cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The role of cytochrome P-450 in the synthesis of polar metabolites of aldosterone by microsomes of male rat liver

Abstract Among the tissues of the male rat studied, the largest quantities of the neutral polar metabolites of aldosterone were synthesized by the hepatic microsomal fraction. The polar metabolites of aldosterone were separated by HPLC into six peaks. Three peaks of non-polar (reduced) metabolites were also synthesized. Synthesis of at least four of the neutral polar metabolites was induced by phenobarbital and inhibited by both CO and SKF-525A. The rates of synthesis of these metabolites, which were linear up to 5 minutes, correlated well with the concentration of cytochrome P-450 in the liver microsomes. Addition of aldosterone to the microsomal fraction caused a pronounced type 1 change in the cytochrome P-450 spectrum. The half maximal spectral change (K s ) for aldosterone was calculated to be 8 μM. These experiments indicate that the neutral polar metabolites of aldosterone are produced by cytochrome P-450 dependent hydroxy lations.
Binding of NAP-22, a calmodulin-binding neuronal protein, to raft-like domains in model membranes.

The cholesterol-binding protein NAP-22 is a major component of the detergent-insoluble low-density fraction of rat brain. In this study, we found, using fluorescence microscopy, that native NAP-22, but not a demyristoylated form, binds to cholesterol-rich raft-like domains in planar-supported monolayers and remains bound after nonionic detergent extraction. NAP-22 also protects the cholesterol-rich domains during extraction by methyl-β-cyclodextrin. The lateral mobility of this protein is much lower than that of other raft components in model membranes, suggesting that both cholesterol binding and inter-NAP-22 interactions markedly reduce its lateral diffusion. This study suggests that NAP-22 binding may be employed to image cholesterol-rich regions, such as caveolae/rafts, on the plasma membrane of cells, and preliminary efforts in that direction are presented.
Combined Impact of Geriatric Syndromes and Cardiometabolic Diseases on Measures of Functional Impairment

BACKGROUND Examine the independent and joint effects of geriatric syndromes (GS) and cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) on functional impairment. METHODS Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the Women's Health Initiative, including 62,829 women aged 65 years or older. GS (urinary incontinence, falls, and depression measured by the shortened Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale/Diagnostic Interview Schedule screening instrument) and CMD (coronary artery disease, coronary heart failure, and diabetes) were self-reported. Physical and social functioning and general health subscales of the Short Form-36 dichotomized at the median for the study sample were used to assess functional impairment. Additive interaction between burden of GS and CMD was assessed using logistic regression models. RESULTS Forty-three percent of women had at least one GS; 14.1% had at least one CMD; and 6.9% had at least one of each. Compared with women with no GS or CMD, women with one or more GS but no CMD were as likely to have physical functioning impairments (odds ratio [OR] = 1.79; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.73, 1.86) as those with CMD alone (OR = 1.97; CI = 1.84, 2.10). The association with social functioning was stronger for GS alone (OR = 2.10; CI = 2.02, 2.18) compared with CMD (OR = 1.60; CI = 1.50, 1.71). The association with general health was stronger for CMD alone (OR = 2.15; CI = 2.01, 2.29) compared with GS (OR = 1.68; CI = 1.62, 1.74). Significant interactions between GS and CMD were observed for all functional measures with 20%-30% of observed ORs attributable to additive interaction. CONCLUSION GSs alone are associated with functional impairment in older women; the association is stronger in the presence of even one CMD.
Using likely program invariants to detect hardware errors

In the near future, hardware is expected to become increasingly vulnerable to faults due to continuously decreasing feature size. Software-level symptoms have previously been used to detect permanent hardware faults. However, they can not detect a small fraction of faults, which may lead to silent data corruptions(SDCs). In this paper, we present a system that uses invariants to improve the coverage and latency of existing detection techniques for permanent faults. The basic idea is to use training inputs to create likely invariants based on value ranges of selected program variables and then use them to identify faults at runtime. Likely invariants, however, can have false positives which makes them challenging to use for permanent faults. We use our on-line diagnosis framework for detecting false positives at runtime and limit the number of false positives to keep the associated overhead minimal. Experimental results using microarchitecture level fault injections in full-system simulation show 28.6% reduction in the number of undetected faults and 74.2% reduction in the number of SDCs over existing techniques, with reasonable overhead for checking code.
Isolation and characterization of acid- and bile-tolerant isolates from strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus

Lactic acid bacteria have been reported to be useful as a health adjunct and are commonly added to food as the delivery mechanism. The literature contains many conflicting observations for their proposed benefits, and the mechanism of action is undefined. One source of variation is the large number of strains used without proper controls supplemented. Additionally, many of the organisms are not characterized for their acid shock response or the acid-tolerance response, which are known to vary among bacterial species. Our objective was to isolate acid-resistant and bile-resistant variants of Lactobacillus acidophilus and to determine the phenotypic changes. The acid- and bile-tolerant isolates were obtained using natural selection techniques after sequential exposure to hydrochloric acid (pH 3.5 to 7.0) and mixed bile salts. The acid- and bile-tolerant isolates retained their ability to grow at pH 3.5 with 0.3% bile after the selective pressure was removed and reapplied. Isolates varied from their parents for stability in freezing, lactose utilization, protease activity, aminopeptidase activity, plasmid profile, and cell-wall fatty acid profile. These data suggest that the isolated acid- and bile-tolerant isolates possess growth advantages over that of the parents under stress conditions and may be considered as candidates for probiotic strains after further characterization with animal models.
High prevalence of excess fat and central fat patterning among Mongolian pastoral nomads

This paper presents information on body size, body composition, and fat patterning in a sample of 750 pastoral nomads aged 5 to 84 years, native residents of Moost district, Mongolia and evaluates the results from the perspective of morphological adaptation to a cold climate. Mongolian nomad men and children have average BMIs close to the U.S. 25th percentile while women have average BMIs close to the U.S. reference median. The prevalence of excess fatness assessed by the Arm Fat Index rises from 5 to 15% during childhood to 65% or more in each adult age-sex group except women 70+ years. The pattern of fat deposition is markedly central (abdominal) among women and children while it is normally so among men: women and children have a very high ratio of waist-to-hip circumference and children have a moderately high ratio of subscapular-to-triceps skinfold compared with other populations. A body composition favoring centrally deposited fat may be adaptive to a cold stressed population because it would aid in heat production (abdominal fat is thermogenic) and heat conservation (more spherical body size and better insulation) in the age-sex groups that are usually at a thermal disadvantage because of small body size and/or low basal metabolic rate relative to men. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A timetable of events during programmed cell death induced by trophic factor withdrawal from neuronal PC12 cells

We describe a timetable of events during programmed cell death (PCD) in neuronal PC12 cells, specifically, Ras signaling, immediate-early gene (IEG) expression, DNA fragmentation and commitment to PCD. Commitment occurs over a period from 10-20 hr after NGF withdrawal. Ras signaling declines rapidly after NGF removal, reaching minimal levels within 2-4 hr, well before the onset of commitment. DNA fragmentation, detected by TUNEL reaction, begins about 24 hr after NGF withdrawal, well after all cells are committed, but coincident with the onset of cell dissolution previously determined by trypan blue exclusion (Mesner et al., 1992). Among the IEGs studied here, c-jun and TIS21 are expressed within 6 hr after NGF withdrawal. Expression of c-fos, egr-1, and TIS11 does not begin until 20 hr after NGF withdrawal. IEG expression generally ends by 24 hr after NGF withdrawal. The IEGs TIS7 and nur77 are not expressed during PCD, yielding a pattern distinct from that following other stimuli. An identical pattern of IEG expression occurs in non-neuronal PC12 cells deprived of serum, although expression begins at 10-14 hr after serum withdrawal. A similar IEG expression pattern was observed in Rat-1 fibroblasts, with various genes expressed 6-18 hr after serum withdrawal. In none of these cell types did expression of the stress-related gene Hsp70 change following trophic factor withdrawal. The distinctive pattern of IEG expression described here should facilitate identification of intracellular regulatory signals active during PCD.
A short-range UWB impulse-radio CMOS sensor for human feature detection

This paper presents a wireless non-contact sensor that enables detection, localization, and monitoring of people along with their specific features such as gait and cardiopulmonary activities. These types of sensors can be embedded in the environment and networked with the existing wireless infrastructure to create an intelligent and responsive ambient where the health of children, patients, and the elderly can be monitored without intrusion. None of the common sensing modalities including visible optical, infra-red, and ultra-sound can operate under different visibility conditions, without Line-Of-Sight (LOS), under environmental noise, and measure human-specific features simultaneously. Radio Frequency (RF) sensors have been used to localize humans, and monitor their gait and vital signs [1,2]. Most of these RF sensors transmit a Continuous Wave (CW) modulated or un-modulated waveform and detect the Doppler shift caused by the movement of hearts, lungs, and other body parts — the latter referred to as micro-Doppler technique. RF sensors do not require LOS and work under extreme weather and visibility conditions.
Comparison of regularizations of vortex sheet motion

Publisher Summary This chapter compares the numerical solutions of two regularizations of the Euler equations—the vortex blob method and the Navier–Stokes equations. The vortex sheet is a singular model for a shear layer in which the layer is assumed to have zero thickness. The sheet rolls up into a vortex pair. The frequency of oscillations in the core vorticity is computed and scaled in the chapter by using results for a semi-infinite vortex sheet. The computations indicate that as the smoothing parameter (δ) and the viscosity (v) decrease, the scaled frequency in the vortex blob solutions differs from the Navier–Stokes solutions. This illustrates that while large scale features of the vortex sheet appear to converge, there are quantities, such as the scaled oscillation frequency, that differ in the limit of interest.
Causal modeling approximations in the medical domain

Studies in the health sciences often seek to discover cause-effect relationships among observed variables of interest, for example: treatments, exposures, preconditions, and outcomes. Consequently, causal modeling and causal discovery are central to medical science. In order to algorithmically consider causal relations, the relations must be placed into a representation that supports manipulation and discovery. Knowledge of at least some causal effects is inherently imprecise or approximate. The most widespread causal representation is directed acyclic graphs (DAGs). However, DAGs are limited in what they can represent. Another graph methodology, fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs) hold promise as a model that overcomes some of the difficulties found in other approaches. This paper considers causality and suggests fuzzy cognitive maps as a useful causal representation methodology.
Lightweight containment for high-energy rotating machines

Developed a lightweight containment system for high-speed composite rotors. The containment device, consisting of a rotatable, composite structure, has been demonstrated to contain the high-energy release from a rotor burst event and is applicable to composite rotors for pulsed power applications. The most important aspect of this design is that the free-floating containment structure dissipates the major loads (radial, torque, and axial) encountered during the burst event, greatly reducing the loads that pass through the stator structure to its attachments. The design results in significant system-level weight savings for the entire rotating machine when compared to a system with an all-metallic containment. Of equal interest to the containment design, the experimental design and instrumentation was very challenging and resulted in significant lessons learned. This paper describes the containment system design, rotor burst test setup, instrumentation for measuring loads induced by the burst event, and a detailed explanation of the successful containment test results and conclusions.
Simulation of long-distance beam propagation in the Paul trap simulator experiment $

Abstract The Paul Trap Simulator Experiment (PTSX) simulates the propagation of intense charged particle beams over distances of many kilometers through magnetic alternating-gradient (AG) transport systems by making use of the similarity between the transverse dynamics of particles in the two systems. One-component pure ion plasmas have been trapped that correspond to normalized intensity parameter s ^ = ω p 2 ( 0 ) / 2 ω q 2 ⩽ 0.8 , where ω p ( r ) is the plasma frequency and ω q is the average transverse focusing frequency in the smooth-focusing approximation. The PTSX device confines one-component cesium ion plasmas for hundreds of milliseconds, which is equivalent to beam propagation over 10 km. Results are presented for experiments in which the amplitude of the confining voltage waveform has been modified as a function of time. Recent modifications to the device are described, and both the change from a cesium ion source to a barium ion source, and the development of a laser-induced fluorescence diagnostic system are discussed.
Inheritance of resistance of bovine preimplantation embryos to heat shock: relative importance of the maternal versus paternal contribution.

Subtropical Agricultural Research Station, USDA, ARS, Brooksville, FloridaABSTRACT Brahman preimplantation em-bryos are less affected by exposure to heat shock thanHolsteinembryos. Two experiments were conducted totest whether the ability of Brahman embryos to resistthe deleterious effects of heat shock was a result of thegenetic and cellular contributions from the oocyte,spermatozoa, or a combination of both. In the firstexperiment, Brahman and Holstein oocytes were col-lected from slaughterhouse ovaries and fertilized withspermatozoa from an Angus bull. A different bull wasused for each replicate to eliminate bull effects. On day4 after fertilization, embryos 9 cells were collectedand randomly assigned to control (38.58C) or heatshock (418C for 6 hr) treatments. The proportion ofembryos developing to theblastocyst (BL) andadvanc-edblastocyst(ABL;expandedandhatched)stageswasrecorded on day 8. Heat shock reduced the number ofembryos produced from Holstein oocytes that develop-ed to BL (P<0.001, 55.6 4.2% vs. 29.8 4.2%)andABL(P<0.01,37.7 3.6%vs.12.2 3.6%)onday 8 as compared to controls. In contrast, heat shockdid not reduce development of embryos produced fromBrahman oocytes (BL¼42.1 4.8% vs. 55.6 4.8%for 38.5 and 418C, respectively; ABL¼17.6 4.2%vs. 32.4 4.2%). In the second experiment, oocytesfrom Holstein cows were fertilized with semen frombulls of either Brahman or Angus breeds. Heat shockof embryos 9 cells reduced development to BL(P<0.002)andABL(P<0.005)forembryossiredbyboth Brahman (BL¼54.3 7.7% vs. 23.4 7.7%;ABL¼43. 7.4% vs. 7.9 7.4%, for 38.5 and418C, respectively) and Angus bulls (BL¼57.97.7% vs. 31.0 7.7%; ABL¼33.6 7.4% vs.18.4 7.4%, for 38.5 and 418C, respectively). Therewere no breed temperature interactions. Resultssuggest that the oocyte plays a more significant rolein the resistance of Brahman embryos to the delete-rious effects of heat shock than the spermatozoa.
In vitro and in vivo activities of acylated derivatives of isoniazid against mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Enzymatic acylation of the antitubercular isoniazid (INH) by N-acetyl transferases reduces the therapeutic effectiveness of the drug. Because it represents a major metabolic pathway for INH in human beings, such acetylation has serious consequences for tuberculosis treatment regimens. Among patients in whom this process is efficient, the “rapid acetylators,” the resultant chronic underdosing of INH may give rise to the development of resistance, as well as inadequate therapy. Not much work has been done previously to characterize the antitubercular properties of other N2-acylisoniazids. In order to address the fundamental issue of the activities of these acylated derivatives of INH, a number of such compounds 1a–f were chemically synthesized for investigation by a method providing good yield and purity. In experiments in vitro against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, these compounds displayed minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values between several fold and several hundred fold greater than that of INH it...
XPA protein alters the specificity of ultraviolet light-induced mutagenesis in vitro.

Studies of ultraviolet (UV) light mutagenesis have demonstrated mutations at common sites in the target genes of shuttle vector plasmids replicated in cultured cells or by cellular extracts. The reasons for the specific pattern of mutagenesis are largely unknown. We have examined the specificity of UV-induced mutagenesis by replicating plasmid pLS189, irradiated with 40 J/m2 UVC or unirradiated, in either xeroderma pigmentosum group A (XP-A) or HeLa cellular extracts. The XP-A extract displayed slightly lower replication ability, but produced a higher mutant frequency, compared to that of HeLa extract. Use of irradiated plasmid inhibited replication by an average of 63% and increased the mutant frequency by an average of 16.7-fold. Analysis of mutation spectra revealed nonrandom patterns of mutagenesis that differed significantly between HeLa and XP-A extracts. In comparison to HeLa extract, replication in XP-A extract resulted in lower frequencies of GC AT transitions and tandem double-base substitutions, and a higher frequency of deletions. Replication in HeLa extract produced hotspots at positions 100, 108, and 156 that were not produced by XP-A extract. Furthermore, XP-A extract produced hotspots at positions 124, 133, and 164, sites not characteristic of previous UV-induced mutagenesis studies using XPA-expressing cells. Addition of purified XPA protein to reactions containing XP-A extract altered each of these parameters, including loss of the hotspots at positions 124 and 133, to yield a more HeLa-like spectrum. These results indicate a previously uncharacterized role of the XPA protein in influencing the specificity of UV-induced mutagenesis during DNA replication. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 37:329–339, 2001 © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Functional differentiation within hypothalamic behavioral systems in the cat

A stimulation analysis was completed, by the use of roving stimulation electrodes, of an area in the cat hypothalamus where biting attack and threat behavior can be elicited. Results indicated that, while attack and threat have partially overlapping anatomical representations, there is considerable anatomical dissociation between these behaviors, even within overlap areas. Further, we found that a composite stimulation map, based on anatomical data pooled across animals, substantially overestimated the size of response areas and the degree of anatomical overlap between responses for a given animal. The results support the view that the hypothalamus contains partly overlapping, but functionally specific, mechanisms for different behaviors.
Extracellular enzyme activities and soil organic matter dynamics for northern hardwood forests receiving simulated nitrogen deposition

Anthropogenic nitrogen enrichment alters decomposition processes that control the flux of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) from soil organic matter (SOM) pools. To link N-driven changes in SOM to microbial responses, we measured the potential activity of several extracellular enzymes involved in SOM degradation at nine experimental sites located in northern Michigan. Each site has three treatment plots (ambient, +30 and +80 kg N ha 1 y 1 ). Litter and soil samples were collected on five dates over the third growing season of N treatment. Phenol oxidase, peroxidase and cellobiohydrolase activities showed significant responses to N additions. In the Acer saccha- rum-Tilia americana ecosystem, oxidative activity was 38% higher in the litter horizon of high N treatment plots, relative to ambient plots, while oxidative activity in mineral soil showed little change. In the A. saccharum-Quercus rubra and Q. velutina-Q. alba ecosystems, oxidative activities declined in both litter (15 and 23%, respectively) and soil (29 and 38%, respectively) in response to high N treatment while cellobiohydrolase activity increased (6 and 39% for litter, 29 and 18% for soil, respectively). Over 3 years, SOM content in the high N plots has decreased in the Acer-Tilia ecosystem and increased in the two Quercus ecosystems, relative to ambient plots. For all three ecosystems, differences in SOM content in relation to N treatment were directly related (r 2 = 0.92) to an enzyme activity factor that included both oxidative and hydrolytic enzyme responses.
Barriers to Massachusetts forest landowner participation in carbon markets

U.S. forests, including family-owned forests, are important carbon sinks and sources for carbon sequestration. Family forest owners constitute a significant portion of the overall forestland in the U.S., but little is known about their preferences for participating in carbon sequestration programs. The goal of this research is to understand what motivates Massachusetts family forest owners to participate in carbon markets. The study estimates the probability these landowners would engage in carbon sequestration programs using data from a survey of 930 Massachusetts family forest owners. Results from a random effects ordered probit indicate that under a carbon scenario similar to the current voluntary scheme, very few of these landowners would be interested in participating. Supply analysis indicates these landowners are more influenced to participate by factors other than price. Regression analysis results suggest that survey respondents are concerned about early withdrawal penalties, additionality requirements, and contract length. Forest owner harvesting plans, opinions about forest usage, and beliefs about climate change all play a significant role in the decision to participate. The study suggests that policy makers should consider the reasons behind these low participation rates, because private forest owners could play a pivotal role in the carbon sequestration potential of forests.
Myocardial ischemia and reperfusion: a murine model

Myocardial ischemia followed by reperfusion promotes a complex series of inflammatory reactions as noted in a variety of large animal studies. With development of genetically altered mice, there is intense interest in developing murine models to study mechanisms operative in cardiovascular disease. We developed a mouse model to study coronary artery occlusion and reperfusion effects and the method required to perform these studies both acutely and chronically. In mice, we applied a left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion either permanently or for 30 or 60 min followed by reperfusion allowing flow through the previously occluded coronary artery bed. Reperfusion was documented visually as well as by using Doppler ultrasound and histopathological techniques. The area at risk (AAR) and infarct size (IS) were assessed by EVans blue dye and triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining with computerized planimetry using an image analysis software program. The infarct as percentage of AAR and IS as percentage of the left ventricle in 13 mice with permanent occlusion was 68.6 +/- 4.4 and 28.0 +/- 2.8%, respectively. Reperfusion after occlusions of 60 and 30 min resulted in a significant decrease in IS as a percentage of the AAR compared with permanent occlusion. Histological examination of the ischemic and reperfused myocardium shows infiltration of leukocytes into the ischemic region as well as contraction bands classically associated with reperfusion. This new model allows assessment of AAR, IS, cardiac function, and pathophysiology in the mouse. With the current technology to develop genetically altered mice for overexpression or targeted mutations of various genes, this model is used to understand the complex pathophysiology of ischemia and reperfusion injury.
Youth Leadership Development through School-Based Civic Engagement Activities: A Case Study.

Leadership development through a civic engagement activity in a local FFA chapter is explored. Through a case study design, researchers illuminate a project that encouraged youth leadership development through the creation and execution of a civic engagement project in their own local community. Holistically, FFA members viewed the project as a resounding success. Leadership development was experienced at many levels - individual, chapter, and community. FFA members felt particularly engaged when seen as partners with the community. This was accomplished through developing networks and participating in the planning, decision making, and execution of the project. The primary barrier cited was a lack of engagement from all chapter members. Implications include the important role civic engagement plays in youth leadership development, employing civic engagement projects to assist in developing higher level leadership skills, and the need for further research partnerships between career and technical student organizational members and local community citizens.
Architecture and Tree-Ring Dating at the Duckfoot Site in Southwestern Colorado

ABSTRACTThe Duckfoot site is a small Anasazi hamlet that has been almost entirely excavated by the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. This paper develops and applies some principles for interpreting construction sequences in predominantly mud-wall buildings. The dates of construction are inferred from 375 tree-ring dates following procedures defined by Ahlstrom (1985). Architectural details depict a sequence of construction beginning with a pit structure (Pit Structure 2) and a suite of rooms (Rooms 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, and 13). A comparable suite of structures was added to each end of the original suite, resulting in a total of three suites. Tree-ring dates indicate construction of the entire roomblock and three pit structures in the late A.D. 850s with no significant time breaks. A fourth pit structure (Pit Structure 4) was added between Pit Structures 2 and 3 in A.D. 873, or shortly thereafter. Dates and floor features from Pit Structures 1 and 3 suggest that remodeling and repairs of pit structure roof...
Study on Dynamic Alternating Load on Piping Seismic Response

An inertia force resulting from excitation of a structure exposed to ground motion due to an earthquake excites the structure excited and generates a seismic force on the structure. The handling of seismic forces has been being discussed in terms of how the seismic force on a piping controls the deformation of the piping, load-controlled or displacement-controlled. A seismic design code for nuclear facilities applied in Japan qualifies this kind of seismic forces as primary stress components which shall be limited to prevent any plastic collapse, on the assumption that the seismic force mainly consists of load-controlled loads and the deformation due to earthquakes is caused by the loads.On the other hand, theoretically, an inertia force generated from response acceleration under harmonic vibration condition of a structure tends to oppose a response displacement of the structure. Since the inertia force produced from the response acceleration counteracts the response displacement, it is assumed that unstable failures represented by plastic collapse are hardly broken out on such a condition. To figure out the tendency between those forces, several time history analysis using simplified piping models, the vibration characteristic of which were arranged to have various specified natural frequency and specified damping ratio, were performed and the relationship between the element forces which result from response displacements and the inertia forces due to response accelerations have been investigated.The result of this investigation is expected to be useful to improve current seismic design methodology in the future.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Strategies for Stable Human Monoclonal Antibody Production

The development of hybridoma technology by Kohler and Milstein (1975) opened a new era not only in immunology, but in all fields of biological science. Hybridoma cell lines formed by the fusion of mutant mouse myeloma cells with spleen cells from an immunized mouse assure the permanent availability of monoclonal antibody of defined specificity. The clinical use of these xenoantibodies in human patients, however, will be limited by the fact that they themselves will be immunogenic upon repeated administration. Accordingly, for therapeutic applications in man, the availability of human monoclonal antibodies would be advantageous. The advance of human hybridoma technology has, however, been slowed by the unavailability of suitable fusion partners. Early attempts to generate immortalized human immunoglobulinproducing cells involved the fusion of human lymphoid cells with mouse myeloma cells to create chimeric hybridomas (Levy and Dilley, 1978; Schwaber, 1975; Schwaber and Cohen, 1973). Although exceptions have been reported (Schlom et al., 1980; Lane et al., 1982), such mouseiahuman hybridomas have tended to be unstable and cease immunoglobulin production due to the selective loss of human chromosomes (Weiss and Green, 1967; Nabholz et al., 1969), or to disturbances of gene expression (Raison et al., 1982). A second approach has involved the transformation of antigen-primed human B lymphocytes with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) (Zurawski et al., 1978; Steinitz et al., 1979; Kozbor et al., 1979; Hirano et al., 1980; Tsuchiya et al., 1980; Yoshie and Ono, 1980). This method has also had some success, but in most instances, such cultures have tended to be unstable and produce low yields of antibody (Zurawski et al., 1978; Tsuchiya et al., 1980).
Quantity vs. Quality and Exclusion by Two-Sided Platforms

This paper provides a simple model of two-sided platforms, in which one side (W) values not just the quantity (i.e. number) of users on the other side (M), but also their average quality in some dimension. In this context, platforms might find it profitable to exclude low-quality users on side M, even though some would be willing to pay the platform access prices. Platforms are more likely to engage in exclusion of low-quality M users when W users place more value on the average quality and less value on the total quantity on side M. Exclusion incentives also depend on the proportion of high-quality users in the overall M population and on their cost advantage in joining the platform, relative to low-quality M users. The net effect of these two factors is ambiguous: it generally depends on whether they have a stronger impact on the gains from exclusion (higher average quality) or on its costs (lower quantity).
Spore Ornamentation in the Tricholomataceae I.

The spores of 25 taxa of agarics in the Tricholomataceae were studied with use of the scanning-electron microscope and a variation of surfaces is illustrated. Except for Melanoleuca robinsoniae, the species studied have been placed in Clitocybe and/or Lepista by various investigators, but the results yield additional evidence of a continuum between the two genera. The characteristics of Melanoleuca (Tricholoma) robinsoniae proved to be those of a Clitocybe also, and the new name Clitocybe celata is proposed.
pVM: persistent virtual memory for efficient capacity scaling and object storage

Next-generation byte-addressable nonvolatile memories (NVMs), such as phase change memory (PCM) and Memristors, promise fast data storage, and more importantly, address DRAM scalability issues. State-of-the-art OS mechanisms for NVMs have focused on improving the block-based virtual file system (VFS) to manage both persistence and the memory capacity scaling needs of applications. However, using the VFS for capacity scaling has several limitations, such as the lack of automatic memory capacity scaling across DRAM and NVM, inefficient use of the processor cache and TLB, and high page access costs. These limitations reduce application performance and also impact applications that use NVM for persistent object storage with flat namespaces, such as photo stores, NoSQL databases, and others. To address such limitations, we propose persistent virtual memory (pVM), a system software abstraction that provides applications with (1) automatic OS-level memory capacity scaling, (2) flexible memory placement policies across NVM, and (3) fast object storage. pVM extends the OS virtual memory (VM) instead of building on the VFS and abstracts NVM as a NUMA node with support for NVM-based memory placement mechanisms. pVM inherits benefits from the cache and TLB-efficient VM subsystem and augments these further by distinguishing between persistent and nonpersistent capacity use of NVM. Additionally, pVM achieves fast persistent storage by further extending the VM subsystem with consistent and durable OS-level persistent metadata. Our evaluation of pVM with memory capacity-intensive applications shows a 2.5x speedup and up to 80% lower TLB and cache misses compared to VFS-based systems. pVM's object store provides 2x higher throughput compared to the block-based approach of the state-of-the art solution and up to a 4x reduction in the time spent in the OS.
Implementation and construction of network streaming-media systems

Aiming at the fast development of networks, a novel streaming-media IPTV system is presented and its implementation is put forward. The system is based on RTSP. Multi-cast was selected as the communication model of the system. The system utilized the RTSP feedback mechanism to ensure qos and employed multi-cast to rebroadcast programs to clients. The applications show the system has good performance in IPTVs.
The K1 Protein of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Augments Viral Lytic Replication

ABSTRACT The K1 gene product of Kaposi9s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is encoded by the first open reading frame (ORF) of the viral genome. To investigate the role of the K1 gene during the KSHV life cycle, we constructed a set of recombinant viruses that contained either wild-type (WT) K1, a deleted K1 ORF (KSHVΔK1), stop codons within the K1 ORF (KSHV-K1 5×STOP ), or a revertant K1 virus (KSHV-K1 REV ). We report that the recombinant viruses KSHVΔK1 and KSHV-K1 5×STOP displayed significantly reduced lytic replication compared to WT KSHV and KSHV-K1 REV upon reactivation from latency. Additionally, cells infected with the recombinant viruses KSHVΔK1 and KSHV-K1 5×STOP also yielded smaller amounts of infectious progeny upon reactivation than did WT KSHV- and KSHV-K1 REV -infected cells. Upon reactivation from latency, WT KSHV- and KSHV-K1 REV -infected cells displayed activated Akt kinase, as evidenced by its phosphorylation, while cells infected with viruses deleted for K1 showed reduced phosphorylation and activation of Akt kinase. Overall, our results suggest that K1 plays an important role during the KSHV life cycle. IMPORTANCE Kaposi9s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the etiological agent of three human malignancies, and KSHV K1 is a signaling protein that has been shown to be involved in cellular transformation and to activate the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mTOR pathway. In order to investigate the role of the K1 protein in the life cycle of KSHV, we constructed recombinant viruses that were deficient for K1. We found that K1 deletion viruses displayed reduced lytic replication compared to the WT virus and also yielded smaller numbers of infectious progeny. We report that K1 plays an important role in the life cycle of KSHV.
Co-Enzyme Q10 and L-Carnitine in Cyclic Vomiting

Researchers at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, CA conducted a retrospective chart review of 42 patients treated with co-enzyme Q10 and L-carnitine, and the addition of amitryptiline (or cyproheptadine for <5 year olds) in refractory cases.
How to transform partial order between degrees into numerical values

Fuzzy techniques are a successful way to handle expert knowledge, enabling us to capture different degrees of experts' certainty in their statements. To use fuzzy techniques, we need to describe experts' degrees of certainty in numerical terms. Some experts can provide such numbers, but others can only describe their degrees by using natural-language words like “very”, “somewhat”, “to some extent”, etc. In general, all we know about these word-valued degrees is that there is a natural partial order between these degrees: e.g., “very small” is clearly smaller than “somewhat small”. In this paper, we propose a natural way to transform such a partial order between degrees into numerical values.
The History of Metallography at Lehigh University

Although the science and art of metallography was founded in Germany by Rose and Vogel, and in England by Sorby, it rapidly developed in the United States in parallel with the growth of the American Industrial Revolution. This was especially true with the growth of railroads, shipping, tall buildings construction (steel, copper alloys) and then automobiles and civilian and military aircraft (aluminum). The pioneers in light optical microscopy were from Harvard (Sauveur), Columbia University (Howe), and Lehigh University (Stoughton, Pulsifer, and Kehl). Lehigh then became a world leader in both scanning and transmission electron microscopy (Goldstein and Williams, among others). The Summer Microscopy School at Lehigh is now the world leader in this area and has operated for over 46 years. Students and graduates of Lehigh have been awarded more prizes at the International Metallographic Contest of IMS than any other institution, academic or industrial. This paper highlighted the developments in equipment, the research programs, and the people who participated in these endeavors.
The Political Economy of Compensatory Federalism

To what extent does the federal structure of policymaking in the United States mitigate or exacerbate national political conflict? We develop a model of two-level governance in a federal system in the presence of interstate preference heterogeneity and cross-state externalities. The key underlying intuition is that states with high demand for public spending or regulation are better positioned to adjust state-level policies to compensate for perceived inadequacies in national policy than corresponding states with low demand. We explore the normative and behavioral implications of this asymmetry under majoritarian and supermajoritarian national policymaking institutions, and use the model to account for a number of empirical regularities in U.S. politics and policymaking.
Memantine prevents acute radiation-induced toxicities at hippocampal excitatory synapses.

Background Memantine has shown clinical utility in preventing radiation-induced cognitive impairment, but the mechanisms underlying its protective effects remain unknown. We hypothesized that abnormal glutamate signaling causes radiation-induced abnormalities in neuronal structure and that memantine prevents synaptic toxicity. Methods Hippocampal cultures expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein were irradiated or sham-treated and their dendritic spine morphology assessed at acute (minutes) and later (days) times using high-resolution confocal microscopy. Excitatory synapses, defined by co-localization of the pre- and postsynaptic markers vesicular glutamate transporter 1 and postsynaptic density protein 95, were also analyzed. Neurons were pretreated with vehicle, the N-methyl-d-aspartate-type glutamate receptor antagonist memantine, or the glutamate scavenger glutamate pyruvate transaminase to assess glutamate signaling. For animal studies, Thy-1-YFP mice were treated with whole-brain radiotherapy or sham with or without memantine. Results Unlike previously reported long-term losses of dendritic spines, we found that the acute response to radiation is an initial increase in spines and excitatory synapses followed by a decrease in spine/synapse density with altered spine dynamics. Memantine pre-administration prevented this radiation-induced synaptic remodeling. Conclusion These results demonstrate that radiation causes rapid, dynamic changes in synaptic structural plasticity, implicate abnormal glutamate signaling in cognitive dysfunction following brain irradiation, and describe a protective mechanism of memantine.
A comparative study of eyelid cleaning regimens in chronic blepharitis.

Purpose Blepharitis, an intrinsic eyelid inflammation with crusting and irritation, presents a great problem for patients wearing contact lenses. An important part of blepharitis therapy is eyelid hygiene, including the use of either soap, dilute baby shampoo, or commercial lid scrubs. In this study, a comparison was made between these three cleaning regimens in a group of 25 patients, 80% of whom (20/25) wore contact lenses. Methods Patients used commercial eyelid scrub on right eyelids and a hypo-allergenic bar soap on left eyelids. Patient symptoms, slit lamp findings, and overall preferences were determined at the end of 4 months. A subgroup of 10 patients using lid scrub on right eyelids and dilute baby shampoo on left eyelids was followed for an additional 3 months. Results At the end of 4 months, 24% (6/25) of the patients noted no difference between soap and lid scrub, but 89% (17/19) of the others preferred the lid scrub. In the group using baby shampoo, 50% (5/10) noted no difference in 3 months, but 80% (4/5) of the remaining patients preferred the lid scrub. Conclusions All patients improved in slit lamp findings with all three regimens, and patient preference was overwhelmingly in favor of the lid scrub regimen for convenience and ease of use.
Respiratory morbidities in late preterm and term infants with myelomeningocele

To describe the incidence of respiratory morbidities in late preterm and term newborns with myelomeningocele (MMC) born by c-section. Single center retrospective cohort study of infants born between 34 0/7 and 40 6/7 weeks gestation with the diagnosis of MMC. The primary outcome was the incidence of respiratory morbidities and the secondary outcome was caffeine treatment for apnea at discharge. A total of 293 infants with MMC born by cesarean section were included in this cohort: 106 born late preterm, 120 early term, and 67 at term. Respiratory morbidity was present in 50.5% within the first 24 h after birth. Treatment with caffeine for persistent apnea or periodic breathing at discharge was present in 17.8% with an overall incidence of apnea throughout the hospital admission of 20.5%. There is a markedly increased risk of respiratory distress in late preterm and term infants with myelomeningocele at all gestational ages.
The effect of pseudo-absence selection method on transferability of species distribution models in the context of non-adaptive niche shift

Abstract Transferability of species distribution models (SDMs) is key to predicting invasion patterns and can be challenged if niche shift occurs in the invaded range. When using native occurrences to estimate potential invasions with presence-only modeling methods, it is important to constrain the pseudo-absence (PA) sampling to the species’ native range. However, some studies including highly cited ones, do not follow this approach to selecting PA samples. In this research, we addressed two questions using an invasive species in the United States (U.S.), kudzu bug (Megacopta cribraria): 1) is model transferability challenged by a non-adaptive niche shift? and 2) is model performance affected by use of PA samples from outside the native range of the species? Kudzu bug is native to Asia, with recently observed non-adaptive niche shift in the U.S. To answer the first question, we quantified the environmental space anisotropy and non-adaptive niche change, and then evaluated the performances of seven SDMs. To answer the second question, we further compared the interpolation and transferability of seven SDMs trained with PAs from the native range and from both native and invaded ranges. We confirmed that the environmental space anisotropy (P = 0.01) and non-adaptive niche change (P = 0.01) are both statistically significant. Of the seven SDMs used, four models had transferability indices higher than 0.9. Boosted regression tree and random forests both had good interpolation and transferability (AUC>0.80 and kappa>0.60), whereas three other models showed good interpolation and fair transferability (AUC>0.70 and kappa>0.40). Inclusion of pseudo-absences from the invaded range significantly increased the interpolation (P
Pulmonary Talcosis: A Foreign Body Granulomatous Lung Disease

Pulmonary Talcosis is a rare foreign body granulomatous disease that occurs as a result of exposure to talc either by inhalation of talc particles or via intravascular injection of talc containing medications. Pulmonary Talcosis is often misdiagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis, atypical mycobacterium infection or sarcoidosis as many of their clinical and radiological findings overlap. We report a case of talcosis mimicking mycobacterial disease which was eventually diagnosed via lung biopsy. A detailed history and high index of suspicion is required for timely diagnosis and appropriate management.
Gendering the untranslatable in the world literary market: reading Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Shasti’ (1893) in translation

ABSTRACTEnglish translations of Rabindranath Tagore have a complicated history of reception. This article contemplates the contemporary contexts in which Tagore translations emerge and circulate, b...