cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temperature and Humidity Interact to Influence Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), Survival

High-temperature events can influence insect population dynamics and could be especially important for predicting the potential spread and establishment of invasive insects. The interaction between temperature and environmental humidity on insect populations is not well understood but can be a key factor that determines habitat range and population size. The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stal), is an invasive agricultural pest in the United States and Europe, which causes serious economic damage to a wide range of crops. This insect's range continues to expand. It has recently invaded the Central Valley of California, which has a hotter and drier climate compared with the Eastern United States where this insect is established. We investigated how high-temperature events and relative humidity would impact the survival and reproduction of H. halys. Using incubators and humidity chambers, we evaluated the impact of humidity and short-term (2 d) high-temperature exposure on the survival and development of H. halys eggs, nymphs, and adults. We found that high temperatures significantly reduced H. halys survival. The impact of humidity on H. halys survival was dependent on temperature and life stage. Low humidity decreased first-instar survival but not third- to fourth-instar survival. High humidity increased first instar survival but decreased third- to fourth-instar survival. Humidity did not influence adult or egg survival. We also found that high temperatures decreased H. halys reproduction. Our findings have important implications for understanding the invasive ecology of H. halys and may be used to improve models predicting H. halys range expansion.
Online Adaptive Damping Controller Architecture for Wind Integrated Power Grid

The upsurge in renewable energy generation has led to the modernization of electric power distribution systems. Renewable energy sources, such as wind farms are often more reliable but are also prone to power quality problems such as frequency distortion, voltage variations, during grid operations, which occurs during overloading conditions, intermittency, and fault occurrences. This paper presents an approach on how to manage frequency distortions on a grid with a battery integrated windfarm during faults, load dynamics, and renewable energy source intermittency. The proposed supplementary controller is implemented for damping the secondary frequency oscillations on such a wind integrated power grid. Simulation results using the IEEE 13 Bus test feeder show significant advantages when implementing this adaptive control architecture.
Preprocedural Hypertension Is Not a Risk Factor for Postoperative Bleeding following Image-Guided Core Needle Breast Biopsy.

Objective. To evaluate the association between preprocedural hypertension and the risk of prolonged bleeding following image-guided core needle breast biopsy in nonpregnant/nonlactating women. Methods. A single institution-based, retrospective cohort study of 400 women who underwent image-guided core needle breast biopsy was conducted. Males and pregnant and lactating women were excluded. Preprocedural systolic or diastolic blood pressure greater than 140 or 90 mm of Hg, respectively, was defined as hypertension. Prolonged bleeding was defined >15 minutes of local, manual pressure required to achieve hemostasis following the biopsy. Severe bleeding complications defined as clinical significant hematoma formation, prolonged bleeding requiring an ER visit, hospitalization, or surgical intervention were also recorded. Results. The difference in the mean time for which manual pressure was held after biopsy for patients with and without preprocedural hypertension was not statistically significant (13 ± 7 vs. 13 ± 8 minutes, respectively, = 0.856). There was no difference in the number of patients requiring manual postoperative pressure >15 minutes between those with preprocedural hypertension and the normotensive patients (13% vs. 12%, respectively, = 0.765). Bivariate analysis demonstrated statistically significant association between prolonged bleeding and current antithrombotic or antiplatelet medication use ( = 0.010), the use of stereotactic guidance ( = 0.019), and a tethered vacuum-assisted device ( = 0.045). The use of a tethered vacuum-assisted biopsy device was the only variable associated with prolonged bleeding in the multivariate model ( = 0.044). Conclusion. Preprocedural hypertension is not a risk factor for prolonged bleeding following image-guided core needle breast biopsies in nonpregnant/nonlactating women.
Pincer-supported metal/main-group bonds as platforms for cooperative transformations.

Electron-rich late metals and electropositive main-group elements (metals and metalloids) can be combined to provide an ambiphilic facade for exploring metal–ligand cooperation, yet the instability of the metal/main-group bond frequently limits the study and application of such units. Incorporating main-group donors into pincer frameworks, where they are stabilized and held in proximity to the transition-metal partner, can allow discovery of new modes of reactivity and incorporation into catalytic processes. This Perspective summarizes common modes of cooperativity that have been demonstrated for pincer frameworks featuring metal/main-group bonds, highlighting similarities among boron, aluminium, and silicon donors and identifying directions for further development.
Characterization of Non-Symmetrical Damage in Smart Plate-Like Structures

Smart material technology is an active area of research, with promising applications that include, for instance, control systems [2, 8] and nondestructive evaluation [3, 8]. Among the different types of smart material structures currently studied, structures with bonded piezoelectric ceramic patches are of particular interest [6]. When an electric field is applied, piezoceramic patches induce strains in the material to which they are bonded and, conversely, they produce a voltage when a deformation occurs in the material [7, 8]. As a consequence, these patches can act both as actuators and sensors, providing the host structure with smart material capabilities.
Immunoprecipitation and Immunoblotting in Cell Cycle Studies

Immunoprecipitation (IP) and immunoblotting (Western blotting) are potential tools for addressing questions about the expression of a protein and its interactions with other proteins. Immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting are, as their names imply, techniques dependent on immunological agents — namely antibodies. These techniques take advantage of the high specificity and tight binding that antibodies provide to separate the desired proteins out from the background of all the other cellular proteins present. Immunoprecipitation has long been used as a tool for assessing a protein’s presence, while immunoblotting provides a more accurate means of quantitating the amount of the protein that is present. Immunoblotting also serves to establish or verify the identity of proteins isolated in immunoprecipitation. A vast number of other questions can also be addressed by these two related techniques.
Conditioned fear and analgesia to conspecific odors: Benzodiazepine and 5-HT1A agonists

When male albino rats experience one session of attack and defeat by an alpha conspecific, conditioned fear and analgesia are observed during later testing only when alpha-colony odors are present. In Experiment 1, subjects experienced a nondefeat (ND) or a defeat (D) session 24 h prior to testing of fear using the shock-prod burying paradigm. Thirty min before ND and D sessions, subjects were injected with saline (SAL), diazepam (DZP; 2.5 mg/kg), or buspirone (BUS; 5 mg/kg). The results indicated that defeated subjects that had been injected with DZP or BUS failed to show the typical decrease in burying and the increase in freezing indicative of the conditioning of fear to the odor context. In Experiment 2 we utilized the same defeat and drug administration procedure but used the formalin paw-lick test of analgesia. The administration of DZP or BUS prevented the conditioning of fear and analgesia to the alpha-colony odors. These are the first experiments to demonstrate that both diazepam and buspirone can block the conditioning of fear and analgesia resulting from the naturalistic Stressor of defeat.
Protoplasts of Eukaryotic Algae

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the protoplasts of eukaryotic algae and discusses the advantages and problems of working with them. Protoplast is a viable cell whose wall and other materials external to the plasmalemma have been removed, but it retains all internal components. Algae, from which the protoplasts are induced, are always grown as liquid cultures. There is no uniformity among the media and all are chemically undefined, containing either seawater or soil extracts, and sterilized by filtration or autoclaving. The exogenous hydrolytic enzymes are the main inducers of protoplast formation. The induced protoplasts of fresh-water algae lose the mechanical barrier that maintains their internal osmotic pressure. They retain their integrity and viability in an osmotically protective medium of equal or greater tonicity than that of the normal internal cellular osmolarity. Protoplast viability is assessed by the exclusion of vital dyes by living cells. The dyes most commonly used are trypan blue, crystal violet, neutral red, and fluorescein diacetate. Regeneration of an outer wall followed by cell division is the desired outcome of most protoplast experimental work. Protoplast formation and regeneration are theoretically ideal tools for the understanding of cell wall structure and formation.
1 – THEORY OF SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses that scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has proven to be a powerful and unique tool for the determination of the structural and electronic properties of surfaces. While STM was originally introduced as a method for topographic imaging of surfaces, many related techniques have since grown out of it. These include local spectroscopy, scanning potentiometry, and a host of other local probes. It discusses the current understanding of STM and tunnelling spectroscopy. The chapter explains the basic principles of STM— that is, vacuum tunneling and scanning tunneling microscopy. In vacuum tunneling, the potential in the vacuum region acts as a barrier to electrons between the two metal electrodes, the surface and the tip. The transmission probability for a wave incident on a barrier in one dimension is easily calculated. For STM, it is typically needed to consider only the limit of weak transmission, corresponding to the most common range of barrier heights and widths. In scanning tunneling microscopy, a sharp metal tip is brought close enough to the sample surface that electrons can tunnel quantum mechanically through the vacuum barrier separating tip and sample. This tunneling current is extremely sensitive to the gap— that is, to the height of the tip above the surface.
La lesión enorme en la venta de oficios en Indias

En el derecho romano la lesion enorme tuvo un campo de aceptacion restringido: solo fue admitida en la venta de inmuebles y unicamente en favor del vendedor. Asi lo establecio por primera vez Justiniano en CI.4.44.2 y 4.44.8, pasajes que recogen rescriptos de los emperadores Diocleciano y Maximiano, respectivamente, cuyo texto en la parte que contiene la regla de la lesion ha sido tenida como interpelada por la opinion dominante de la romanistica critica: Gradenwitz, Albertario, Solazzi y otros.
TUMORS OF MESONEPHRIC ORIGIN IN THE FEMALE GENITAL TRACT.

Abstract A brief review is made of the present knowledge on the mesonephric duct remnants and their derivatives analyzing the numerous contributions on the subject. With special emphasis on the malignant growths, the incidence, morphological types, histogenesis, staining properties, methods of differentiation, age distribution, therapy, and survival rates are discussed. Three unpublished cases are reported: one, a benign cyst attached to the right labium minus, another, an adenocarcinoma of the cervix, and a third, an adenocarcinoma of the endometrium. The morphological similarity of these tumors with those of mesonephric origin is discussed and their histogenesis from mesonephric duct remnants is acknowledged.
Understanding the Host Inflammatory Response to Wound Infection: An In Vivo Study of Klebsiella pneumoniae in a Rabbit Ear Wound Model

Abstract : Wound infection development is critically dependent on the complex interactions between bacteria and host. Klebsiella pneumoniae has become an increasingly common wound pathogen, but its natural history within wounds has never been studied. Using a validated, in vivo rabbit ear model, wounds were inoculated with K. pneumoniae at different concentrations (10(exp2)-10(exp7) colony-forming units) with measurement of viable and nonviable bacterial counts, histological wound-healing parameters, and host inflammatory gene expression at multiple time points postin-oculation (48, 96, and 240 hours). Bacteria and wound morphologies were evaluated with scanning electron microscopy. Comparable experiments were performed in ischemic ears to model immune response impairment. All wounds, despite different inoculants, equilibrated to similar bacterial concentrations by 96 hours. With a 10(exp 6) colony-forming units inoculant, wounds at 240 hours showed decreased bacterial counts ( p less than 0.01), with a corresponding improvement in healing ( p less than 0.01) and a decrease in inflammatory response ( p less than 0.05). In contrast, ischemic wounds revealed impaired inflammatory gene expression ( p less than 0.05) resulting in higher steady-state bacterial concentrations ( p less than 0.01), impaired healing ( p less than 0.05), and biofilm formation on scanning electron microscopy. We conclude that a normal inflammatory response can effectively stabilize and overcome a K. pneumoniae wound infection. An impaired host cannot control this bacterial burden, preventing adequate healing while allowing bacteria to establish a chronic presence. Our novel study quantitatively validates the host immune response as integral to wound infection dynamics.
Current status of intravenous immunoglobulin in preventing or treating neonatal bacterial infections.

Bacterial infections continue to be an important problem for neonates throughout the world. Since newborn babies acquire immunoglobulin (IgG) transplacentally from their mothers in the latter part of gestation, premature infants (<32–34 wk gestation) have decreased levels of serum IgG (1,2). The antibodies acquired transplacentally are also limited to the mother’s previous exposure to specific pathogens. Therefore, newborns (especially preterais) may have both a qualitative and quantitative immunoglobulin deficiency. Opsonic antibody is important for immunity against bacteria with polysaccharide capsules (Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Hemophilus influenzae, Escherichia coli) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has been shown to contain opsonic antibody for several of these bacterial pathogens (3,6).
VASCULAR RESPONSES DURING HYPOTHERMIA.

Abstract : In a series of experiments on dogs, it was found that coreinduced hypothermia of 10 C does cause a decrease in vascular tone. The blood vessels maintain their ability to respond to epinephrine, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, and reflex changes as mediated through the carotid sinus. The response to vagal stimulation was blocked at a somewhat higher temperature than was the response to sympathetic stimulation. The dogs still responded to acetylcholine. Due to causes as yet undetermined, muscle blood flow was greatly diminished during coreinduced hypothermia. This diminution or shift perhaps augments the flow in the central circuit and may be a protective mechanism. Quinidine does not abolish the temperature gradients in muscle. It did reduce the reactivity of the vascular tree, and perhaps in this manner is helpful in maintaining an adequate perfusion of the vital central areas. Abolition of all vascular control, in spite of the attractiveness of the theory of uniform perfusion, may not be advantageous. (Author)
${{\cal Q} {\cal D}}$ -Learning: A Collaborative Distributed Strategy for Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Through ${\rm Consensus} + {\rm Innovations}$

The paper develops ${{\cal Q} {\cal D}}$ -learning, a distributed version of reinforcement $Q$ -learning, for multi-agent Markov decision processes (MDPs); the agents have no prior information on the global state transition and on the local agent cost statistics. The network agents minimize a network-averaged infinite horizon discounted cost, by local processing and by collaborating through mutual information exchange over a sparse (possibly stochastic) communication network. The agents respond differently (depending on their instantaneous one-stage random costs) to a global controlled state and the control actions of a remote controller. When each agent is aware only of its local online cost data and the inter-agent communication network is weakly connected, we prove that ${{\cal Q} {\cal D}}$ -learning, a $\rm consensus + innovations$ algorithm with mixed time-scale stochastic dynamics, converges asymptotically almost surely to the desired value function and to the optimal stationary control policy at each network agent.
Barankin bound: instability in certain estimation problems

Variance bounds are attractive for use in assessing quantitative system performance because they tell us how well a system can perform an estimation task without specifying a particular estimator. The most familiar of the variance bounds is the Cramer-Rao Bound also known as the Fisher-Information Bound. While suitable for many estimation problems, the Cramer-Rao Bound is often unachievable when applied to the very noisy data from imaging systems in nuclear medicine. This leads to overly optimistic estimates of system performance. As a result, some researchers have turned to the Barankin Bound as an alterative to the Cramer-Rao Bound. Our main result is that if no unbiased estimator exists, the Barankin Bound is infinite and computational methods for finding the Barankin Bound are unstable. This result is most conveniently seen in a simple 1D test problem we have developed here for demonstration purposes. The implications of this work are that caution must be used in applying the Barankin Bound to a given problem. In the absence of an unbiased estimator, this bound is misleading and other measures must be used.
Pregnancy in Patients With Hansen Disease

Background: Three pregnancies occurred in a cohort of 40 patients with Hansen disease during a 6-year period. There are few recent reports in the English literature that deal with pregnancy in patients with Hansen disease. These 3 cases are presented in the context of previously reported cohorts. Observations: In patient 1, symptoms of the disease appeared during pregnancy. In patient 2, reactivation vs reaction occurred during pregnancy in a previously treated patient. In patient 3, the fetus was exposed to 3 antimicrobial drugs during the first trimester. Conclusions: The pregnant state causes a relative decrease in cellular immunity. This decrease allows Mycobacterium leprae to proliferate, which may precipitate or worsen disease, leading to permanent nerve damage. Careful management of reactional states and treatment of patients with dapsone monotherapy can prevent this nerve damage. Infants are usually much less affected than mothers; however, selection of the mother's antimicrobial regimen must ensure adequate control of the bacteria while avoiding teratogenicity and in utero adverse effects. Arch Dermatol. 1997;133:623-627
Metabolite levels and enzyme activities in Protophormia terranovae during low temperature induced glycerol accumulation

Abstract Certain aspects of metabolic function of the arctic blowfly Protophormia terranovae have been examined to study regulation of low temperature induced glycerol accumulation. In vivo, the steady state concentration of l -glycerol-3-phosphate, elevated sharply in anoxic controls, is unaffected by cold stress. Similarly the ratio of cellular ATP to ADP is not altered by low temperature when compared to that of organisms maintained at room temperature. Because Protophormia continue to respire at low temperatures while glycerol build up occurs ( Wood and Nordin , 1976), the accumulation is not a result of direct blockage of mitochondrial l -glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase or respiration, nor is it due to a depletion of cellular ADP concentrations adversely affecting mitochondrial function. Results of experiments conducted to evaluate temperature effects in vitro on mitochondrial l -glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and cytochrome oxidase are consistent with the above conclusions. Dialyzed homogenates of Protophormia contain a phosphatase capable of catalyzing the hydrolysis of l -glycerol-3-phosphate. Approximately one third more activity is present in cold stressed organisms compared to room temperature controls but the influence of temperature on catalytic activity per se is not unusual. This argues that the additional phosphatase activity observed in these preparations is expressed during cold stress and is not a result of direct activation of the enzyme(s) at low temperature. Cytoplasmic l -glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase were partially purified from extracts of Protophormia. Their relative activities at low temperature in the presence of physiological concentrations of substrate are also consistent with possible roles in the glycerol accumulation process.
Soil mycoflora of Peru

A qualitative survey of the yeasts and filamentous fungi in 29 Peruvian soils was undertaken. Using the dilution plate method, 4884 isolates were obtained. Four per cent were sterile and 7 % were unidentified. The remaining isolates belonged to 53 genera, 159 species, and 4 varieties of which 14 were phycomycetes, 22 were ascomycetes, and 128 were deuteromycetes.Absidia repens, Helicodendron westerdijkae, Chaetomium brasiliense, Coniochaeta tetraspora, Podospora castorinospora, andP. nannopodalis were among the unusual species isolated. Distribution of certain fungal taxa was related to soil pH, altitude, and/or vegetation. Some changes in the population due to storage of the samples are described.
DNA interstrand cross-link formation by reductive activation of dehydropyrrolizidine progenitors

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are potent hepatotoxins and carcinogens isolated from a wide variety of plants. The hepatotoxicity of these agents is a manifestation of the initial production and release of the reactive dehydropyrrolizidine, which is the DNA-cross-linking species, generated in the liver by the mixed function cytochrome P450 oxidases. A separate class of DNA cross-linkers, including the clinically significant mitomycins and the related FR900482 and congeners are reductively activated in vivo forming a very similar pyrrolic-type intermediate responsible for the DNA cross-linking reactivity of these substances. We report here the synthesis and DNA cross-linking studies of a reductively activated dehydromonocrotaline progentior and its dicarbamate derivative.
Integrated fiber optic system for dynamic light scattering measurements in microgravity

The hardware development of an integrated backscatter fiber optic system for doing dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements in the constrained microgravity environment of a space shuttle or space station is described. The small size and light-weight system easily fits in a Spacelab Glovebox and ensures maximum safety for the orbiter crew. It offers high precision particle size measurements from dispersions of colloidal particles within seconds. It needs neither onboard optical alignment nor index matching fluid, and it offers sample mixing and shear melting capabilities to study aggregation (flocculation and coagulation) phenomena under both quiescent and controlled agitation conditions. The system can easily be adapted for other microgravity experiments requiring the use of DLS.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Gonadotropin Release and Cyclic Nucleotides: Evidence for Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone-Induced Elevation of Guanosine 3′,5′-Monophosphate Levels in Gonadotrophs

To investigate the participation of cyclic nucleotides in LHRH-mediated gonadotropin release, cells from the anterior pituitaries of 15-day-old female rats were fractionated on an albumin gradient by sedimentation at unit gravity. Gonadotrophs and somatotrophs were detected in the fractions by histology and RIA of hormone content, then the cells were pooled into three subpopulations and cultured overnight. The effect of LHRH on hormone release and cyclic nucleotide content was examined by incubation in the presence or absence of the releasing hormone. After 60 min, LHRH (5 nin) had induced a 5- to 6-fold increase in LH release only from the cells in the subpopulation which was enriched in gonadotrophs. At no time did LHRH influence cAMP levels in any of the cells; however, the cGMP content of the cells in the gonadotroph-containing pool rose to twice that in the controls after only 15 min in the presence of LHRH. The increase in cGMP concentration in the cells was at or near maximum by the time of the ini...
A 0–1 Programming Approach to Delineating Protected Reserves

The problem of selecting parcels of land for inclusion within a protected reserve is formulated as a 0–1 programming model. The formulation addresses the objectives of minimizing cost and maximizing reserve area, while providing buffer zones around interior or core areas and promoting contiguity and compactness. The model is developed for a regular grid spatial setting. An exact method is presented for generating all noninferior solutions, and a heuristic solution procedure is also provided. A hypothetical example demonstrates that medium-sized problems can be solved exactly in reasonable amounts of computer time. Exact and heuristic solutions are compared and applications of the model are discussed.
A sensitive assay of transthyretin (prealbumin) in human cerebrospinal fluid in nanogram amounts by ELISA.

Abstract A sensitive ELISA method for determining transthyretin (prealbumin) in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is described. The method utilizes goat antihuman transthyretin antibody (IgG fraction) for capture and peroxidase conjugated antibody for color development. The assay has a linear range of 1–4 ng transthyretin added per well. The within-day and between-day coefficients of variation are 5.1 and 6.1%, respectively. The concentration of transthyretin in CSF (ranging from 5 to 20 mg per L) correlated significantly with the corresponding serum concentrations (range 170–420 mg/l). This suggests that synthesis of transthyretin in the brain and peripheral tissues is under similar biological control in normal subjects. The transthyretin concentrations in CSF did not correlate with total CSF protein concentration or age of the subject.
Anti-HIV Agents 451 and Antitumor Agents 205.2 Two New Sesquiterpenes, Leitneridanins A and B, and the Cytotoxic and Anti-HIV Principles from Leitneria floridana

Two new sesquiterpenes, leitneridanin A (1) and leitneridanin B (2), and seven known compounds, lirioresinol B, (−)-pinoresinal, (+)-lariciresinol, quassimarin (3), simalikalactone D (4), 1-methoxycanthinone (5), and 5-methoxycanthinone (6), were isolated from Leitneria floridana. Their structures were identified on the basis of spectral data. In vitro biological evaluation showed that 5 is a potent anti-HIV agent (EC50 0.26 μg/mL; TI >39) and that 3−6 suppressed the growth of a panel of human tumor cell lines (KB, A-549, HCT-8, CAKI-1, MCF-7, and SK-MEL-2). Compounds 3 and 4 were significantly active, with ED50 values in the range of 0.26−0.012 μg/mL.
Hypertrophy of nodules of arantius and aortic insufficiency: Pathophysiology and repair

Aortic insufficiency (AI) due to fibrosis and thickening of the nodules of Arantius in the otherwise normal aortic valve was found in 11 adults (age range, 41 to 65 years) between 1976 and 1988. Nine had concomitant mitral stenosis; 2 had coronary artery disease. In 6 patients AI was graded 3+ or greater; in 5 it was less than 3+. Correction of AI and restoration of cuspid flexibility and apposition by shaving the hypertrophied nodules was accomplished in all, with postrepair AI graded as 1+ or less. There was one hospital death, a patient who had prior mitral operation. Mean follow-up was 68 +/- 56 months. Only 1 patient had late (6 years) recurrent serious (3+) AI. Nine continued to have 1+ or less AI, based on echocardiography or catheterization (n = 6) or on physical examination performed at a mean of 74 months. We conclude that thickening of the nodules of Arantius may cause AI. Long-term correction can be accomplished by sculpturing of the involved cusps.
A Heitler model of extensive air showers

Abstract A simple, semi-empirical model is used to develop the hadronic portion of air showers in a manner analogous to the well-known Heitler splitting approximation of electromagnetic cascades. Various characteristics of EAS are plainly exhibited with numerical predictions in good accord with detailed Monte Carlo simulations and with data. Results for energy reconstruction, muon and electron sizes, the elongation rate, and for the effects of the atomic number of the primary are discussed.
The role of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1/ very late activation antigen 4 in endothelial progenitor cell recruitment to rheumatoid arthritis synovium

Objective Marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are important in the neovascularization that occurs in diverse conditions such as cardiovascular disorders, inflammatory diseases, and neoplasms. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), synovial neovascularization propels disease by nourishing the inflamed and hyperproliferative synovium. This study was undertaken to investigate the hypothesis that EPCs selectively home to inflamed joint tissue and may perpetuate synovial neovascularization. Methods In a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model, neovascularization and EPC accumulation in mouse ankle synovium was measured. In an antibody-induced arthritis model, EPC recruitment to inflamed synovium was evaluated. In a chimeric SCID mouse/human synovial tissue (ST) model, mice were engrafted subcutaneously with human ST, and EPC homing to grafts was assessed 2 days later. EPC adhesion to RA fibroblasts and RA ST was evaluated in vitro. Results In mice with CIA, cells bearing EPC markers were significantly increased in peripheral blood and accumulated in inflamed synovial pannus. EPCs were 4-fold more numerous in inflamed synovium from mice with anti–type II collagen antibody–induced arthritis versus controls. In SCID mice, EPC homing to RA ST was 3-fold greater than to normal synovium. Antibody neutralization of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and its ligand component α4 integrin potently inhibited EPC adhesion to RA fibroblasts and RA ST cryosections. Conclusion These data demonstrate the selective recruitment of EPCs to inflamed joint tissue. The VCAM-1/very late activation antigen 4 adhesive system critically mediates EPC adhesion to cultured RA fibroblasts and to RA ST cryosections. These findings provide evidence of a possible role of EPCs in the synovial neovascularization that is critical to RA pathogenesis.
THE SPECIES CONCEPT IN PHYTOPLANKTON ECOLOGY1

The authors discuss the broad aspects and difficulties of phytoplankton species identification. Phytoplankton ecology relies heavily on the use of taxon-insensitive indicies like chlorophyll a concentration, [sup 14]C incubations, and light-dark bottles for measurement of abundance and productivity. Numerous excellent studies have been done in comparative algal physiology, but none of them actually demonstrate species level differences in the traits of interest. Many of the studies underestimate genetic diversity within taxa because they rely on genotypes that can be cultured and maintained in the laboratory. Significant interclonal variablity is found every time that strains from the same putative taxon are compared, and the magnitude of these differences is not trivial. The authors follow this discussion by detailing several specific ways of approaching speciation in phytoplankton including identifying the ecological significance of morphological traits and ecologically important traits consistently correlated with mprphological features used to distinguish among speiceis or sub-species. 82 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.
The lowering of postischemic compartment pressures with mannitol

Abstract This investigation sought to evaluate systemic infusion of mannitol for nonoperative lowering of elevated compartment pressures. Nine anesthetized, intubated, mongrel dogs underwent 12–14 hr of ischemia to a hind limb with a pneumatic tourniquet. Twelve hours after tourniquet removal the dogs were reanesthetized and wick pressure catheters were introduced into the anterolateral compartent of the ischemic limb. Five dogs received intravenous normal saline at a rate of 100 cc/hr for 3 hr. Then a bolus of 25 g of 25% mannitol was given followed by a continuous infusion of 20% mannitol at 15 g/hr for 2 hr. Compartment pressures were recorded at 12 hr postischemia, after normal saline, and after mannitol. Four dogs received no treatment and served as controls. All dogs had elevated compartment pressures (43 ± 4.8 mm Hg) 12 hr postischemia. The pressures were only slightly higher following saline infusion (45 ± 7.3 mm Hg). After mannitol all pressures fell to zero. When mannitol was discontinued pressures rose slightly but never greater than 10 mm Hg. Although all dogs had neuropraxia from the tourniquet, none of the treated dogs developed gangrene or contracture. These data show that elevated postischemic compartment pressures can be lowered to normal levels with systemic infusion of mannitol. This technique, which has been used successfully in one patient, provides an alternative to operative fasciotomy and its inherent morbidity.
Granular cell tumor of the bronchus coexisting with a bronchogenic adenocarcinoma: A case report

A case of endobronchial granular cell tumor and an adenocarcinoma in the same lobe of the lung are presented. A review of the literature documents 2 cases where there was coexistence of a bronchogenic carcinoma and a granular cell tumor. The different theories regarding the origin of granular cell tumors are considered. The treatment of choice would be that indicated for the carcinoma irrespective of the granular cell tumor.
Recent progress in phosphoinositide 3-kinases: Oncogenic properties and prognostic and therapeutic implications

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are a group of lipid kinases that coordinate various fundamental cellular responses including mitogenic signaling, cell survival and proliferation, vesicular trafficking, cytoskeletal rearrangement and metabolism. Overexpression caused by genetic alterations such as the amplification or gain of copy numbers was frequently observed for various PI3Ks in different human cancers. In recent years, the high-frequency somatic mutations of PIK3CA observed in different human cancers further strengthen the notion that PI3Ks are optimal targets for therapeutic intervention. In this review, I summarize current experimental evidence about the transformation capability and oncogenic properties of different PIK3CA mutations identified in human cancers. I also discuss the association of PIK3CA mutations with other genetic markers, as well as the prognostic value of PIK3CA somatic mutations in human cancers. Finally, I discuss the application of PI3Ks as therapeutic targets in human cancers, including targeted and combinational therapies and the potential challenges that confront their clinical applications.
Gas-phase transient diffusion in droplet vaporization and combustion

Abstract By suppressing the relaxation process of fuel vapor accumulation through the use of d 2 -law results as the initial conditions, the present study isolates gas-phase transient diffusion as the only transient process during droplet vaporization and combustion, and thereby successfully identifies its influence on the bulk droplet gasification characteristics. The case of pure vaporization and flame sheet combustion are analytically solved using perturbation methods and the matched asymptotic expasion technique in the limit of the small gas-to-liquid density ratio. Results demonstrate that transient diffusion enhances the vaporization and burning rates, reduces the flame front standoff ratio, and elevates the flame temperature. However, contrary to predictions of previous studies which have inadvertently included fuel vapor accumulation, these transient diffusion effects are very small so that gas-phase quasi steadiness is indeed an adequate and useful assumption for the modeling of subcritical droplet combustion.
L2 controller synthesis with L∞-bounded closed-loop impulse response

In this paper we consider an L 2 control problem with an L ∞ norm on the closed-loop impulse response. To do this we first construct an upper bound for the L ∞ norm of the impulse response of the dosed-loop system. To perform controller synthesis, we then modify the standard LQG cost functional by including an additional penalty term that weights the L ∞ norm of the impulse response of the closed-loop system. A numerical example is given to illustrate the improved L ∞ response of the closed-loop system.
Recognizing the risk of erectile dysfunction in a urology clinic practice.

OBJECTIVE To determine the utility of simple patient-reported information in signalling erectile dysfunction (ED), as a challenge for the clinical urologist or related specialist is to quickly recognize risk factors for sexual dysfunction within the time constraints of an office visit. PATIENTS AND METHODS In a sample of men visiting a urology clinic, we determined the utility of simple patient-reported information in signalling ED. RESULTS Information readily obtained through a patient's self-report (that typically obtained in the office setting) can be very useful in understanding and predicting the likelihood of ED. Risk factors identified largely paralleled those identified in men generally, and included age, specific urological and non-urological somatic conditions, and tobacco use. Furthermore, knowing about even moderate levels of patient-reported psychological or relationship stress was useful in assessing the risk of ED. CONCLUSION Understanding the relationship of such risk factors to ED among men visiting a urology clinic might be particularly useful in clinical situations where the patient, for whatever reason, is reluctant to disclose an erectile problem when scheduling an appointment or even during the consultation.
MoodLight: Exploring Personal and Social Implications of Ambient Display of Biosensor Data

MoodLight is an interactive ambient lighting system that responds to biosensor input related to an individual's current level of arousal. Changes in levels of arousal correspond to fluctuations in the color of light provided by the system, altering the immediate environment in ways intimately related to the user's private internal state. We use this intervention to explore personal and social implications of the ambient display of biosensor data. A design probe study conducted with university students provided the opportunity to observe MoodLight being used by individuals and dyads. Discussion of findings highlights key tensions associated with the dialectics of technology-mediated self-awareness and automated disclosure of personal information, addressing issues of agency, skepticism and uncertainty. This study provides greater understanding of the ways in which the representations of personal informatics, with a focus on ambient feedback, influence our perceptions of ourselves and those around us.
Development and Validation of a Curriculum Theory-Based Classroom Environment Instrument: The Technical and Emancipatory Classroom Environment Instrument (TECEI).

The purpose of this article is to delineate various conceptions of curriculum, and use one of these conceptions as a basis for the development of a classroom learning environment instrument titled the Technical and Emancipatory Classroom Environment Instrument (TECEI). The first portion of the article explains how curriculum can be conceived as a technocratic process in which curriculum professionals develop materials and instructional procedures that are implemented by teachers. As an alternative, an overview is given describing how curriculum can be conceived as a social construction that arises through interaction of participants (e.g., students, teachers, administrators, professional societies, and other segments of society). In the second portion of the article this social-construction conception of curriculum is used as a foundation for a classroom learning environment instrument. The procedures used to develop the TECEI, as well as relevant validation information, is also reported. The study ends by explaining how the instrument might be used by teachers and researchers to enhance science learning and teaching. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Female genital tract cancer

Background. Site-specific cancer frequencies and incidence rates are reported regularly by the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program, but not by histologic type within site. This report reviews data for 160,977 histologically or cytologically confirmed invasive and in situ cancers of the female genital tract. Methods. Data were supplied by the SEER program for histologically confirmed cases of uterine corpus, uterine cervix, ovary, vulva, vagina, fallopian tube, and placental cancers diagnosed between 1973 and 1987. Histologic types were reviewed for race, age at diagnosis, incidence, stage, and survival. Results. There were 89,943 invasive and 71,034 in situ neoplasms. Squamous carcinoma was the most common invasive malignancy of the cervix (77.1%), vulva (74.4%), and vagina (70.8%). Adenocarcinoma was the most frequent malignancy in the uterine corpus (81.5%) and ovary (86.6%), with these percentages reaching 91.6% for corpus and 86,9% for ovary if adenosquamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma with squamous metaplasia are included. Cervical carcinoma in situ accounted for 91.0% of all in situ cancers. In situ cancers made up 78.5% of all cervical cancers, 35.1% of vaginal cancers, and 50.4% of vulvar cancers. Conclusions. There are dominant histologic groups in each female genital tract site that are largely responsible for incidence and survival statistics. Within the groups, however, there are subtypes with differing features. Epidemiologic studies may provide more definite information by considering the effect of these subtypes in examining risk factors.
Call it Swing: A Jazz Blues Autoethnography

This performative autoethnography utilizes jazz swing as a method to further activate the critical processes in qualitative research. In reflecting on my father’s 25 years as a jazz musician, I find his everyday lived methodology of swing provides an opportunity to explore the ways in which family inheritance collides with sociocultural practices of racial inequity and cultural appropriation. Autoethnographically re/inhabiting this space and sound with my father revealed a performative ethos, an empathetic epistemology of critical reflection activated by the transgressive discipline of jazz. Specifically, this performative ethos is applied to issues of racial accountability, embodied theorizing, and the ethical implications of an aesthetic/epistemic praxis in autoethnography. More broadly, I offer performative ethos as critical pedagogy assisting in living a critical life where issues of power and privilege are personally political and are written and rewritten daily with others in hope of utopia.
Path Planning for Aviation Actuators in Deploying Regular Sensor Networks

The topology problem focusing on the coverage of sensor networks has been researched by many workers. These sensors can be dropped randomly using aircraft, or deployed by people who take them by vehicle to be positioned. For places that are hard to reach, deployment of sensors requires the use of manned or unmanned aircraft. Although the scattered sensors can be organized by a network protocol, it is more efficient if sensors are positioned regularly. This paper focuses on a path-planning algorithm that considers the performance of aircraft engines and the shortest time to position a sensor network. We propose a geometry-based path-planning algorithm (GPA) to plan a route that can navigate an aircraft to complete a mission. Simulation results show that the complexity and the memory required for the GPA are less than for the A* algorithm. The GPA can be used in path planning of aircraft to deploy regularly shaped sensor networks.
ERRATUM: NUMBERICAL STUDY OF JASTROW-SLATER TRIAL STATES FOR THE FRACTIONAL QUANTUM HALL EFFECT

We study the recently proposed trial states for the fractional quantum Hall effect, which are constructed by multiplying the wavefunction for filled Landau levels with Jastrow correlation factors. In spite of the essential use of higher Landau levels, we demonstrate the validity of the variational states using Monte Carlo methods by showing that the Jastrow factors ensure (i) these states lie predominantly in the lowest Landau level and (ii) they have very low interaction energies.
A method for determining the internal stress based on zero entropy of activation

Attempts to present an alternative basically different approach for determining internal stress. Points out that this requires that it be possible to approximate the temperature and strain rate dependence of the effective stress by a power law, that the associated experimental data be obtained at temperatures low enough to avoid the effects of dynamic strain aging and that information be available about the temperature dependence of the modulus. Concludes that the simple technique outlined may have some real advantages for determining internal stress and for modeling the flow stress and strain rate sensitivity as a function of temperature and strain rate under certain conditions.
Deposition of barium strontium titanate and strontium titanate via Liquid Source Chemical Vapor Deposition

Abstract Liquid Source Chemical Vapor Deposition (LSCVD) involves the use of sub-saturated aerosols of specially designed metallorganic precursors suitable for multicomponent oxide deposition in vacuum at room temperature. Materials of interest for ULSI DRAMs, such as Ba(1−x)SrxTiO3 and SrTiO3 show uniform deposition with microstructures optimized for step-coverage and small capacitor geometries. Electrical characteristics indicate capacitance densities of around 25–30 fF/um2 and leakages in the order of 10−8 A/um2. A review of these results and the LSCVD technique will be presented.