cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Immunocytochemical mapping and quantification of expression of a putative type 1 serotonin receptor in the crayfish nervous system.

Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter that is involved in modulation of sensory, motor, and higher functions in many species. In the crayfish, which has been developed as a model for nervous system function for over a century, serotonin modulates several identified circuits. Although the cellular and circuit effects of serotonin have been extensively studied, little is known about the receptors that mediate these signals. Physiological data indicate that identified crustacean cells and circuits are modulated via several different serotonin receptors. We describe the detailed immunocytochemical localization of the crustacean type 1 serotonin receptor, 5-HT1crust, throughout the crayfish nerve cord and on abdominal superficial flexor muscles. 5-HT1crust is widely distributed in somata, including those of several identified neurons, and neuropil, suggesting both synaptic and neurohormonal roles. Individual animals show very different levels of 5-HT1crust immunoreactivity (5-HT1crustir) ranging from preparations with hundreds of labeled cells per ganglion to some containing only a handful of 5-HT1crustir cells in the entire nerve cord. The interanimal variability in 5-HT1crustir is great, but individual nerve cords show a consistent level of labeling between ganglia. Quantitative RT-PCR shows that 5-HT1crust mRNA levels between animals are also variable but do not directly correlate with 5-HT1crustir levels. Although there is no correlation of 5-HT1crust expression with gender, social status, molting or feeding, dominant animals show significantly greater variability than subordinates. Functional analysis of 5-HT1crust in combination with this immunocytochemical map will aid further understanding of this receptor's role in the actions of serotonin on identified circuits and cells. J. Comp. Neurol. 484:261–282, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Detection of electron and hole traps in CdZnTe radiation detectors by thermoelectric emission spectroscopy and thermally stimulated conductivity

The electrical properties of CdZnTe radiation detectors are largely determined by electron and hole traps in this material. The traps, in addition to degrading the detector performance, can function as dopants and determine the resistivity of the material. Thermoelectric emission spectroscopy and thermally stimulated conductivity are used to detect these traps in a commercially available spectrometer-grade CdZnTe detector, and the electrical resistivity is measured as a function of temperature. A deep electron trap having an energy of 695 meV and cross section of 8 x 10{sup {minus}16}cm{sup 2} is detected and three hole traps having energies of 70 {+-} 20 meV, 105 {+-} 30 meV and 694 {+-} 162 meV are detected. A simple model based on these traps explains quantitatively all the data, including the electrical properties at room temperature and also their temperature dependence.
Photoelectron–photofragment coincidence studies of the dissociative photodetachment of O4−

Abstract The dissociative photodetachment dynamics of O4− (O4−+hν → O2+O2+e−) have been studied at 532, 355, and 266 nm by triple-coincidence measurements of the energy and angular distributions of the photoelectron and photofragments. The data reveal vibrationally resolved product translational energy distributions and a strong angular correlation between the photoelectron and the photofragments for this direct process. The translational energy distributions show that photodetachment of O4− over this photon energy range occurs to several low-lying repulsive states of O4, producing O2 in the ground and low-lying electronically excited states ( O 2 ( X 3 Σ − g ) , O 2 ( a 1 Δ g ) , and O 2 ( b 1 Σ + g ) ). The partitioning of energy into vibration and rotation of the O2 products is analyzed in terms of a Franck–Condon model, indicating that the excess electron in O4− is delocalized over two identical O2 moieties in a symmetric O4− species. A qualitative analysis of the product angular distributions in terms of the electronic structure of O4− is consistent with recent ab initio calculations.
(γ, 2n), (γ, αn) and (γ, α2n) reactions on 63Cu and the decay of 58Co

Abstract The photonuclear yield of the 63Cu(γ, αn)58Co and the 63Cu(γ, α2n)57Co reactions relative to the yield of the 63Cu(γ, 2n)61Cu reaction has been measured with thick target bremsstrahlung at end-point energies of 30, 40 and 50 MeV. The 57Co and 58Co were identified by carrier chemistry separation and by gamma-ray energy and half-life measurements. The possibility of competing reactions which could also produce 57Co or 58Co is discussed. The energy and relative intensity of the gamma rays emitted in the decay of 58Co were measured as 811.07±0.2 keV (1000), 863.83±0.5 keV (8.1±0.3) and 1673.1±2 keV (5.7±0.3). The branching ratio obtained for the 1674.8 keV state in 58Fe is (58.7±1.6) % for the 2+ → 2+ transition. The results are compared with previous measurements for the decay of 58Co.
A numerical investigation of porous titanium as orthopedic implant material

Abstract Porous titanium is being developed as an alternative orthopedic implant material to alleviate the inherent problems of bulk metallic implants by reducing the stiffness to be comparable to bone stiffness and allowing complete bone ingrowth. However, a porous microstructure is susceptible to local permanent plastic strain and residual stress under cyclic loading which reduces damage tolerance and therefore limits their application as orthopedic implants. The mechanical properties of porous titanium are governed by the microstructural configurations such as pore morphology, porosity, and bone ingrowth. To understand the influence of these features on performance, the macroscopic and microscopic responses of porous Ti are studied using three-dimensional finite element models. The models are generated based on simulated microstructures of experimental materials at porosities of 15%, 32% and 50%. The results show the effect of porosity and bone ingrowth on Young’s modulus, yield stress, and microscopic stress and strain distribution. Importantly, simulations predict that the bone ingrowth reduces the stress and strain localization under cyclic loading so significantly that it counteracts the concentration condition caused by the increased porosity of the structure.
Child prodigy: A novel cognitive profile places elevated general intelligence, exceptional working memory and attention to detail at the root of prodigiousness

Abstract Child prodigies are unusual for their early and exceptional adoption of what are traditionally thought of as adult abilities. As part of an effort to better understand the underpinnings of these extraordinary individuals' talent, the researcher examined the cognitive and developmental profiles of eight child prodigies by taking their developmental histories and administering the Stanford-Binet 5th ed. full scale intelligence test and the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). The collected data reveals a startling picture. While each of the prodigies demonstrated an at least moderately elevated level of intelligence, the prodigies' full scale IQ scores were not consistently on the extreme end of the spectrum. What was consistently extraordinary, however, was the child prodigies' working memory scores—a category in which every prodigy tested in the 99th percentile. Additional results suggest a previously unknown connection between child prodigies and autism. The prodigies' family histories yielded an unlikely number of autistic relatives. And the child prodigies received elevated AQ scores with respect to attention to detail, a trait associated with autism. The prodigies did not, however, display many of the other traits typically associated with autism. This result raises the possibility of a moderated autism that actually enables the prodigies' extraordinary talent.
Effect of Sodium Aluminosilicate on Phosphorus Utilization by Chicks and Laying Hens

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of sodium aluminosilicate (SAS) on performance of chicks and laying hens fed diets varying in nonphytate P (NPP), phytate, and fiber content. In two chick growth experiments a corn and soybean meal diet and a phytate and fiber-free casein-dextrose diet were used. These diets contained .1% NPP and 1.1% Ca and were fortified with 0, .05, or .10% P from KH2PO4 and 0 or .5% SAS. A 3 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments was used. Sodium aluminosilicate supplementation significantly (P less than .05) depressed growth of chicks fed the corn and soybean meal diets containing 0 or .05% supplemental AP. Sodium aluminosilicate addition decreased (P less than .05) tibia ash and total tibia P (tibia weight x P concentration) in both chick experiments, with the effect being greater for chicks fed the corn and soybean meal diet. In the laying hen experiment, birds were fed corn and soybean meal diets containing NPP levels of .1, .45, or 1.8% and SAS levels of 0 or 1.0%. Egg production and egg yield were depressed (P less than .05) by feeding diets containing .1 or 1.8% NPP, and egg specific gravity was decreased (P less than .05) by feeding 1.8% NPP. Addition of SAS to the .1% NPP diet caused a large reduction (P less than .05) in egg production, egg weight, and feed efficiency, whereas SAS supplementation of the 1.8% NPP diet had no significant effect. Sodium aluminosilicate supplementation increased (P less than .05) egg specific gravity for hens fed the .1 and 1.8% NPP diets.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
High Tc superconductors for SQUID detection coils

Abstract The utility of high T c detector coils on low T c SQUID systems has been investigated. Calculations of the effects of flux creep in a typical high T c coil suggest that such coils operating at 77 K will introduce enough noise into a SQUID detector system to cause problems with the most demanding applications (e.g. magnetoencephalography). Operation below 65 K in a magnetically shielded room, or 45 K in the Earth's field, would eliminate the problem. Experimental data suggest the problem is not quite so bad as has been calculated and that the limiting temperatures for biological applications are 80 and 55 K, respectively. Less demanding applications, such as geophysics, could operate with detection coils up to 80 K without noise problems.
Inhibition of T cell activation through interruption of adaptor protein associations

Abstract Background: Crucial for the integration of biochemical signals in multiple hematopoietic lineages, adaptor molecules seem a logical therapeutic target. SLP-76 is an adaptor that links proximal and distal T cell receptor (TCR) signaling events through its function as a molecular scaffold in the assembly of multi-molecular signaling clusters. Previously, we have provided data that supports a model in which Gads, a Grb2 family member constitutively bound to SLP-76, is recruited to the cell membrane through inducible association with the adaptor LAT following TCR engagement. This shuttles SLP-76 and its inducible binding partners to the immune synapse allowing for signaling complex assembly with subsequent activation of second messenger pathways. We propose that through specific interruption of the SLP-76/Gads association it may be possible to attenuate T cell responsiveness while preserving other essential SLP-76 functions. Methods: SLP-76−/− Jurkat T cells were reconstituted with GFP-tagged SLP-76 plus either a dominant negative Gads binding fragment (GBF), a cDNA encoding the Gads binding domain of SLP-76 amino-terminally tagged with the fluorescent molecule DSRed2, or DSRed2 alone. SLP-76 recruitment following TCR engagement was visualized using live confocal microscopy. We measured calcium flux, CD69 upregulation, and activation of NF-AT to assess function of the reconstituted Jurkat cells. Results: Cells expressing GFP/SLP-76 and DSRed2 demonstrated initial clustering of SLP-76 at the periphery of the T cell as it contacted a stimulatory surface with subsequent movement to the central point of contact. In those cells expressing the GFP/SLP-76 and DSRed2/GBF fusion proteins, no clustering of SLP-76 was observed. In the absence of SLP-76 recruitment, in cells expressing GFP/SLP-76 and the DSRed2/GBF, we found a marked decrease in Ca2+ mobilization, upregulation of CD69, and activation of NF-AT following TCR stimulation relative to those coexpressing GFP/SLP-76 and DSRed2. Conclusions: Here we show that interruption of the SLP-76/Gads association results in attenuation of T cell responsiveness and suggest this may provide a novel strategy for immune modulation in the settings of alloreactivity and autoimmunity.
Insulin-Like Growth Factor Improves Renal Architecture of Fetal Kidneys with Complete Ureteral Obstruction

Others have previously demonstrated that the administration of insulin-like growth factor-I accelerates recovery from ischemic acute tubular necrosis in the rat kidney. We investigated the effect of insulin-like growth factor-I on the histology of unilaterally obstructed kidneys in the pouch young of the North American opossum, Didelphis virginiana. In this model complete unilateral ureteral obstruction reliably induces statistically significant degrees of caliceal dilatation, tubular cystic change, and cortical and medullary fibrosis in kidneys examined 1 week after the creation of complete obstruction. Cortical and medullary inflammation is also increased after 1 week of obstruction in this model but not to a degree that is statistically different than control (sham operated) animals. We administered insulin-like growth factor-I to opossum pups with complete unilateral obstruction created at a length of 5 cm. (age 25 days, human equivalent 18 to 20 weeks). Insulin-like growth factor-I (400 mcg./kg.) was injected subcutaneously on the day of operation and again on days 2 and 4 postoperatively. The animals were sacrificed 1 week after obstruction and the formalin fixed, paraffin embedded kidneys were assessed histologically. In the obstructed kidney insulin-like growth factor-I ameliorated the development of fibrosis (cortical and medullary) and caliceal dilatation such that these characteristics did not differ significantly from those of sham operated animals. Tubular cystic change in the obstructed kidneys was also decreased by insulin-like growth factor-I administration but not to significant levels. Insulin-like growth factor-I treatment in obstructed animals resulted in significantly more inflammation (cortical and medullary) than in the sham operated animals. We also administered insulin-like growth factor-I to normal pups with no other intervention. These insulin-like growth factor-I treated pups did not differ from sham pups for any characteristic studied. Our study suggests that there is a protective effect of insulin-like growth factor-I on renal architecture when administered in the setting of experimental fetal ureteral obstruction.
A feedforward system for dynamic equalization of a chirped laser source suitable For photonic analog-to-digital conversion

In this work we present a method for improving the uniformity of the optical spectrum or the temporal intensity profile of a quasi-CW, linearly chirped laser source covering the time interval between subsequent pulses. A novel laser cavity design, referred to as the Theta (Θ) cavity, provides linearly chirped pulses directly from the laser oscillator that having non-uniform optical spectrum, that is mapped into the temporal intensity profile of the pulse, due to the frequency-to-time mapping nature of this cavity design. The system developed in this work has been designed to improve the spectral and temporal intensity profile of lasers for photonic signal processing. A fiberized feed-forward system is implemented to reduce variations in the temporal intensity profile, or the optical spectrum due to the time-to-frequency mapping, input to the system. In the feedforward scheme presented, the quasi-CW pulse train generated from the laser is split and part of it is photodetected, while the electrical signal generated alters the transmittance of the second part of the input as it goes through an amplitude modulator, resulting in increase in the uniformity of the signal. The contrast of the optical spectrum of a chirped pulse at input to the system is improved from 51% to 16%, or 3.1 times.
Responses of native and non-native Mojave Desert winter annuals to soil disturbance and water additions

Habitat modification (i.e., disturbance) and resource availability have been identified as possible mechanisms that may influence the invasibility of plant communities. In the Mojave Desert, habitat disturbance has increased dramatically over the last 50 years due to increased human activities. Additionally, water availability is considered to be a main limiting resource for plant production. To elucidate the effects of soil disturbance and water availability on plant invasions, we created experimental patches where we varied the levels of soil disturbance and water availability in a fully crossed factorial experiment at five replicated field sites, and documented responses of native and non-native winter annuals. The treatments did not significantly affect the density (seedlings m−2) of the non-native forb, Brassica tournefortii. However, the relationship between silique production and plant height differed among treatments, with greater silique production in disturbed plots. In contrast to Brassica, density of the non-native Schismus spp. increased in soil disturbed and watered plots, and was greatest in disturbed plots during 2009 (the second year of the study). Species composition of the native annual community was not affected by treatments in 2008 but was influenced by treatments in 2009. The native forb Eriophyllum sp. was most dense on water-addition plots, while density of Chaenactis freemontii was highest in disturbed plots. Results illustrate that habitat invasibility in arid systems can be influenced by dynamics in disturbance regimes and water availability, and suggest that invasiveness can differ between non-native annual species and among native annuals in habitats undergoing changing disturbance and precipitation regimes. Understanding the mechanistic relationships between water availability and non-native plant responses will be important for understanding the effects of shifting precipitation and vegetation patterns under predicted climate change in arid ecosystems.
Greater inhibition of in vitro bone mineralization with metabolic than respiratory acidosis

At a similar decrement in pH, acidosis produced by lowering the concentration of medium bicarbonate (metabolic acidosis) induces greater net calcium efflux from cultured neonatal mouse calvariae than acidosis produced by increasing the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (respiratory acidosis). This differential effect is due, at least in part, to enhanced cell-mediated bone mineral resorption during metabolic acidosis. To determine the effect of acidosis on osteoblastic bone formation we utilized primary cultures of neonatal mouse calvarial cells which produce calcified nodules in culture. Cells were plated at 4.5 x 10(4) cells/35 mm dish and incubated until confluent (day 9). Nodule formation was then induced by addition of beta-glycerophosphate and ascorbic acid and the cultures were randomly divided and then cultured in control (Ctl, N = 18) medium or in medium simulating metabolic (Met, N = 17) or respiratory (Resp, N = 19) acidosis. Medium was changed and calcium (Ca) measured every 48 hours until day 23. The mean initial medium pH of all Resp cultures (7.186 +/- 0.002) was lower than Met (7.243 +/- 0.006, P < 0.01), which was lower than Ctl (7.502 +/- 0.002, p < 0.01), yet the number of discrete nodules formed in Met (22 +/- 4 nodules/cm2) was lower than Resp (43 +2- 7, P < 0.01), and both were lower than Ctl (88 +/- 6, P < 0.01 vs. both Met and Resp).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Review of Fundamentals of Transportation Engineering: A Multimodal Systems Approach by Jon D. Fricker and Robert K. Whitford

Fundamentals of Transportation Engineering: A Multimodal Systems Approach is a welcome addition to the small group of textbooks designed for an introductory transportation course. As indicated by the title, the book addresses general aspects of planning, public transportation, air transportation, freight transportation, and issues of sustainability, in addition to highway operations and design. The authors are experienced transportation educators who have applied best practices for student learning in crafting a textbook for learner-centered courses. The importance of establishing measurable learning objectives for students is well-documented in the literature. The authors provide a clear list of these objectives at the start of each chapter. They also have attempted to connect the end-chapter exercises with the objectives, although this connection is clearer in some chapters than in others. The fictitious small city of “Mythaca” is the setting for many of the example and end-of-chapter exercises. Each chapter begins with a “scenario” involving a specific problem related to transportation in Mythaca or its region. These scenarios grab the reader’s attention and pique the reader’s curiosity about the issues raised. Many of these issues will be familiar to readers as topics of discussion from their own hometowns. In many of the chapters the authors refer back to the opening scenario within the text and examples. The examples provide a step-by-step approach to solving the problem, and the level of difficulty and complexity in the examples is similar to the level of difficulty in the end-of-chapter exercises. The authors acknowledge that while planning is the first step in the life of a transportation project, it is both abstract and hard to understand without some of the concepts and vocabulary from design and operations. Therefore, they have organized the book with “topics of greatest familiarity to students—traffic—near the front.” The authors tie concepts together throughout the book and across chapters through cross-references, and the reader will find
Bioconjugation of ribonuclease A: a detailed chromatographic and mass spectrometric analysis of chemical modification by a cross-linking reagent.

The modification of ribonuclease A with the heterobifunctional cross-linker, 4-succinimdyloxycarbonyl-methyl-α-[2-pyridyldithio]-toluene (SMPT) is described. RNase A has 11 potential sites of modification by the SMPT reagent. Tracking the two-dimensional separation and proteolytic digestion of SMPT-modified RNase A with ESI/FTICR-MS and HPLC/ESI/QIT-MS demonstrates the detailed information about number of SMPT modifications and sites of modification that can be obtained by application of these techniques. Analysis of native and modified RNase A tryptic digests by ESI/FTICR-MS resulted in the identification of the sites of modification. Semiquantitative results of the reactivity of certain lysine residues toward the coupling reagent SMPT are presented. Two sites (lysines 1 and 37) are highly reactive, while three sites (lysines 41, 61, and 104) appear to be unreactive toward SMPT under the conditions used. Experimental results demonstrate that quantitative comparison of relative intensities of peptide sequ...
Primary structure of soybean lipoxygenase-1.

The nucleotide sequence of soybean lipoxygenase-2 cDNA has been determined, and the complete amino acid sequence of the enzyme has been deduced. Limited direct amino acid sequence data for lipoxygenase-2 protein support this assignment and exclude mRNA representing lipoxygenase-1 and -3. Lipoxygenase 2 has a molecular weight of 97,036 and contains 865 amino acid residues, in contrast to the isozymes, lipoxygenase-1 and -3, which are known to contain 838 and 859 amino acid residues, respectively. Despite significant differences in behavior between these three isozymes, the amino acid sequences of lipoxygenase-1 and -3 are 81 and 74% identical to lipoxygenase-2, respectively. A region of 40 amino acid residues containing a cluster of six histidines and two tyrosines, which is highly conserved in all three isozymes, is discussed as a possible iron-binding region.
Supercritical CO2 Based Silica Coating of Gold Nanoparticles Using Water-in-Oil Microemulsions

A method is developed for the formation of a silica coating on nanoparticles using supercritical CO2, in which supercritical CO2 acts both as the antisolvent and as a reactant. A water-in-oil microemulsion of an aqueous sodium silicate solution in an organic solvent is injected into supercritical CO2 by means of a micronozzle, forming small droplets. Supercritical CO2 rapidly extracts the solvent from the droplet and reacts with the exposed surfactant-supported aqueous sodium silicate, forming silica. When gold nanoparticles are suspended in the sodium silicate solution, a silica coating on those nanoparticles is obtained. The particle size is controlled by controlling the coagulation process, i.e., how fast the “sticky” sodium silicate is reacted into “hard” silica. The reaction rate is simply controlled by adjusting the CO2 concentration. Particles in the size range 30−300 nm were obtained by changing the CO2 pressure from subcritical to supercritical with a coating thickness of as low as 20 nm. The par...
Organic Spin Clusters: Macrocyclic-Macrocyclic Polyarylmethyl Polyradicals with Very High Spin S = 5−13

Synthesis and magnetic studies of a new class of organic spin clusters, possessing alternating connectivity of unequal spins, are described. Polyarylmethyl polyether precursors to the spin clusters, with linear and branched connectivity between calix[4]arene-based macrocycles, are prepared via modular, multistep syntheses. Their molecular connectivity and stereoisomerism are analyzed using NMR spectroscopy. The absolute masses (4−10 kDa) are determined by FABMS and GPC/MALS. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) provides the radii of gyration of 1.2−1.8 nm. The corresponding polyradicals with 15, 22, and 36 triarylmethyls, which are prepared and studied as solutions in tetrahydrofuran-d8, may be described as S‘ = 7/2, 1/2, 7/2 spin trimer (average S = 5−6), S‘ = 7/2, 1/2, 6/2, 1/2, 7/2 spin pentamer (average S = 7−9), and spin nonamer (average S = 11−13), respectively, as determined by SQUID magnetometry and numerical fits to linear combinations of the Brillouin functions. For spin trimer and pentamer, th...
Smooth energy-band interpolation with gradient utilization

Shankland's smooth interpolation procedure based on roughness minimization is extended to include energy-band derivatives. Real symmetrized Fourier functions are used, with the method obtained being numerically stable and utilizing more available information for a given set of $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{k}}$ points at which energy bands are calculated. The fact that regular mesh is not required allows the inclusion of extra points on symmetry lines and planes to improve the interpolant. Because of roughness minimization, unphysical oscillations are suppressed. The drawback of the method is that cusps must be dealt with separately. The energy bands of graphite and boron nitride are interpolated to demonstrate the usefulness and convergence properties of the method.
The relationship between changes in body weight and changes in psychosocial functioning

Abstract Previous studies have indicated that obesity is related to a variety of psychosocial problems. Unfortunately, the literature on the relationship between weight status and psychosocial functioning has primarily utilized clinical samples and cross-sectional designs. The current study prospectively explored the relationship between weight gain and changes in psychosocial functioning. Subjects were 195 women and 204 men recruited as part of a larger longitudinal study of cardiovascular risk factors, who attended assessment sessions once per year for 2 consecutive years. Psychosocial functioning was assessed using the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), the Family Environment Scale (FES) and the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale 3rd Edition (FACES-III). Subjects were categorized based on their weight status at each year so the effect of a change in weight status on changes in psychosocial functioning could be evaluated. Multivariate measures indicated no changes in psychosocial functioning as a result of change in weight status over a 1-year period for either men or women. It appears that shifts in body weight, at least in a sample of subjects with generally good levels of psychological functioning, are not associated with changes in the measured levels of psychosocial functioning.
From Durkheim to the Chicago school: Against the ‘variables sociology’ paradigm

Emile Durkheim is often thought of, at least within many North American interpretations, as closely associated with ‘variables sociology,’ a tradition commonly understood to be in opposition to the...
Tabletop XUV Sources: Advances and Applications

There has been tremendous progress recently in generating coherent extreme ultraviolet light sources.
A large retroperitoneal malignant solitary fibrous tumor.

Abstract We report on a large, retroperitoneal, malignant, solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) with high proliferation activity. A 43-year-old man was admitted to our department complaining of a palpable mass. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a large retroperitoneal tumor occupying the entire abdominal cavity. A laparotomy was performed for diagnosis and treatment, which revealed a tumor in the retroperitoneum but with no invasion to the surrounding organs, thereby allowing safe macroscopic excision. Histologically, the tumor was composed of spindle-shaped cells with patternless pattern and a hemangiopericytomatous appearance. Moreover, immunohistochemical staining was positive for CD34, vimentin, Bcl-2, and CD99 and negative for desmin, S-100p, and smooth muscle actin (AMA). The tumor exhibited high cellularity, moderate mitotic activity, pleomorphism, necrosis, and hemorrhagic changes. In addition, the Ki-67 labeling index was 37%. These findings confirmed the diagnosis of...
Electrolytic protection to reduce high-temperature oxidation

The imposition of a dc voltage across an oxide-ion-conducting solid electrolyte, upon which a gradient in the chemical potential of neutral oxygen (O, O2) is maintained, causes coupled gradients in the electrochemical potentials of oxygen ions and electrons. The concept of balancing these gradients to provide oxidation protection at high temperatures is discussed. Experimental results show a significant reduction in the oxidation of a zircaloy substrate under an applied electric field near the open-circuit potential. The current densities required are small enough to allow the use of electrically-conducting-ceramic electrodes.
The Impact of Immunosenescence on Humoral Immune Response Variation after Influenza A/H1N1 Vaccination in Older Subjects

Background Although influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality in the elderly, the factors underlying the reduced vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy in this age group are not completely understood. Age and immunosenescence factors, and their impact on humoral immunity after influenza vaccination, are of growing interest for the development of better vaccines for the elderly. Methods We assessed associations between age and immunosenescence markers (T cell receptor rearrangement excision circles – TREC content, peripheral white blood cell telomerase – TERT expression and CD28 expression on T cells) and influenza A/H1N1 vaccine-induced measures of humoral immunity in 106 older subjects at baseline and three timepoints post-vaccination. Results TERT activity (TERT mRNA expression) was significantly positively correlated with the observed increase in the influenza-specific memory B cell ELISPOT response at Day 28 compared to baseline (p-value=0.025). TREC levels were positively correlated with the baseline and early (Day 3) influenza A/H1N1-specific memory B cell ELISPOT response (p-value=0.042 and p-value=0.035, respectively). The expression and/or expression change of CD28 on CD4+ and/or CD8+ T cells at baseline and Day 3 was positively correlated with the influenza A/H1N1-specific memory B cell ELISPOT response at baseline, Day 28 and Day 75 post-vaccination. In a multivariable analysis, the peak antibody response (HAI and/or VNA at Day 28) was negatively associated with age, the percentage of CD8+CD28low T cells, IgD+CD27- naive B cells, and percentage overall CD20- B cells and plasmablasts, measured at Day 3 post-vaccination. The early change in influenza-specific memory B cell ELISPOT response was positively correlated with the observed increase in influenza A/H1N1-specific HAI antibodies at Day 28 and Day 75 relative to baseline (p-value=0.007 and p-value=0.005, respectively). Conclusion Our data suggest that influenza-specific humoral immunity is significantly influenced by age, and that specific markers of immunosenescence (e.g., the baseline/early expression of CD28 on CD4+ and/or CD8+ T cells and T cell immune abnormalities) are correlated with different humoral immune response outcomes observed after vaccination in older individuals, and thus can be potentially used to predict vaccine immunogenicity.
Techniques for exploring the suboptimal set

The e-suboptimal set \(\mathcal{X}_{\epsilon}\) for an optimization problem is the set of feasible points with objective value within e of optimal. In this paper we describe some basic techniques for quantitatively characterizing \(\mathcal{X}_{\epsilon}\) , for a given value of e, when the original problem is convex, by solving a modest number of related convex optimization problems. We give methods for computing the bounding box of \(\mathcal{X}_{\epsilon}\) , estimating its diameter, and forming ellipsoidal approximations.
Cellulose Synthesis and Its Regulation

Cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer synthesized on land, is made of linear chains of s (1–4) linked D-glucose. As a major structural component of the cell wall, cellulose is important not only for industrial use but also for plant growth and development. Cellulose microfibrils are tethered by other cell wall polysaccharides such as hemicellulose, pectin, and lignin. In higher plants, cellulose is synthesized by plasma membrane-localized rosette cellulose synthase complexes. Despite the recent advances using a combination of molecular genetics, live cell imaging, and spectroscopic tools, many aspects of the cellulose synthesis remain a mystery. In this chapter, we highlight recent research progress towards understanding the mechanism of cellulose synthesis in Arabidopsis.
Arginine Metabolism in the Growing Chick

ABSTRACT RECENT studies (Wietlake et al., 1954; Snyder et al., 1956; Fisher et al., 1956; and Hogan et al., 1957) indiate that the arginine requirement for gowing chickens fed casein as the chief source of protein is between 1.7 and 2.0 percent of the diet depending on conditions. In general, the tissue analyses of Price et al. (1953) and Williams et al. (1954) show a high correlation between the amino acid composition of the carcass and the requirements for the essential amino acids. However, the rat’s requirement for arginine is lower than carcass analysis would indicate and this is explained by the fact that the rat can synthesize a portion of its arginine requirement. On the other hand, the chick requirement for arginine is higher than predicted by carcass analysis and the reason has not been fully explained. Arnold et al. (1936) and Klose et al. (1938) observed that chicks fed . . .
Mindfulness Practices in Education: Montessori's Approach

Mindfulness training has had salutary effects with adult populations and it is seen as a potentially helpful to children's development. How to implement mindfulness practices with young children is not yet clear; some meditation practices, like sitting still for long periods with internally-self-regulated focused attention, seem developmen- tally inappropriate. Montessori schooling is a 100-year-old system that naturally incorporates practices that align with mindfulness and are suited to very young children. Here I describe how several aspects of Montessori education, including privileging concentrated attention, attending to sensory experience, and engaging in practical work, parallel mindfulness practices. These aspects might be responsible for some of the socio-emotional and executive function benefits
Keratinocyte Growth Factor-2 Stimulates P-glycoprotein Expression and Function in Intestinal Epithelial Cells

Intestinal P-glycoprotein (Pgp/multidrug resistance 1), encoded by the ATP-binding cassette B1 gene, is primarily involved in the transepithelial efflux of toxic metabolites and xenobiotics from th...
Searching the literature using medical subject headings versus text word with PubMed.

Objective/Hypothesis: This study was conducted to investigate the performance of two search strategies in the retrieval of information from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) on otolaryngology–head and neck surgery related conditions and diagnoses using PubMed. Methods: Two search strategies—one based on the use of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and the second based on text word searching—were compared. Results: The MeSH search provided a more efficient search than the text word search. Conclusions: Head and neck surgeons can most efficiently search the NLM using PubMed as a search engine by initiating the search with MeSH terms. Once a key article is identified, the searcher should use the “Related Articles” feature.
Genetics, Haloperidol, and the Fos Response in the Basal Ganglia: A Comparison of the C57BL/6J and DBA/2J Inbred Mouse Strains

The haloperidol-induced increase of Fos-like immunoreactive (Fos-li) neurons in the basal ganglia was compared in the C57BL/6J (B6) and DBA/2J (D2) inbred mouse strains. The D2 strain is 10-fold more sensitive than the B6 strain to haloperidol-induced catalepsy, a putative animal model of the extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) seen after the administration of typical neuroleptics. In contrast, the strains are equally sensitive to the haloperidol facilitation of prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response, a measure of drug efficacy on the mesolimbic dopamine system. The haloperidol effects on Fos-li neurons were examined over the range of 0.1 to 6.0 mg/kg; the ED50s for haloperidol-induced catalepsy are 0.4 and 3.8 mg/kg in the D2 and B6 strains, respectively. In neither the core or shell of the nucleus accumbens nor the caudate-putamen (including the dorsolateral aspect) did the D2 strain show a greater Fos response compared to the B6 strain. In fact, in the dorsolateral caudate-putamen, the B6 strain showed a modest but significantly greater Fos response. However, at the output nuclei of the basal ganglia, the entopeduncular nucleus (EP) and the substantia nigra zona reticulata (SNr), the D2 strain consistently showed a greater Fos response. These data suggest that the EP and SNr may be important to understanding the difference in haloperidol-induced catalepsy between the D2 and B6 strains.
Exponential Radon transform inversion based on harmonic analysis of the Euclidean motion group

This paper presents a new method for the exponential Radon transform inversion based on harmonic analysis of the Euclidean motion group (M(2)). The exponential Radon transform is modified to be formulated as a convolution over M(2). The convolution representation leads to a block diagonalization of the modified exponential Radon transform in the Euclidean motion group Fourier domain, which provides a deconvolution type inversion for the exponential Radon transform. Numerical examples are presented to show the viability of the proposed method.
Religion and the human genome.

The study of human genetics, now greatly accelerated by the federal Human Genome Project, raises important religious questions about human health, two of which are explored. To the first question—whether to terminate a pregnancy for genetic reasons—it is suggested that a pregnancy with a serious genetic defect may be considered at the same level of moral gravity as pregnancy from rape or incest, thereby permitting termination. To the second question—whether genetic predispositions negate personal responsibility—it is argued that genes affect but do not determine personality and behavior.
Chairman Fred Hampton Way: An Autoethnographic Inquiry into Politically Relevant Teaching.

I begin this article at the site of the murder of Black Panther Party Leader Fred Hampton. I then visit the school where I teach and I recall elements of my life history that explain how I became aware of the political repression and murder of Fred Hampton. I then focus on how I brought a discussion of Hampton's work into the classroom and how this discussion created a moment where I believe students had a conscious recognition of what I was doing: working against common practice to provide them with a politically relevant school experience. I provide additional examples of politically relevant teaching from my classroom, I discuss research on the subject, and I call for increased efforts by teachers to offer politically relevant instruction to their students.
Application of cement kiln dust for chemically enhanced primary treatment of municipal wastewater

ABSTRACTChemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) involves the use of chemical coagulants to enhance the coagulation or flocculation of wastewater particles. Chemicals of aluminum sulfate (alum), cement kiln dust (CKD), and cationic polymer were studied with jar test to select the most suitable coagulant for effective treatment of municipal wastewater. The results reveal that CKD at dose 50 mg l−1 could remove about 58.7% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 60% of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). The addition of 50 mg l−1 of CKD and of 0.2 mg l−1 of polyacrylamide flocculant (PAM) could provide a reduction of BOD, COD, phosphorous, and fecal coliform (FC) with percentages higher than 79, 85, 95, and 99.9%, respectively. Heavy metals, salinity, sodicity, phosphorous concentrations, and pH of the treated wastewater by (CKD + PAM) are within the acceptable range for irrigation. FC numbers was 1400 Most Probable Number (MPN)/100 ml for the CEPT effluent, and it is not meeting the WHO guideline for FC of 10...
The academic trajectories of children of immigrants and their school environments.

Data from approximately 14,000 children in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey–Kindergarten Cohort were analyzed to examine the associations between children’s immigrant status and their academic trajectories from kindergarten to 3rd grade, with particular attention to the effects of school environments. Growth curve modeling results indicated that most children of Latin American origin improved their reading and math scores faster than non-Hispanic White children, thus narrowing their initial score gap and sometimes even surpassing White children by 3rd grade. In contrast, although they maintained higher reading and math scores, children from East Asia and India showed decreasing scores over time, which tended to narrow their initial score advantage over non-Hispanic White children. School-level factors accounted partially for these differences. Particularly in terms of the academic trajectories, children of Latin American origin responded more to school-level factors than did children of Asian origin, who responded more to child and family background, with the exception of children from Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, who responded more to school-level factors. Simulation results point to the importance of school resources for the academic trajectories of children of immigrants.
New African Species of Echinobothrium (Cestoda: Diphyllidea) and Implications for the Identities of their Skate Hosts

Abstract: Two new species of diphyllidean cestodes of the genus Echinobothrium, each hosted by a different skate species in the Raja miraletus complex, are described. Echinobothrium mercedesae n. sp. is described from R. cf. miraletus 2 off Senegal. Echinobothrium yiae n. sp. is described from R. cf. miraletus 1 off South Africa. Both species are small worms that differ from their 29 described congeners in the combination of number of cephalic peduncle spines per column, hook formula, number and arrangement of testes, and arrangement of vitelline follicles. They are easily distinguished from one another in that whereas the vitelline follicles of E. yiae n. sp. are circumcortical, they are lateral in E. mercedesae n. sp., and also in number of cephalic peduncle spines per column (14–17 vs. 10–12). Echinobothrium yiae n. sp. is also unusual in that the cephalic peduncle spines stop short of the anterior margin of the peduncle. In addition, although the paucity of available material precluded their formal d...
Quality isosurface mesh generation using an extended marching cubes lookup table

The Marching Cubes Algorithm may return degenerate, zero area isosurface triangles, and often returns isosurface triangles with small areas, edges or angles. We show how to avoid both problems using an extended Marching Cubes lookup table. As opposed to the conventional Marching Cubes lookup table, the extended lookup table differentiates scalar values equal to the isovalue from scalar values greater than the isovalue. The lookup table has 38 = 6561 entries, based on three possible labels, '-' or '=' or '+', of each cube vertex. We present an algorithm based on this lookup table which returns an isosurface close to the Marching Cubes isosurface, but without any degenerate triangles or any small areas, edges or angles
Influence of systolic intracavity pressure on right ventricular perfusion in the awake dog.

This study tested the hypothesis that an acute increase in right ventricular pressure would result in selective impedance of blood flow into the right ventricular subendocardium (ENDO) similar to that seen normally in the left ventricle. Since tachycardia (reduces diastolic time) and vasomotor paralysis will reveal impedence to blood flow by a decrease in ENDO to subepicardial (EPI) myocardial blood flow (MBF) ratio, MBF was measured with microspheres in eight awake dogs during rapid pacing at 176 +/- 2 beats . min-1 (mean +/- SE) after acute pulmonary artery constriction (PAC) before and during adenosine (A) infusion (1.00 mg . kg-1 . min-1). AP was held constant by aortic constriction. During control pacing the ENDO/EPI ratios were 1.38 +/- 0.08 and 1.46 +/- 0.12 in the RV and LV, respectively. During adenosine infusion the ENDO/EPI decreased to 0.85 +/- 0.08 (P less than 0.05) in the LV but did not change in the RV (1.17 +/- 0.10). During PAC and pacing alone the RV ENDO/EPI was 1.24 +/- 0.05 (NS vs control), but during adenosine fell to 0.88 +/- 0.07 (P less than 0.05). Transmural blood flow to the interventricular septum (IVS) was also affected by increased RV pressure. During control the ratio of blood flow to the left and right side (LV/RV) of the IVS was 1.32 +/- 0.12. PAC alone caused a redistribution of MBF toward the right side and the LV/RV fell to 0.66 +/- 0.06 (P less than 0.05). During PAC and adenosine, however the LV/RV rose to 1.38 +/- 0.08. These data demonstrate that increased RV systolic pressure produces systolic impedance to blood flow to the right ventricular ENDO and the right side of the interventricular septum.
Modeling and estimation of discrete-time Gaussian reciprocal processes

Discrete-time Gaussian reciprocal processes are characterized in terms of a second-order two-point boundary-value nearest-neighbor model driven by a locally correlated noise whose correlation is specified by the model dynamics. This second-order model is the analog for reciprocal processes of the standard first-order state-space models for Markov processes. The model is used to obtain a solution to the smoothing problem for reciprocal processes. The resulting smoother obeys second-order equations whose structure is similar to that of the Kalman filter for Gauss-Markov processes. It is shown that the smoothing error is itself a reciprocal process. >