cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oncolytic Virus Immunotherapy for Melanoma

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer arising from melanocytes and is increasing in incidence. Although complete surgical excision of early stage lesions may be curative, metastatic melanoma continues to be a major therapeutic challenge. Advances in understanding the molecular pathways that promote tumorigenesis and the interactions between melanoma cells and the immune system have resulted in the approval of several newly targeted agents and immunotherapy strategies for the treatment of advanced disease. Oncolytic virus immunotherapy is a new approach that uses native or attenuated live viruses to selectively kill melanoma cells and induce systemic tumor-specific immune responses. A variety of viruses are now in clinical development with the attenuated oncolytic herpesvirus encoding granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor, known as talimogene laherparepvec, recently demonstrating an improvement in durable response rate in patients with advanced melanoma compared with granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor alone. A major advantage of talimogene laherparepvec and related agents is the limited toxicity and ability to use each individual tumor as a source of antigen to generate a highly specific antitumor immune response. These agents are easily administered in the out-patient setting and may be a reasonable option for patients with limited metastatic tumor burden, those with a good performance status and without extensive prior treatment, and in those who cannot tolerate more difficult therapeutic regimens. Further investigation into the impact on overall survival as monotherapy and combination of oncolytic virus immunotherapy with other forms of immunotherapy merit high priority for further clinical application of these novel agents for the treatment of melanoma and perhaps other cancers as well.
Strain heterogeneity in deformed Carrara marble using a microscale strain mapping technique

[1] Using high-resolution surface imaging and a split-cylinder technique, we mapped the strain heterogeneity in Carrara marble samples deformed to bulk strains <25%, under conventional triaxial loading, at 400–700°C, 300 MPa confining pressure, and strain rates of 10−4 to 10−5 s−1. To map strain, we deposited grid markers on the polished surface of a half cylinder, performed mechanical tests on composites of two half cylinders, compared the positions of each marker in undeformed and deformed samples, and computed the spatial distribution of strain. Strains over the scale of a few microns varied by as much as 300%. Localized deformation occurred along twins and grain boundaries but was also present as patches in intragranular regions. The heterogeneity is more pronounced at scales smaller than grains, but the strain averaged over individual grains also varied by 50%. After deformation, the crystallographic orientation of individual grains relative to the compression direction was measured by electron backscattered diffraction. Inverse pole figures of the aggregate lattice-preferred orientation (LPO) have a maximum near e(018) and are consistent with previous studies. The observed LPO is qualitatively consistent with that produced by simulations using a simple viscoplastic self-consistent (VPSC) code that did not include mechanisms other than slip or twinning. The qualitative comparison of observed and simulated LPO was not sensitive to the model for the crystallographic resolved shear stresses for slip. However, the VPSC simulation was ineffective in predicting individual grain rotations.
Semiclosed Transfemoral Iliac Endarterectomy with an Oscillating Ring Stripper

The technique of endarterectomy for the removal of occlusive atherosclerotic lesions of the aorta and iliac arteries has been utilized successfully in the revascularization of ischemic limbs since its introduction in 1951. The oscillating loop endarterectomy device (Amsco-Hall arterial oscillator) has proven to be useful for endarterectomy of segmental occlusive disease as a substitute for bypass with prosthetic graft. For our elderly debilitated patients, we have adopted a new technique of semiclosed transfemoral iliac endarterectomy for management of occlusive external iliac disease with a patent common iliac artery. We report seven patients treated during May 1987 through May 1988 for external iliac artery occlusion by transfemoral oscillating loop endarterectomy. At 12 months for follow-up review, the cumulative limb salvage rate was 80% with no perioperative mortality. One patient required above-knee amputation eight months following endarterectomy to control forefoot sepsis. Two patients required subsequent leg bypass procedures to achieve full healing of foot level amputation. One patient required dilatation of residual stenosis at the iliac bifurcation by percutaneous balloon angioplasty. Semiclosed transfemoral endarterectomy with the Amsco-Hall oscillating loop device remains an attractive option to the vascular surgeon for recanalization of the iliac artery without the need for an extensive retroperitoneal dissection.
Optical power limiting with nonlinear periodic structures.

We present observations of optical power limiting using a thermal nonlinearity in a dye-doped colloidal crystal. The transmission of the crystal is studied as a function of the incident intensity for various dye concentrations, lattice spacings, and wavelengths. We have found that optical limiting occurs when the wavelength of the incident light is tuned to the blue edge of the stop gap of these structures. Limiting intensities near 10 kW/cm2 have been obtained for colloidal solutions with 10−5 M Kiton Red dye. The experimental results are compared with theoretical models of nonlinear distributive-feedback structures in which the nonlinearity is assumed to be thermal.
Effect of practice on the perception of temporal patterns.

The effect of practice on the organization and the rate of identification of temporal patterns was investigated. The patterns involved a set of eight dichotomous left-right elements, repeated without interruption until the subject was able to identify the patterns. The patterns were presented in the auditory, tactual, or visual modalities, or in pairs of these modalities. In some conditions, all the pattern elements were presented in one modality; in other conditions, four elements were presented in one modality and the remaining four elements were presented in the second modality. The results demonstrated that when all pattern elements were presented in one modality, naive subjects organized the sequence into a well-structured pattern; practiced subjects organized the sequence into a pattern beginning at the starting element. These patterns may be poorly-structured. When four pattern elements were presented in each of two modalities, naive subjects organized the elements in each modality separately; prac...
Revealing selection in cancer using the predicted functional impact of cancer mutations. Application to nomination of cancer drivers

Every malignant tumor has a unique spectrum of genomic alterations including numerous protein mutations. There are also hundreds of personal germline variants to be taken into account. The combinatorial diversity of potential cancer-driving events limits the applicability of statistical methods to determine tumor-specific "driver" alterations among an overwhelming majority of "passengers". An alternative approach to determining driver mutations is to assess the functional impact of mutations in a given tumor and predict drivers based on a numerical value of the mutation impact in a particular context of genomic alterations. Recently, we introduced a functional impact score, which assesses the mutation impact by the value of entropic disordering of the evolutionary conservation patterns in proteins. The functional impact score separates disease-associated variants from benign polymorphisms with an accuracy of ~80%. Can the score be used to identify functionally important non-recurrent cancer-driver mutations? Assuming that cancer-drivers are positively selected in tumor evolution, we investigated how the functional impact score correlates with key features of natural selection in cancer, such as the non-uniformity of distribution of mutations, the frequency of affected tumor suppressors and oncogenes, the frequency of concurrent alterations in regions of heterozygous deletions and copy gain; as a control, we used presumably non-selected silent mutations. Using mutations of six cancers studied in TCGA projects, we found that predicted high-scoring functional mutations as well as truncating mutations tend to be evolutionarily selected as compared to low-scoring and silent mutations. This result justifies prediction of mutations-drivers using a shorter list of predicted high-scoring functional mutations, rather than the "long tail" of all mutations.
Leaf-fossil evidence for extensive floral extinction at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, North Dakota, USA

Abstract Forty-seven collections of plant macrofossils (megaflora) from the upper 17 m of the Hell Creek Formation (late Maastrichtian) and the lower 80 m of the Ludlow Member of the Fort Union Formation (Paleocene; Puercan) in south-western North Dakota document floral change across the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary. These collections were made within a detailed stratigraphic framework based on 37 measured sections in eight areas along a 60 km transect and were supplemented with a microstratigraphic palynological analysis of the K-T boundary. The boundary is defined by the extinction of 30% of the late Maastrichtian Wodehouseia spinata Assemblage Zone palynomorphs and occurs within a few meters above or below the Hell Creek-Fort Union formational contact. The boundary is documented palynologically in seven sections and, in one section, coincides with an iridium anomaly and shocked mineral grains. The megaflora of the uppermost 17 m of the Hell Creek Formation (megafloral zone HC III) is a diverse (65 taxa) angiosperm-dominated assemblage that is taxonomically distinct from the megaflora of the lower Hell Creek. The HC III megaflora suffers 80% extinction across the K-T boundary and is replaced by the lower Fort Union megaflora (FU I) which, with 73 taxa, appears more diverse than HC III but has fewer taxa per locality. The Paleocene flora, with abundant aquatic angiosperms and taxodiaceous conifers, reflects the increased abundance of pond and swamp environments. This indicates that some of the floral change near the boundary was due to sedimentological facies change. The number, abruptness and regional extent of extinctions combined with the presence of iridium and shocked minerals at the extinction horizon support an extinction scenario compatible with an extraterrestrial impact. The mechanisms of that extinction, however, remain unclear.
Effects of continuous nursing, length of the nursing period, and rate of milk consumption on the secretion of pregastric esterase by calves.

Summary The effects of continuous nursing, length of the nursing period, and rate of milk consumption on the secretion of pregastric esterase by calves were investigated. When 50 lb. of milk was fed continuously, as ten successive 5-lb. increments, the enzyme content of each increment decreased progressively. The quantity of enzyme secreted into a single 5-lb. unit of milk, however, was increased markedly by increasing the length of the nursing period. Increasing the rate of milk consumption appeared to stimulate the output of pregastric esterase slightly. The samples of sham-fed milk collected in the morning contained more enzyme than did those collected in the afternoon.
Spectrophotometric determination of molybdenum in rocks with thiocyanate

Abstract A rapid procedure for the determination of microgram amounts of molybdenum in rocks is described. After acid decomposition, molybdenum is extracted from a hydrochloric acid solution into xylene with tributyl phosphate. After back-extraction with water, molybdenum is extracted as the α-benzoinoximate into chloroform, stripped into hydrochloric acid extracted as the thiocyanate into amyl alcohol, and determined spectrophotometrically. The molybdenum thiocyanate color produced is stable, sensitive, and reproducible. Results of analyses of several of the U.S. Geological Survey standard rocks are given.
Grand Canyon caves, breccia pipes and mineral deposits

The Redwall Limestone of the Grand Canyon forms a major mineral district, its breccia pipes being host to rich uranium and base-metal deposits. Yet karst processes as a mechanism for preparing host rocks for ore deposition have been little studied.
A DRIFTS Study of Catalyzed Dehydration of Alcohols by Alumina-supported Heteropoly Acid

Selectively catalyzed dehydration of ethanol, 1,2-propylene glycol, and glycerol on supported heteropoly acid (HPA) was studied using transient diffuse reflectance infrared fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). Tungstosilicic acid (H4[SiW12O40] denoted as H4SiW), supported on neutral mesoporous alumina as a catalyst, was studied to investigate the formation of intermediate products and desired dehydration products on the catalyst surface. Both ethylene-containing species and surface-bound carboxyl species were detected for all three alcohols. The formation of ethylene was promoted at lower temperatures while an increased reaction temperature facilitated the formation of acetate products when ethanol was used. When 1,2-propylene glycol was used, surface-bound carboxyl species were found as major intermediate products; these might have formed from propanal produced from the hydration reaction catalyzed by acid sites on HPA. Intermediate species from more complicated reactions were detected on the catalyst surface when glycerol was used, including aldehyde, surface-bound carboxyl species, and alkene species. The results indicated that acid dehydration might be facilitated either by the addition of water or lowering the reaction temperature. The work provides insight into reaction pathways for bio-polyols, and therefore is informative for designing cost-effective and efficient chemical catalysis systems for the conversion of bio-renewables.
Large-scale randomized controlled trial with 4th graders using intelligent tutoring of the structure strategy to improve nonfiction reading comprehension

Reading comprehension is a challenge for K-12 learners and adults. Nonfiction texts, such as expository texts that inform and explain, are particularly challenging and vital for students’ understanding because of their frequent use in formal schooling (e.g., textbooks) as well as everyday life (e.g., newspapers, magazines, and medical information). The structure strategy is explicit instruction about how to strategically use knowledge about text structures for encoding and retrieval of information from nonfiction and has consistently shown significant improvements in reading comprehension. We present the delivery of the structure strategy using a web-based intelligent tutoring system (ITSS) that has the potential to offer consistent modeling, practice tasks, assessment, and feedback to the learner. Finally, we report on statistically significant findings from a large scale randomized controlled efficacy trial with rural and suburban 4th-grade students using ITSS.
Open Minds on Open Borders

This article is a plea, both moral and empirical, for open borders to be put on the agenda of mainstream academic theory. It begins by conceptualizing the liberalization of international labor markets as compensation for those who have not benefitted from the liberalization of capital and commodity markets. To demonstrate that the opportunity costs of maintaining closed borders are unacceptably high, it reports on economic studies suggesting huge gains from relaxing national border controls. The focus then turns to the historical record to argue against the realist notion that closed international borders are inevitable. Flaws are exposed in the logic underlying realist “infeasibility” arguments, as well as in much of the misinformation driving mass opinion against increased immigration into the USA. To explain how such myths are perpetuated by some prominent academic theorists, the focus turns to the “liberal paradox” reinforcing the moral perfectionism by which domestic inequality is condemned, but far greater international inequality is not. The conclusion, inspired by Julien Benda's The Betrayal of the Intellectuals, is that this perfectionism can be avoided by emphasizing intellectual integrity and the courage to follow one's ideas to their full logical consequences.
Automatic error recovery for LR parsers

In this paper we present a scheme for detecting and recovering from syntax errors in programs. The scheme, which is based on LR parsing, is driven by information which is directly and automatically obtainable from the information that is already present in an LR parser. The approach, which is patterned after that of Levy and Graham and Rhodes, appears to provide error recovery which is both simple and powerful.
Effect of statin therapy on disease progression in pediatric ADPKD: design and baseline characteristics of participants.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common genetic kidney condition and is associated with important renal and cardiovascular manifestations in childhood. Renal cystic disease can be documented in some cases as early as in utero. Early intervention is critical if the long-term complications of this condition, including end-stage renal disease, are to be ameliorated. Here we describe our ongoing randomized double-blind placebo-controlled phase III clinical trial to assess the effect of pravastatin treatment on renal and cardiovascular disease progression in 107 children and young adults age 8–22 years with ADPKD who are receiving the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor lisinopril. Baseline demographic and laboratory data are provided. Results of this study could markedly impact the standard of care for evaluation and treatment of ADPKD in this population.
Stimulation by proctolin of the ouabain-insensitive sodium efflux in single barnacle muscle fibers.

Abstract 1. 1. A study has been made of the action of the neuropeptide proctolin on the radiosodium efflux from single barnacle muscle fibers. 2. 2. Proctolin (10−8 M) when applied externally causes stimulation of the Na efflux in unpoisoned and ouabain-poisoned fibers. The response is prompt in onset, reaches a peak in 15 min and decays slowly. 3. 3. The response of the ouabain-insensitive Na efflux to external proctolin is dose-dependent, the concentration threshold being less than 10−10M. 4. 4. The response to proctolin is dependent on external Ca2+ but not on Na+. 5. 5. (i) The response to proctolin is abolished by high external Mg2+, as well as by verapamil, Co2+, Cd2+ and WB-4101. (ii) The response is also abolished by preinjecting 0.5 M MgCl2 or 0.1 M EGTA. 6. 6. The calmodulin antagonists trifluoperazine and imipramine are without effect on the response to proctolin. 7. 7. (i) Adenylate cyclase agonists, e.g. forskolin, fail to augment the response to proctolin. (ii) Prior injection of the phosphodiesterase inhibitors 1-propyl-3-methyl-7-(5-hydroxyhexyl)-xanthine (PMX) or 1-isoamyl-3-isobutylxanthine (IAX) fails to augment the response to proctolin. (iii) Prior injection of protein kinase inhibitor is ineffective. 8. 8. The response to proctolin is significantly reduced in the presence of tyramine. 9. 9. Taken together, these results support the view that proctolin stimulates the ouabain-insensitive Na efflux by activating Ca2+ channels and that the cAMP-protein kinase system is not involved in this response.
Kinetically caused saturation in the deposition of cells—effects of saturation at the secondary minimum and of excluded area

Abstract The deposition of cells from a stagnant solution onto a flat horizontal surface reaches saturation. Here it is shown that this saturation is due to a kinetic self-retarding effect caused (i) by the constraint that the number of cells available for the motion over the potential barrier is at most equal to monolayer coverage, and (ii) by the excluded area effect of the already deposited cells. Hence, the saturation is not necessarily a thermodynamic equilibrium phenomenon, but can have a kinetic origin.
Building messaging substrates for Web and Grid applications.

Grid application frameworks have increasingly aligned themselves with the developments in Web services. Web services are currently the most popular infrastructure based on service-oriented architecture (SOA) paradigm. There are three core areas within the SOA framework: (i) a set of capabilities that are remotely accessible, (ii) communications using messages and (iii) metadata pertaining to the aforementioned capabilities. In this paper, we focus on issues related to the messaging substrate hosting these services; we base these discussions on the NaradaBrokering system. We outline strategies to leverage capabilities available within the substrate without the need to make any changes to the service implementations themselves. We also identify the set of services needed to build Grids of Grids. Finally, we discuss another technology, HPSearch, which facilitates the administration of the substrate and the deployment of applications via a scripting interface. These issues have direct relevance to scientific Grid applications, which need to go beyond remote procedure calls in client-server interactions to support integrated distributed applications that couple databases, high performance computing codes and visualization codes.
Expression and characterization of an ice binding protein from a bacterium isolated at a depth of 3,519 meters in the Vostok ice core, Antarctica

Cryopreservation of microorganisms in ancient glacial ice is possible if lethal levels of macromolecular damage are not incurred and cellular integrity is not compromised via intracellular ice formation or recrystallization. Previously, a bacterium (isolate 3519-10) recovered from a depth of 3,519 meters below the surface in the Vostok ice core was shown to secrete an IBP that inhibits the recrystallization of ice. To explore the advantage that IBPs confer to ice-entrapped cells, experiments were designed to examine the expression of 3519-10’s IBP gene and protein at different temperatures, assess the effect of the IBP on bacterial viability in ice, and determine how the IBP influences the physical structure of the ice. Total RNA isolated from cultures grown between 4 to 25⁰C and analyzed by reverse transcription-PCR indicated constitutive expression of the IBP gene. SDS-PAGE analysis of 3519-10’s extracellular proteins also revealed a polypeptide of the predicted size of the 54 kDa IBP at all temperatures tested. In the presence of 100 µg mL-1 of extracellular protein from 3519-10, the survival of Escherichia coli was increased by greater than 34-fold after freeze-thaw cycling. Microscopic analysis of ice formed in the presence of the IBP indicated that per mm2 field of view, there were ~5 times as many crystals as in ice formed in the presence of washed 3519-10 cells and non-IBP producing bacteria, and ~10 times as many crystals as in filtered deionized water. Presumably, the effect that the IBP has on bacterial viability and ice crystal structure is due to its activity as an inhibitor of ice recrystallization. A myriad of molecular adaptations are likely to play a role in bacterial persistence under frozen conditions, but the ability of 3519-10’s IBP to control ice crystal structure, and thus the liquid vein network within the ice, may provide one explanation for its successful survival deep within the Antarctic ice sheet for thousands of years.
Using the Bully Pulpit: The Hidden Violence of Bullying in Our Schools

AbstractIn the aftermath of school shootings, there is little hesitancy about including religious communities in the work of counseling, memorializing, sharing assembly space, and so on. The author argues that this instinct reveals anthropological and sociological insights that could help the religious community to find a public voice in response not only to “manifest violence” but also to “hidden violence,” the paradigmatic case of which is bullying in the schools. The author challenges religious leaders to be more involved in antibullying efforts and makes suggestions for action as part of a whole-community response to the violence.
Activation energies of charge transport in doubly-doped polymers : polarons and disorder

Abstract We have measured the thermal activation energies of charge carrier mobilities in polycarbonate doped with two similar hydrazone transport molecules. The results are consistent with polaron formation contributing a major fraction of the activation energy. The observations cannot be reconciled with the simple application of a model based on site energy disorder, although some type of disorder is necessary to account for the observed dispersive behavior and the anomalous broadening of the transients.
Occurrence of Acute Pulmonary Edema in Experimental Alkalosis

Summary1. Venoclysis of solutions of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate in quantities sufficient to produce a severe alkalosis and tetany produced acute pulmonary edema in most cats. 2. This lung edema was not inhibited by artificial respiration nor by pretreatment with dibenamine. 3. The edema fluid contained very small concentrations of proteins, ranging from 0.8% to 1.4%. In two animals that had been pretreated with dibenamine the total protein approached 5%. 4. Severe hypocalcemic tetany produced by venoclysis of a phosphate buffer and citrate solution did not result in lung edema.
A Paradox Database for GC/MS Data on Components of Essential Oils and Other Volatiles

ABSTRACT An IBM-PC based database has been developed for Kovats indices and major ion fragments in mass spectrometry for essential oil components and other volatiles.
The emerging field of emotion regulation: An integrative review.

The emerging field of emotion regulation studies how individuals influence which emotions they have, when they have them, and how they experience and express them. This review takes an evolutionary perspective and characterizes emotion in terms of response tendencies. Emotion regulation is denned and distinguished from coping, mood regulation, defense, and affect regulation. In the increasingly specialized discipline of psychology, the field of emotion regulation cuts across traditional boundaries and provides common ground. According to a process model of emotion regulation, emotion may be regulated at five points in the emotion generative process: (a) selection of the situation, (b) modification of the situation, (c) deployment of attention, (d) change of cognitions, and (e) modulation of responses. The field of emotion regulation promises new insights into age-old questions about how people manage their emotions.
Formation of heterodimers between wild type and mutant trp aporepressor polypeptides of Escherichia coli.

Availability of the three-dimen- sional structure of the trp repressor of Escherichia coli and a large group of repressor mutants has per- mitted the identification and analysis of mutants with substitutions of the amino acid residues that form the tryptophan binding pocket. Mutant apore- pressors selected for study were overproduced using a multicopy expression plasmid. Equilibrium di- alysis with ''C-tryptophan and purified mutant and wild type aporepressors was employed to determine tryptophan binding constants. The results obtained indicate that replacement of threonine 44 by methi- onine (TM44) or arginine 84 by histidine (RH84) low- ers the affinity for tryptophan approximately two- and four-fold, respectively. Replacement of arginine 54 by histidine (RH84) or glycine 85 by arginine (GR85) results in complete loss of tryptophan bind- ing activity. Purified mutant and wild type apore- pressors were used in in vitro heterodimer studies. The trp repressor of E. coli functions as a stable dimer. A large number of trp repressor mutants pro- duces defective repressors that are transdominant to the wild type repressor in vivo. The transdominance presumably results from the formation of inactive or slightly active heterodimers between the mutant and wild type polypeptide subunits. An in vitro assay was developed to detect and measure heterodimer for- mation. Heterodimer formation was thermally in- duced, and heterodimers were separated on nondenaturing polyacrylamide gels. Aporepressors readily formed heterodimers upon treatment at 65°C for 3 minutes. Heterodimer formation was signifi- cantly retarded by the presence of the corepressor, L-tryptophan. Indole-3-propionic acid, 5-methyl tryptophan, and other analogs of tryptophan, as well as indole, also inhibited heterodimer formation. These results indicate that the presence of the indole moiety in the corepressor binding pocket increases the stability of the dimer.
Glucose Promotes the Production of Interleukine-1β and Cyclooxygenase-2 in Mesangial Cells via Enhanced (Pro)Renin Receptor Expression

(Pro)renin receptor (PRR) is present in renal glomeruli, and its expression is up-regulated in diabetes. Similarly, renal inflammation is increased in the presence of hyperglycemia. The linkage between PRR and renal inflammation is not well established. We hypothesized that glucose-induced up-regulation of PRR leads to increased production of the proinflammatory factors IL-1beta and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Studies were conducted in rat mesangial cells (RMCs) exposed to 30 mm D-glucose for 2 wk followed by PRR small interfering RNA knockdown, IL-1 receptor blockade with IL-1 receptor antagonist or angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockade with valsartan. The results showed that D-glucose treatment up-regulates prorenin, renin, angiotensin II, PRR, IL-1beta, and COX-2 mRNA and protein expression and increases phosphorylation of ERK1/2, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, c-Jun, and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) p65 (serine 276,468 and 536), respectively. PRR small interfering RNA attenuated PRR, IL-1beta, and COX-2 mRNA and protein expressions and significantly decreased angiotensin II production and phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and NF-kappaB p65 associated with high glucose exposure. Similarly, IL-1 receptor antagonist significantly reduced COX-2 mRNA and protein expression induced by high glucose. COX-2 inhibition reduced high-glucose-induced PRR expression. We conclude that glucose induces the up-regulation of PRR and its ligands prorenin and renin, leading to increased IL-1beta and COX-2 production via the angiotensin II-dependent pathway. It is also possible that PRR could enhance the production of these inflammatory cytokines through direct stimulation of ERK1/2-NF-kappaB signaling cascade.
Sequence dependence in base flipping: experimental and computational studies

Base flipping is the movement of a DNA base from an intrahelical, base-stacked position to an extrahelical, solvent-exposed position. As there are favorable interactions for an intrahelical base, both hydrogen bonding and base stacking, base flipping is expected to be energetically prohibitive for an undamaged DNA duplex. For damaged DNA bases, however, the energetic cost of base flipping may be considerably lower. Using a selective, non-covalent assay for base flipping, the sequence dependence of base flipping in DNA sequences containing an abasic site has been studied. The dissociation constants of the zinc–cyclen complex to small molecules and single strands of DNA as well as the equilibrium constants for base flipping have been determined for these sequences. Molecular dynamics simulations of the zinc-cyclen complex bound to both single- and double-stranded DNA have been performed in an attempt to rationalize the differences in the dissociation constants obtained for the two systems. The results are compared to previous studies of base flipping in DNA containing an abasic site.
Ferruginization and Phosphatization of Foraminifera in Pleistocene/Holocene Sands on Mid-Atlantic Continental Shelf: ABSTRACT

Pleistocene/Holocene sands up to several meters thick, which contain 5% to 40% phosphate grains, occur on the continental shelf of Onslow Bay, North Carolina. Altered foraminiferal specimens, 98% of which belong to the genus Quinqueloculina, exhibit gradational surface discoloration (white to dark yellow-brown) that progresses from late to early-formed chambers. The percentage of extensively altered specimens varies directly with phosphate concentration in the sand fraction. Microprobe analyses of polished sections from completely discolored specimens indicate that alteration involves a decrease in %CaO and concomitant enrichment in %FeO and %P2O5. Degree of alteration diminishes from the outside to the inside of exterior-facing chamber walls (mean v lues are: 70 to 78 to 82% CaO; 18 to 11 to 7% FeO; 0.8 to 0.5 to 0.4% P2O5). Interior chamber walls are less altered (mean values are: 84% CaO, 6% FeO, 0.3% P2O5). On a CaO-FeO-P2O5 diagram the compositional changes through successive chambers of a single specimen parallel those from unaltered through altered specimens. The chemical compositions of completely discolored specimens fall on a proposed alteration trend between unaltered calcareous specimens and chamber fillings. Chamber fillings contain 0.9% CaO, 49% FeO, 12% MgO, and 1.6% P2O5; they are generally black. Relative concentrations of CaO-FeO-MgO plot within the compositional range of siderite and magnesite. Constant MgO values (7.5%) in alte ed foraminiferal tests demonstrate that initial diagenesis involves conversion to high-magnesium calcite. Subsequent alteration is largely ferruginization and minor phophatization of the test and the diagenetic materials forming within the chambers. End_of_Article - Last_Page 521------------
Enterprise integration of product development data: systems science in action

The work program of complexity (WPOC), stemming from systems science, was applied by a large cross-functional team of Ford engineers and system developers in the mid-1990s as an enabler to create an enterprise-wide information system known as the C3P system. This brief descriptor refers to a CAD/CAE/CAM/PIMS system, applied to design, engineer, and manufacture automobiles; and further to provide product information across and beyond the entire enterprise, extending into the supplier and customer base. The design foundation of the C3P system retains its utility today. The only system changes have arisen from technological upgrades which are independent of the original design strategy.
A Coordinating Control Strategy for Autothermal Fuel Reforming Systems

In this paper, a control-oriented nonlinear model is developed for an autothermal reformer-based fuel process system. By trajectory planning for one of the system states, a coordinating control algorithm is proposed for the three input flow rates to track/regulate the temperature and hydrogen production of the autothermal reformer. Stability analysis is provided to show a local uniformly ultimately bounded tracking result. Simulation results illustrate the performance of the proposed control algorithm.
Assessing the value of the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) in Everglades restoration: An ecosystem service approach

This study identifies a full range of ecosystem services that could be affected by a restoration project in the central Everglades and monetizes the economic value of a subset of these services using existing data. Findings suggest that the project will potentially increase many ecosystem services that have considerable economic value to society. The ecosystem services monetized within the scope of this study are a subset of the difference between the future-with the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) and the future-without CEPP, and they totaled ~$1.8 billion USD at a 2.5% discount rate. Findings suggest that the use of ecosystem services in project planning and communications may require acknowledgment of the difficulty of monetizing important services and the limitations associated with using only existing data and models. Results of this study highlight the need for additional valuation efforts in this region, focused on those services that are likely to be impacted by restoration activities but were notably challenging to value in this assessment due to shortages of data.
Changes in organic carbon stable isotope ratios across the K/T boundary: global or local control?

Meyers, P.A., 1992. Changes in organic carbon stable isotope ratios across the K/T boundary: global or local control? In: S.A. Macko and M.H. Engel (Guest-Editors), Isotope Fractionations in Organic Matter: Biosynthetic and Diagenetic Processes. Chem. Geol. (Isot. Geosci. Sect. ), l 01: 283-29 I. A global shift in carbonate carbon j~3C-values from heavier values in the Maastrichtian to lighter values in the early Danian indicates recycling of isotopically light organic carbon to inorganic carbon reservoirs during a period of depressed marine productivity. Comparison of organic carbon t~3C-values from globally dispersed K/T sections does not show a similar, globally well-developed pattern. Several factors evidently overwhelm the potential impact of an isctopically lighter inorganic carbon source on organic matter isotopic signatures: ( 1 ) species changes in biological assemblages may modify the averaged isotopic fractionation of organic matter; and (2) shifts in the proportion of land/marine organic matter contributions to coastal marine locations may overprint the isotopic record. Local phenomena evidently outweigh global change in determining the isotope signature of organic carbon deposited in K/T boundary sections.
Detection and Isolation of Epichloë Species, Fungal Endophytes of Grasses

Epichloe species (including former Neotyphodium species) are endophytic fungi that significantly affect fitness of cool-season grass hosts, potentially by increasing nutrient uptake and resistance to drought, parasitism and herbivory. Epichloe species are obligately biotrophic, living in the intercellular spaces of their plant hosts, and spreading systemically throughout host aerial tissues. The reproduction of Epichloe species is versatile; some strains have both sexual and asexual modes of reproduction, but others are restricted to one or the other mode. The reproduction mode determines the dissemination mechanism, and the asexual species most important to agriculture are strictly seed-borne, cause no signs or symptoms, and are undetectable except by specialized microscopic, molecular or antigenic procedures. These procedures can be used to identify endophytes in a variety of plant tissues. Similar protocols can be modified to detect less common symbionts, such as the penicillate "p-endophytes," when they occur by themselves or together with Epichloe species.
Vision based Injector Spray pattern Testing system

In a diesel engine any malfunction of the injector degrades engine performance. Currently, the testing of injectors is done using Volumetric Testing, Illuminated spray test tube with high intensity LED or ITU-101 Common rail tester. The current methods require experienced and skilled personnel and are manual in nature. In this research, a novel computer vision based Injector Spray pattern Testing (VIST) system is designed to automate the testing of the diesel spray pattern using images acquired using a CCD camera. The macroscopic and microscopic features of the images are extracted, and analyzed for testing the reliability of the diesel injector. An interactive user interface is developed to display the results. As compared to the manual volumetric testing, the VIST system is more accurate because it uses individual plume features to distinguish between good and defective injector.
Water Vapor Sorption of Package Sealants

A unique system, designed for simultaneously measuring mass change and residual gases of samples loaded from a controlled environment, was used in conducting outgassing and water vapor adsorption-desorption experiments on sealing glasses. Owens-Illinois XS-1175, a vitreous sealing glass, was glazed in vacuum, air, nitrogen and oxygen and Owens-Illinois CV-ll, a devitrifying sealing glass, was glazed in vacuum. The outgassing products for both glasses during glazing were primarily water vapor and carbon dioxide. After glazing, the glasses were exposed to 1.33 kPa (13,150 ppmv) of water vapor for 1 h at 25°C to measure the amount of water sorbed. The mass gains due to water uptake of XS-1175 glazed in vacuum, air and nitrogen were similar, ranging from 0.0044 to 0.0058% by sample weight. On the other hand, the mass gain due to water sorption of the sample glazed in oxygen was significantly less, 0.0005%. Scanning electron micrographs of the vacuum and oxygen glazed samples showed that the glass glazed in vacuum was very porous, appearing sponge-like in nature, while the oxygen glazed glass had a much less porous surface. In addition, during a water vapor exposure the mass gain of CV-ll, a devitrifying glass, was about 5 times greater compared with XS-1175, a vitreous glass glazed under similar conditions. Commercially glazed XS-1175 and KC-1 black ceramic lids were heated to 4300C to measure mass changes and outgassing products during sealing. Initially, water vapor and carbon dioxide were the major volatile components outgassed.
Distribution of thrombospondin-4 in the bovine eye.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to analyze the distribution of thrombospondin-4 (TSP-4) in the bovine eye. Methods. Anterior and posterior segments of the bovine eyes were sectioned and stained by the indirect immunofluorescence method with an anti-TSP-4 antibody. The tissues were analyzed by reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to determine where the TSP-4 mRNA is produced. Results. Immunohistochemical staining for TSP-4 indicated the presence of TSP-4 in the cornea (epithelium, basement membrane, and keratocytes), conjunctiva (epithelium and stroma), aqueous ducts, sclera, iris (stroma), ciliary processes and muscle, trabecular meshwork, Bruch’s membrane, retina, lamina cribrosa, and optic nerve, and in all blood vessel walls. TSP-4 mRNA was expressed by the cells in all structures. Conclusions. TSP-4 is widely distributed in the bovine eye where it may play a role in the functions of basement membranes in various tissues. It is abundant in the trabecular and uveo-scleral path...
Establishing neuroblast-specific gene expression in the Drosophila CNS: huckebein is activated by Wingless and Hedgehog and repressed by Engrailed and Gooseberry

The Drosophila ventral neuroectoderm produces a stereotyped array of central nervous system precursors, called neuroblasts. Each neuroblast has a unique identity based on its position, pattern of gene expression and cell lineage. To understand how neuronal diversity is generated, we need to learn how neuroblast-specific gene expression is established, and how these genes control cell fate within neuroblast lineages. Here we address the first question: how is neuroblast-specific gene expression established? We focus on the huckebein gene, because it is expressed in a subset of neuroblasts and is required for aspects of neuronal and glial determination. We show that Huckebein is a nuclear protein first detected in small clusters of neuroectodermal cells and then in a subset of neuroblasts. The secreted Wingless and Hedgehog proteins activate huckebein expression in distinct but overlapping clusters of neuroectodermal cells and neuroblasts, whereas the nuclear Engrailed and Gooseberry proteins repress huckebein expression in specific regions of neuroectoderm or neuroblasts. Integration of these activation and repression inputs is required to establish the precise neuroectodermal pattern of huckebein, which is subsequently required for the development of specific neuroblast cell lineages.
Modest actomyosin energy conservation increases myocardial postischemic function.

We have proposed that pharmacological preconditioning, leading to PKC-e activation, in hearts improves postischemic functional recovery through a decrease in actomyosin ATPase activity and subseque...
The MaSSIVE project at NCAR

The Mass Storage System IV Enterprise (MaSSIVE), a fourth-generation mass-storage system being designed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), is described. A bitfile managed by MaSSIVE can be a complete, self-contained UNIX file system, specific to a particular MaSSIVE client. MaSSIVE will stage whole file systems from archival storage onto on-line storage devices and then provide its clients with raw block access to the staged file system. It will consist of cooperating processes distributed across a network of supermicrocomputers. The client interface to a file system will be implemented through a device driver that will permit access to MaSSIVE on-line storage devices. The device interface through a high-bandwidth data fabric to the storage device will use common device controller-specific protocols. As file systems are unmounted by clients or clients disconnect from the data fabric, the file systems may be migrated back to archive storage and removed from on-line storage. >
Numerical analysis of mutual coupling effects in linear and circular arrays

Mutual coupling between elements in an array results in mismatch of individual elements to their feed and the distortion of the radiation pattern of the array. A quantitative analysis of the mutual coupling problem arising in arrays consisting of parallel dipoles with different spacing and diameters is presented. The numerical technique adopted in this analysis is the piecewise sinusoidal Galerkin method. Some numerical results of the mutual coupling effects in linear and circular arrays are presented. These results include variations of the input impedance due to the mutual coupling and variations of the input current due to the mutual coupling. >
Reconfigurable logic control using modular FSMs: Design, verification, implementation, and integrated error handling

This paper describes the design and implementation of logic controllers on a small-scale machining line testbed using modular finite state machines. The logic is verified to be internally correct before being implemented on the testbed. Reconfiguration of the controller for a new manufacturing scenario is demonstrated, as is the integration of error handling. The ease of use of this modular finite state machine design methodology is discussed, as is the complexity of the resulting designs. Algorithms are presented for design, reconfiguration, and error handling integration.