreC determinant is dependent upon the addition of isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactopyranoside to the culture medium. Utilizing this conditional strain, it was shown that mreC is an essential gene in B. subtilis. Furthermore, it was shown that cells lacking sufficient quantities of MreC undergo morphological changes, namely, swelling and twisting of the cells, which is followed by cell lysis. Electron microscopy was utilized to demonstrate that a polymeric material accumulated at one side of the division septum of the cells and that the presence of this material correlated with the bending of the cell. The best explanation for the results is that the MreC protein is involved in the control of septal versus long-axis peptidoglycan synthesis, that cells lacking MreC perform aberrant septal peptidoglycan synthesis, and that lysis results from a deficiency in long-axis peptidoglycan synthesis.
Growth of instabilities in a normal Fermi liquid

Abstract Growth rates of modes and associated behavior in a Fermi liquid unstable to density fluctuations are studied by using Landau theory. The hydrodynamic and collosionless limits (the latter treated by the Landau kinetic equation) are contrasted. These limits are bridged by treating the collision integral in the relaxation-time approximation. Approximate analytic expressions and numerical results are given for complex frequencies and growth rates, and the angular dependence of the quasiparticle distribution functions, for a variety of values of Landau parameters and the mean free path. The time development of the quasiparticle distribution function is calculated for arbitrary initial conditions. Growth rates close to the collisionless and hydrodynamic limits are also calculated using a completely general form of the collision integral.
Landau-Kleffner syndrome : treatment with subpial intracortical transection

Summary Landau—Kleffner syndrome (LKS) is an acquired epileptic aphasia occurring in childhood and associated with a generally poor prognosis for recovery of speech. It is thought to be the result of an epileptogenic lesion arising in speech cortex during a critical period of development. Utilizing a new surgical technique designed to eliminate the capacity of cortical tissue to generate seizures while preserving the normal cortical physiological function, we have treated 14 children with aphasia, seizures and a severely abnormal EEG by multiple subpial transection of the epileptogenic cortex. Seven of the 14 patients (50%) have recovered age-appropriate speech, are in regular classes in school and no longer require speech therapy. Four of the 14 (29%) have shown marked improvement, are speaking and understanding verbal instruction but are still receiving speech therapy. Thus, 11 of the 14(79%), none of whom had used language to communicate for at least 2 years, are now speaking—a rate of sustained improvement considered unusual in this disorder. This study documents the value of a treatment modality not previously used in LKS. Success depends on selection of cases having severe epileptogenic abnormality that can be demonstrated to be unilateral in origin despite a bilateral electrographic manifestation
A neuropathological subset of Alzheimer's disease with concomitant Lewy body disease and spongiform change.

The neuropathological heterogeneity of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasingly recognized. Diffuse Lewy body disease, for example, most frequently occurs in cases fulfilling histopathological criteria for AD, and these patients usually present with dementia rather than parkinsonism. We report five cases of concomitant AD and diffuse Lewy body disease with still another coexistent neuropathological feature: localized and stereotyped spongiform change in the neuropil. This spongiform change was most striking in the superior and inferior temporal, entorhinal, and insular cortex and the amygdala and was virtually indistinguishable from that seen in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Electron microscopic study on one case revealed membrane-containing vacuoles in close association with neuritic plaques and plaired helical filament-filled processes. Immunocytochemistry using antibodies to prion proteins (PrPsc or PrP27–30) failed to label plaque or vascular amyloid in the five cases. Four primates inoculated with brain tissue from one case have not evidenced neurological disease in the 3 years since the transmission experiment. We conclude that these cases represent a neuropathological subset of AD with relatively widespread Lewy bodies and a localized spongiform change, predominantly involving the medial temporal region. Despite the light and electron microscopic commonality with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, there is no clear evidence that these cases represent a form of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy.
Density of Water sorbed on Montmorillonite

A RECENT communication by R. C. Mackenzie1 on the above subject directs attention to some density measurements made on Wyoming bentonite pastes2,3. A confirmatory set of measurements has also since appeared4. Although the results were not obtained under exactly comparable conditions or on exactly comparable material, they exhibit adequate internal consistency. The divergences seem to arise in the authors' discussions.
A desk-top personal computer for finite element post-processing

Abstract There is low cost, effective software for data processing available for use with desk-top personal computers. One such software package, called VisiCalc, is used on a TRS80 personal computer as a complement to some mainframe finite element post-processing. The TRS80 was attached to a time-sharing computer system to transfer some ADINA data to the TRS80's diskettes so that the data could then be reviewed with VisiCalc after disconnecting from the time-sharing system. VisiCalc post-processing was limited to review and graphical display of data that represented the contact pressure between a tire model and a road surface. However, the techniques and specialized programming can be easily extended to provide other types of data reduction and review. Also, the procedures are directly extendable to other desk-top personal computers.
Biochemistry and physiology of overwintering in the mature larva of the sunflower stem weevil, Cylindrocopturus adspersus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Northern Great Plains

Abstract The sunflower stem weevil, Cylindrocopturus adspersus (LeConte), overwinters as a mature larva at the base of the stalk and in the root crown of cultivated sunflower plants. Sunflower stalks from fields known to be infested with C. adspersus larvae were collected in southeastern North Dakota in October 1991. Larvae from stalks kept outdoors accumulated a high whole-body concentration of trehalose (up to 69 μg/mg wet wt) at the expense of glycogen with the onset of winter followed by a partial reconversion of trehalose to glycogen with the onset of spring. Larvae from stalks acclimated to 0°C also accumulated a high level of trehalose (∼69 μg/mg wet wt) with a concomitant decrease in glycogen. Those larvae from stalks kept at 20°C showed an initial sharp increase in whole-body trehalose that then stabilized but at a concentration well below that of larvae acclimated to 0°C. This indicates that there exists in the larva an underlying developmental component to trehalose accumulation which is further enhanced by low temperature (0°C) exposure. The mean temperature of crystallization ( T c ) of larvae exposed to outdoor conditions showed an abrupt drop from October (−25.0 ± 1.3°C) to November (−28.2 ± 0.6°C) with a minimum in February (−29.1 ± 0.3°C). The level of trehalose accumulated by the sunflower stem weevil larva is to our knowledge the highest reported in an overwintering insect.
The L-Coding Region of the DA Strain of Theiler's Murine Encephalomyelitis Virus Causes Dysfunction and Death of Myelin-Synthesizing Cells

The DA strain and other members of the TO subgroup of Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) induce an early transient subclinical neuronal disease followed by a chronic progressive inflammatory demyelination, with persistence of the virus in the central nervous system (CNS) for the life of the mouse. Although TMEV-induced demyelinating disease (TMEV-IDD) is thought to be immune mediated, there is also evidence that supports a role for the virus in directly inducing demyelination. In order to clarify the function of DA virus genes, we generated a transgenic mouse that had tamoxifen-inducible expression of the DA L-coding region in oligodendrocytes (and Schwann cells), a cell type in which the virus is known to persist. Tamoxifen-treated young transgenic mice usually developed an acute progressive fatal paralysis, with abnormalities of the oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells and demyelination, but without significant lymphocytic infiltration; later treatment led to transient weakness with demyelination and persistent expression of the recombined transgene. These findings demonstrate that a high level of expression of DA L can cause the death of myelin-synthesizing cells and death of the mouse, while a lower level of L expression (which can persist) can lead to cellular dysfunction with survival. The results suggest that expression of DA L plays an important role in the pathogenesis of TMEV-IDD. Virus-induced infection and death of oligodendrocytes may play a part in the demyelination of other diseases in which an immune-mediated mechanism has been stressed, including multiple sclerosis.
Identification of the γ-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor β2 and β3 Subunits in Rat, Rabbit, and Human Kidneys

Abstract . The properties and functions of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA A ) receptors in the mammalian central nervous system are well studied. However, the presence and significance of GABA A receptors in nonneural tissue is less clear. The goal of this study was to examine the expression and localization of the GABA A receptor β 2 and β 3 subunits in the kidney. Reverse transcriptase products from RNA isolated from rat and rabbit kidney cortex and cerebellum and rabbit S 2 segments were amplified by use of PCR and GABA A β 2 and β 3 subunit—specific primers. Sequencing of the kidney PCR products revealed that the rat kidney cortex and rat neuronal GABA A receptor β 2 subunit were identical in nucleotide composition. The rabbit kidney and rabbit neuronal GABA A receptor β 2 subunit were 99% identical in nucleotide composition. Sequencing of the kidney PCR products revealed that the rat kidney cortex and rat neuronal GABA A receptor β 3 subunits were 93% and 95% identical in nucleotide and amino acid composition, and rabbit kidney cortex and rabbit neuronal GABA A receptor β 3 subunits were 95% and 98% identical in nucleotide and amino acid composition, respectively. PCR screening of a human kidney cDNA library and sequencing revealed that the human kidney cortex and neuronal β 3 subunits were identical in nucleotide composition. Immunoblot analysis of rat kidney cortex and brain identified immunoreactive proteins in the 55 to 57 kD region, corresponding to the GABA A receptor β 2 and β 3 subunits. Immunohistochemistry revealed cytosolic and basolateral staining of the proximal convoluted and straight tubule. These results provide compelling evidence for the expression of the GABA A receptor β 2 and β 3 subunits in the kidney of multiple species and the localization of the β 2 /β 3 subunits to the renal proximal tubule.
Supply and demand in cerebral energy metabolism: the role of nutrient transporters

Glucose is the obligate energetic fuel for the mammalian brain, and most studies of cerebral energy metabolism assume that the majority of cerebral glucose utilization fuels neuronal activity via oxidative metabolism, both in the basal and activated state. Glucose transporter (GLUT) proteins deliver glucose from the circulation to the brain: GLUT1 in the microvascular endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and glia; GLUT3 in neurons. Lactate, the glycolytic product of glucose metabolism, is transported into and out of neural cells by the monocarboxylate transporters (MCT): MCT1 in the BBB and astrocytes and MCT2 in neurons. The proposal of the astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle hypothesis suggested that astrocytes play the primary role in cerebral glucose utilization and generate lactate for neuronal energetics, especially during activation. Since the identification of the GLUTs and MCTs in brain, much has been learned about their transport properties, that is capacity and affinity for substrate, which must be considered in any model of cerebral glucose uptake and utilization. Using concentrations and kinetic parameters of GLUT1 and -3 in BBB endothelial cells, astrocytes, and neurons, along with the corresponding kinetic properties of the MCTs, we have successfully modeled brain glucose and lactate levels as well as lactate transients in response to neuronal stimulation. Simulations based on these parameters suggest that glucose readily diffuses through the basal lamina and interstitium to neurons, which are primarily responsible for glucose uptake, metabolism, and the generation of the lactate transients observed on neuronal activation.
Learning the probability of correspondences without ground truth

We present a quality assessment procedure for correspondence estimation based on geometric coherence rather than ground truth. The procedure can be used for performance evaluation of correspondence extraction schemes developed by researchers, as well as for online learning and adaptation aimed at better system performance. A very important aspect of the proposed procedure is that it considers uncertainty in the correspondence extraction, and encourages the evaluated methods to deal correctly with uncertainty. Other important strengths of the procedure are that it does not use any manual work, and that it does not put any strong constraints on the scene, but rather relies on geometric coherence in the motion. Thanks to these strengths, it can therefore be used with large amounts of real, potentially application specific data, or even data acquired during system operation. In the evaluation the correspondence extractor is handled as a black box producing a probability distribution for the local motion vector between a pair of image patches. The procedure is therefore quite general. We are making the evaluation procedure available for public use
Evaluation of Hollow Fiber and Spiral Coil Membrane Oxygenators Designed for Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Infants

Fourteen 1.4 m2 hollow fiber and 23 1.5 m2 spiral coil membrane oxygenators that were designed for total cardiopulmonary bypass in infants were evaluated. Operating procedures and toxicity were studied during total cardiopulmonary bypass and one hour of circulatory arrest at 15° C (rectal) in four monkeys. Oxygen and carbon dioxide transfer, water loss, production of emboli, transmission of pulse waves, and pressure-flow relationships were studied at three different blood flow rates, at hematocrits of 25% and 40%, and at 25° C and 37° C during partial venoarterial bypass in 33 dogs. Linear regression equations were calculated for oxygen and carbon dioxide transfer and for pressure-flow relationships at the different flows, temperatures, and hematocrits. Rated flow (Rf), defined as the blood flow rate at which inlet O2 saturation of 65% increases to an outlet O2 saturation of 95%, was calculated for each oxygenator at hematocrit 40 (Rf 40) or hematocrit 25 (Rf 25). The hollow fiber oxygenator had a priming...
Cell cycle control by Xenopus p28Kix1, a developmentally regulated inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases.

We have isolated Xenopus p28^(Kix1), a member of the p21^(CIP1)/p27^(KIP1)/p57^(KIP2) family of cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitors. Members of this family negatively regulate cell cycle progression in mammalian cells by inhibiting the activities of Cdks. p28 shows significant sequence homology with p21, p27, and p57 in its N-terminal region, where the Cdk inhibition domain is known to reside. In contrast, the C-terminal domain of p28 is distinct from that of p21, p27, and p57. In co-immunoprecipitation experiments, p28 was found to be associated with Cdk2, cyclin E, and cyclin A, but not the Cdc2/cyclin B complex in Xenopus egg extracts. Xenopus p28 associates with the proliferating cell nuclear antigen, but with a substantially lower affinity than human p21. In kinase assays with recombinant Cdks, p28 inhibits pre-activated Cdk2/cyclin E and Cdk2/cyclin A, but not Cdc2/cyclin B. However, at high concentrations, p28 does prevent the activation of Cdc2/cyclin B by the Cdk-activating kinase. Consistent with the role of p28 as a Cdk inhibitor, recombinant p28 elicits an inhibition of both DNA replication and mitosis upon addition to egg extracts, indicating that it can regulate multiple cell cycle transitions. The level of p28 protein shows a dramatic developmental profile: it is low in Xenopus oocytes, eggs, and embryos up to stage 11, but increases approximately ~ 100-fold between stages 12 and 13, and remains high thereafter. The induction of p28 expression temporally coincides with late gastrulation. Thus, although p28 may play only a limited role during the early embryonic cleavages, it may function later in development to establish a somatic type of cell cycle. Taken together, our results indicate that Xenopus p28 is a new member of the p21/p27/p57 class of Cdk inhibitors, and that it may play a role in developmental processes.
Reactive sputtering of amorphous In-Zn-O TCO from metallic targets

Amorphous In-Zn-O (a-IZO) transparent conducting oxides with conductivity σ ≈ 3000 S/cm can be sputter deposited at ambient temperature, are damp-heat resistant and have been demonstrated to work well as transparent contacts for CIGS PV and Epi-Si PV. However, the high cost of ceramic In-Zn-O sputter targets has limited the widespread use of a-IZO TCOs in PV. Here, we demonstrate a new process that results in conductive and transparent a-InZnO thin films deposited via reactive sputtering from a metallic In-Zn alloy target. The highest conductivity obtained to date, σ ≈ 2100 S/cm, is an order of magnitude higher than the previous best literature result for reactively sputtered a-InZnO.
Unraveling the conundrum of seemingly discordant protein-protein interaction datasets

Most high-throughput experimental results of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are seemingly inconsistent with each other. In this article, we re-evaluated these contradictions within the context of the underlying domain-domain interactions (DDIs) for two Escherichia coli and four Saccharomyces cerevisiae PPI datasets derived from high-throughput (yeast two-hybrid and tandem affinity purification) experimental platforms. For shared DDIs across pairs of compared datasets, we observed a remarkably high pair-wise correlation (Pearson correlation coefficient between 0.80 and 0.84) between datasets of the same organism derived from the same experimental platform. To a lesser degree, this concordance also held true for more general inter-platform and intra-species comparisons (Pearson correlation coefficient between 0.52 and 0.89). Thus, although varying experimental conditions can influence the ability of individual proteins to interact and, therefore, create apparent differences among PPIs, the physical nature of the underlying interactions, captured by DDIs, is the same and can be used to model and predict PPIs.
Returns on lifetime investments in children in Egypt.

Parental expectations about the companionship and assistance they will receive in later life from their children are key considerations in family formation decisions. We explore patterns of parents’ investment and the support and contact they receive from adult children in Egypt, where fertility is falling and sources of support at all life stages are in flux. Using data from a survey of older adults in Ismailia governorate, we consider parents’ past investments in childbearing, child survival, and children’s education and marriage, as well as recent assistance to adult children via housing, care for grandchildren, gifts, and money. The returns from children considered include economic assistance, instrumental support, and visits. Most parental investments are associated with frequent visits from children. The assistance children provide to parents is gendered: sons tend to provide economic transfers, whereas daughters tend to provide instrumental help. A greater number of surviving children is most strongly associated with parents’ receipt of multiple types of later-life returns. Investments in children’s education and marriage are not associated with assistance, but recent assistance to children—especially economic transfers and provision of housing—is associated with receiving instrumental assistance from adult children.
Update efficient codes for error correction

An update efficient code is a mapping from messages to codewords such that small perturbations in the message induce only slight changes to the corresponding codeword. The parameter that captures this notion is called update-efficiency. In this paper we study update-efficient error-correcting codes and develop their basic properties. While update-efficiency and error-correction are two conflicting objectives, we deduce conditions for existence of such codes. In particular, logarithmically growing update-efficiency is achievable with a capacity-achieving linear code in both binary symmetric and binary erasure channels. On the other hand we show a tight converse result. Our result implies that it is not possible to have a capacity-achieving code in binary symmetric channel that has sub-logarithmic update-efficiency. This is true in the case of the binary erasure channel as well for linear codes. We also discuss a number of questions related to update-efficient adversarial error-correcting codes.
On the fracture toughness of calcium aluminate cement–phenol resin composites

Abstract Macro-defect-free (MDF) cement with high flexure strength has been an active research area over several decades. To study the tensile properties of these materials, it is essential to understand the mode I crack propagation. In this article, cleavage cracking in calcium aluminate cement (CAC)–phenol resin composites is analyzed based on an energy method. The crack-trapping effect of the cement particles is found to be significant. The fracture toughness rises with the particle size and is independent of the spacing between the particles. When the cement volume fraction is higher than a critical value the effective work of separation of the phenol resin decreases with the particle content with a coefficient of −1.88.
Serological reactions of L type cultures isolated from proteus.

SummaryThe serological properties of 3 Proteus strains and the L forms isolated from them have been studied. The L antigens were agglutinated both by the bacillary and L immune rabbit sera in a relatively low titre and agglutination occurred in large loose flocci. Clear filtrates of L emulsions gave a good precipitation. The reactions of 2 L type cultures were strain specific. A marked common reaction was present between the bacillary and L forms of 2 strains both in the production of antibodies and in the in vitro tests. There was only a slight overlapping in the reactions of the L forms and of the bacilli in the third strain. The similarity of the serological reactions of the bacillary and L forms of 2 Proteus strains is further evidence for the genetical identity of the L forms and the bacilli. The nature of the serological dissimilarity between the bacillary and L forms of one strain, apparent both in in vitro tests and in antibody production, can not be interpreted at present.
Malignant Single-Origin Coronary Arteries Arising From a Left Coronary Sinus

A 2-month-old boy with a heart murmur and suspected coronary artery anomalies presented for cardiac computed tomography to delineate the origin and course of these anomalies. A single-origin coronary artery was discovered, which arose from the left coronary sinus and coursed between the two outflow vessels, giving this single origin a potentially malignant course. This vessel then went on to split into right and left coronary arteries with normal anatomic distribution. Without the ability for collateral flow, this vessel was located in an extremely precarious position prone to compression during times of stress or exercise. Very rarely has a single-origin coronary artery supplied both ventricles, and even more astonishing was the presence of its interarterial course. This patient will need long-term follow-up care and undoubtedly will be a candidate for surgery to correct this rare potentially malignant anomaly to lessen the boy’s chances of sudden cardiac death.