cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nutrient Management and the Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States with a very large and diverse watershed. The health of the Bay related to pollution from nutrients and sediment has been in decline for many years. Agriculture in the watershed is one of the major contributors of nutrient and sediment pollution to the Chesapeake. The cause of the nutrient pollution from agriculture has usually been thought to have been the result of mismanagement of nutrients on farms. Consequently, the approaches to solving the problem have focused almost exclusively on changing farm management. As a result, significant progress has been made in improving on-farm nutrient management but the health of the Bay remains a concern. An analysis of the structure of animal agriculture in the Bay watershed reveals that the problem is much deeper than simply mismanagement on farms. A major underlying cause is a regional nutrient imbalance resulting from an economically driven system of animal production based on importing from outside the watershed a large amount of the animal feed. Therefore, a long-term, sustainable solution will require much more than just changing on-farm management. To really solve this problem will require a restructuring of the animal production systems to internalize the environmental costs of this structural imbalance of nutrients in the watershed. The challenge that must be met is how to accomplish this in a way that is sustainable.
Modulation of lung molecular biomarkers by β‐carotene in the Physicians' Health Study

BACKGROUND: β-Carotene supplementation showed neither benefit nor harm among apparently healthy physicians (all men) in the Physicians' Health Study (PHS) trial. The objective of the current investigation was to evaluate how long-term β-carotene supplementation affects molecular markers of lung carcinogenesis in the PHS. METHODS: The protein levels of total p53, cyclin D1, proliferating cellular nuclear antigen (PCNA), retinoic acid receptor β (RARβ), and cytochrome p450 enzyme 1A1 (CYP1A1) were measured using the immunohistochemical method in 40 available archival lung tissue samples from patients who were diagnosed with lung cancer in the PHS. The protein levels of these markers were compared by category of β-carotene treatment assignment and other characteristics using unconditional logistic regression models. RESULTS: The positivity for total p53, RARβ, cyclin D1, and PCNA was nonsignificantly lower among lung cancer patients who were assigned to receive β-carotene than those who were assigned to receive β-carotene placebo. There was a borderline significant difference in CYP1A1 positivity with an OR of 0.2 (95% confidence interval, 0.2-1.1; P = .06) in a comparison of men who received β-carotene and men who received β-carotene placebo. CONCLUSIONS: The 50-mg β-carotene supplementation on alternate days had no significant influence on molecular markers of lung carcinogenesis that were evaluated in the PHS. This finding provides mechanistic support for the main PHS trial results of β-carotene, which demonstrated no benefit or harm to the risk of developing lung cancer. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.
Regulation of ethanol-related behavior and ethanol metabolism by the Corazonin neurons and Corazonin receptor in Drosophila melanogaster.

Impaired ethanol metabolism can lead to various alcohol-related health problems. Key enzymes in ethanol metabolism are alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH); however, neuroendocrine pathways that regulate the activities of these enzymes are largely unexplored. Here we identified a neuroendocrine system involving Corazonin (Crz) neuropeptide and its receptor (CrzR) as important physiological regulators of ethanol metabolism in Drosophila. Crz-cell deficient (Crz-CD) flies displayed significantly delayed recovery from ethanol-induced sedation that we refer to as hangover-like phenotype. Newly generated mutant lacking Crz Receptor (CrzR01) and CrzR-knockdown flies showed even more severe hangover-like phenotype, which is causally associated with fast accumulation of acetaldehyde in the CrzR01 mutant following ethanol exposure. Higher levels of acetaldehyde are likely due to 30% reduced ALDH activity in the mutants. Moreover, increased ADH activity was found in the CrzR01 mutant, but not in the Crz-CD flies. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed transcriptional upregulation of Adh gene in the CrzR01. Transgenic inhibition of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) also results in significantly increased ADH activity and Adh mRNA levels, indicating PKA-dependent transcriptional regulation of Adh by CrzR. Furthermore, inhibition of PKA or cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) in CrzR cells leads to comparable hangover-like phenotype to the CrzR01 mutant. These findings suggest that CrzR-associated signaling pathway is critical for ethanol detoxification via Crz-dependent regulation of ALDH activity and Crz-independent transcriptional regulation of ADH. Our study provides new insights into the neuroendocrine-associated ethanol-related behavior and metabolism.
C-reactive protein is related to memory and medial temporal brain volume in older adults

Abstract Recent research suggests a central role for inflammatory mechanisms in cognitive decline that may occur prior to evidence of neurodegeneration. Limited information exists, however, regarding the relationship between low-grade inflammation and cognitive function in healthy older adults. This study examined the relation between inflammation, verbal memory consolidation, and medial temporal lobe volumes in a cohort of older community-dwelling subjects. Subjects included 141 functionally intact, community-dwelling older adults with detectable ( n = 76) and undetectable ( n = 65) levels of C-reactive protein. A verbal episodic memory measure was administered to all subjects, and measures of delayed recall and recognition memory were assessed. A semiautomated parcellation program was used to analyze structural MRI scans. On the episodic memory task, analysis of covariance revealed a significant CRP group by memory recall interaction, such that participants with detectable levels of CRP evidenced worse performance after a delay compared to those with undetectable levels of CRP. Individuals with detectable CRP also demonstrated lower performance on a measure of recognition memory. Imaging data demonstrated smaller left medial temporal lobe volumes in the detectable CRP group as compared with the undetectable CRP group. These findings underscore a potential role for inflammation in cognitive aging as a modifiable risk factor.
Money Only Matters if You Want It To? Exposing the Normative Implications of Empirical Research

Political scientists have widely employed production function models as tools for theory confirmation and policy prescription. Although an important part of a growing literature within the discipli...
Ligand and oxidation-state specific regulation of the heme-based oxygen sensor FixL from Sinorhizobium meliloti.

Phosphorylation of the transcription factor RmFixJ is the key step in the hypoxic induction of Sinorhizobium meliloti nitrogen fixation genes. Oxygen regulates this process by binding reversibly to RmFixL, a heme protein kinase whose deoxy form catalyzes the phosphoryl transfer from ATP to RmFixJ. Here we present the first quantitative measure of the extent by which various heme ligands inhibit the turnover of RmFixJ to phospho-RmFixJ. We also quantitate the inhibition by ligands of the reaction of RmFixL with ATP, in the absence of RmFixJ, to form phospho-RmFixL, i.e., the "autophosphorylation". Phospho-RmFixL formed from autophosphorylation will transfer its phosphoryl group to RmFixJ in an oxygen-independent "phosphotransfer." Here we show that the mode of substrate presentation, i.e., simultaneous versus sequential, influences the regulation of phosphoryl transfer by heme status. Inhibition factors for O(2), CO, NO, CN(-), and imidazole in the presence of RmFixJ are drastically different from the inhibition of autophosphorylation by the same ligands. Oxidation of the heme iron in unliganded RmFixL is known to have no effect on either of the sequential reactions; yet oxidation causes a 100-fold decrease in RmFixJ turnover when ATP and RmFixJ are presented simultaneously. The profound difference between the regulation of isolated RmFixL versus the complex of RmFixL with RmFixJ shows that interaction of a response regulator with its histidine-kinase partner need not be limited to the enzymatic regions of the histidine kinase, but can extend also to its sensory domain.
Enhanced brain cell proliferation following early adrenalectomy in rats.

We have previously demonstrated an increase in adult brain DNA content in rats adrenalectomized on postnatal day 11. The present studies examined cell proliferation in cerebral cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus, and midbrain-diencephalon following adrenalectomy at this age. Compared to sham-operated controls, adrenalectomized animals showed increased [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA (measured at 1 h following a pulse injection) in all brain regions at 7 and 14 days postsurgery. In some areas, the effect was already present as early as 2 days following adrenalectomy. Chronic replacement with corticosterone prevented this increase in DNA labelling in a dose-dependent manner. When cell proliferation in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum was independently assessed by measuring changes in thymidine kinase activity, enzyme activity was significantly elevated in both areas at 7 and 14 days postsurgery. Finally, histological examination of the cerebellar cortex suggested a delayed disappearance of the external granular layer in several cerebellar lobules of adrenalectomized animals. Overall, these findings indicate that day-11 adrenalectomy leads to a prolonged stimulation of mitotic activity in areas where cell formation at this time is exclusively glial (i.e., cerebral cortex and mid-brain-diencephalon) as well as in areas where postnatal neurogenesis is also occurring (cerebellum and hippocampus). It is hypothesized that this stimulation results from the removal of a tonic inhibitory effect exerted by circulating glucocorticoids in the normal intact animal.
Admission Variables Predictive of Academic Struggle in a PharmD Program

Objective. To characterize and describe admission variables predictive of poor grade attainment by students in 2 pathways to a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program. Methods. A retrospective analysis of course grades of PharmD students admitted from 2000 to 2009 (N= 1,019) in the traditional degree pathway (“1 plus 5” degree program) and the provisional pathway (admitted directly from high school) was performed. Results. Four hundred three grades of D or less were earned by 183 (18%) students. There were more grades of D or less in the first pharmacy year. Receipt of an unsatisfactory grade was associated with all Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) subcategory scores, PCAT composite score, cumulative prepharmacy coursework hours, prepharmacy grade point average (GPA), prepharmacy science and math GPA, and interview score for accepted students in the traditional pathway. For students in the provisional pathway, PCAT-quantitative analysis, PCAT composite score, prepharmacy cumulative GPA, prepharmacy science and math GPA, English American College Testing (ACT) score, and composite ACT score predicted poor grades. Conclusion. Admissions committees should heed PCAT scores and GPAs, regardless of program pathway, while progression committees should focus on early program coursework when designing strategies to optimize retention.
Measurements of transience and downward fluid flow near episodic methane gas vents, Hydrate Ridge, Cascadia

Aqueous flux measurements within cold seep regions on northern Hydrate Ridge, Cascadia, indicate a high degree of variability, with extended periods of downflow and reversals of flow direction over periods of weeks to months. Local episodic venting of free methane gas was also observed. The instruments recorded similar changes in hydrologic flow patterns both on and off clam fields, the magnitude of the flow rates decreasing away from the clam field. The coincidence of episodic gas venting with nearby highly variable aqueous fluid flow suggests that they may be coupled. We propose that these observations are consistent with the action of a gas-driven pump that operates somewhat like a geyser. The hypothesis of gas-driven pumping of seawater through northern Hydrate Ridge has important ramifications for the mass fluxes through this region.
A New Band in the Spectrum of the OH Molecule

Although the ultraviolet "water vapor" bands were among the earliest molecular spectra to undergo extensive investigation, heretofore only six bands have been reported. These involve transitions between the (0, 1, 2) vibrational levels of an excited $^{2}\ensuremath{\Sigma}$ state and the (0, 1) vibrational levels of the normal $^{2}\ensuremath{\Pi}$ state. With improved conditions for exciting the spectrum we have obtained 91 lines, heretofore unreported, in the neighborhood of the (0\ensuremath{'}, 1\ensuremath{''}) band at $\ensuremath{\lambda}3428$. 44 of these lines prove to be extensions of $\ensuremath{\lambda}3428$; 54 lines (including 11 in common with $\ensuremath{\lambda}3428$) form a new band with a head at $\ensuremath{\lambda}3484$; and 4 lines remain unidentified. Analysis of the new band identifies it as the (1\ensuremath{'}, 2\ensuremath{''}) band of the water vapor system. Rotational constants for the normal $^{2}\ensuremath{\Pi}$ electronic state of OH are: ${{B}_{e}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=19.025$, ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=0.724$, ${{D}_{e}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=\ensuremath{-}1.97\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$, ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=5.0\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}5}$, and ${{r}_{e}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=0.964\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ cm. Vibrational constants are: ${{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{e}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=3734.9$ and ${{x}_{e}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}{{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{e}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=82.6$. Rotational and vibrational constants for the excited $^{2}\ensuremath{\Sigma}$ state are also evaluated and are tabulated.
Model of field aligned potential drops near Io

The Galileo spacecraft passed through an unexpectedly dense plasma and mass loading region near Io closest approach. This paper shows how the prodigious mass loading observed in this region can produce field-aligned potential drops. For parameters appropriate to lo and consistent with Galileo measurements, this mechanism is shown to support up to two hundred volt, field-aligned potential drops near Io and field-aligned electron beams. The total power in these electron beams is less than ∼4x10 8 W, a small fraction of the total energy requirement for maintaining torus ultraviolet emissions. This mechanism may nevertheless be important for the Jupiter-Io interaction, because it injects a seed population of energized electrons and ions into the Io flux tube with hundred volt parallel energies. A two step acceleration process may operate in the Io flux tube, in which a seed population of electrons with parallel energies above an eV is created, followed by field-aligned acceleration in the Alfven wings.
Test method evaluation experiments and data

Understanding the effectiveness of their production tests is a critical task for IC suppliers. Numerous trends suggesting that conventionally applied test methods must change to meet future needs will make the task even more critical-and difficult-in the future. This paper presents characterization and diagnostic data and ideas aimed at helping IC suppliers understand test effectiveness.
Contact with friction in multi‐material arbitrary Lagrangian‐Eulerian formulations using X‐FEM

A contact method with friction for the multi-dimensional Lagrangian step in multi-material arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) formulations is presented. In our previous research, the extended finite element method (X-FEM) was used to create independent fields (i.e. velocity, strain rate, force, mass, etc.) for each material in the problem to model contact without friction. The research presented here includes the extension to friction and improvements to the accuracy and robustness of our previous study. The accelerations of the multi-material nodes are obtained by coupling the material force and mass fields as a function of the prescribed contact; similarly, the velocities of the multi-material nodes are recalculated using the conservation of momentum when the prescribed contact requires it. The coupling procedures impose the same nodal velocity on the coupled materials in the direction normal to their interface during the time step update. As a result, the overlap of materials is prevented and unwanted separation does not occur. Three different types of contacts are treated: perfectly bonded, frictionless slip, and slip with friction. Example impact problems are solved and the numerical solutions are presented. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Characterizing tantalum sputtered coatings on steel by using eddy currents

With the goal of building a system for fast inspection of coatings, we have developed a method that uses induced eddy currents to characterize tantalum alpha and beta phases in a layer of thin sputtered tantalum on steel. The detection of the tantalum phases is based on the large difference in electrical conductivity between them. Measurements based on the method agree well with values based on theoretical calculations. We applied the method in a two-probe differential system having higher sensitivity and less noise than a one-probe system. The probe uses pulsed eddy currents with a pulsewidth of 1 /spl mu/s, allowing us to scan at rates of up to 10/sup 5/ pulses per second on a computer-controlled XY table for fast data acquisition. When the system was used to scan steel samples coated with 12.5-30 /spl mu/m of tantalum, a clear difference between alpha and beta phases was observed. The system was also used to measure the conductivity of the alpha and beta phases. We present here a conductivity map of the sample.
NQO1 Suppresses NF-κB–p300 Interaction to Regulate Inflammatory Mediators Associated with Prostate Tumorigenesis

NADPH reductase NQO1 is needed to maintain a cellular pool of antioxidants and this enzyme may contribute to tumorigenesis, on the basis of studies in NQO1-deficient mice. In this work, we sought deeper insights into how NQO1 contributes to prostate carcinogenesis, a setting where oxidative stress and inflammation are established contributors to disease development and progression. In the TRAMP mouse model of prostate cancer, NQO1 was highly expressed in tumor cells. NQO1 silencing in prostate cancer cells increased levels of nuclear IKK-α and NF-κB while decreasing the levels of p53, leading to interactions between NF-κB and p300 that reinforce survival signaling. Gene expression analysis revealed upregulation of a set up immune-associated transcripts associated with inflammation and tumorigenesis in cells where NQO1 was attenuated, with IL-8 confirmed functionally in cell culture as one key NQO1-supported cytokine. Notably, NQO1-silenced prostate cancer cells were more resistant to androgen deprivation. Further, NQO1 inhibition increased migration including under conditions of androgen deprivation. These results reveal a molecular link between NQO1 expression and pro-inflammatory cytokine signaling in prostate cancer. Further, our results suggest that altering redox homeostasis through NQO1 inhibition might promote androgen-independent cell survival via opposing effects on NF-κB and p53 function.
P-Channel Germanium FinFET Based on Rapid Melt Growth

High-performance P-channel Ge FinFETs have been fabricated based on the rapid-melt-growth method. The fully depleted Ge FinFET has an off-state drain leakage current that is two orders of magnitude lower than the partially depleted one. The channel on the {110} surfaces provides an enhancement of the effective hole mobility of 60% and 28% at an effective field of 0.4 MV/cm compared with, respectively, silicon universal hole mobility and our previous work with {100} Ge-on-insulator pMOSFETs.
Tech Services on the Web: Libcat.org: the Home of the Amazon to MARC Converter and Other Useful Cataloging Tools; Libcat.org

Libcat.org is the home of the Amazon to MARC Converter and other useful cataloging tools developed by Charles Ledvina, who currently works for Index Data as a connector specialist. Libcat.org hosts...
Falling through the cracks of vasculitis classification-a report of three patients.

The systemic vasculitides are a group of multisystem diseases characterized by inflammation of blood vessels. Classification schema have been proposed by The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) [1] and by the Chapel Hill Consensus conference (CHCC) [2]. The current classification system for vasculitides is based on vessel size and clinicopathological features. Precise recognition and accurate diagnostic categorization of the vasculitides is crucial for optimal management. Yet, some patients with vasculitis can have features consistent with more than one type of vasculitis syndrome during their disease course that is not captured by the current classification systems [3–7]. Another less recognized problem is that a patient may present with one form of vasculitis and develop years later another form. To our knowledge, only three patients who have transitioned from one form of vasculitis to another have been reported [8]. These three patients had Wegener’s granulomatosis (WG) and developed IgA nephropathy while the WG was in remission. To bring attention to this important issue, we now report three patients who presented with a distinct type of vasculitis and subsequently developed a phenotype of a different type of vasculitis after a prolonged period of remission of their initial vasculitis presentation. These cases raise important questions about the underlying mechanisms and the potential relationship between these distinct pathological entities. Additionally, treatment becomes challenging in these cases; after the second biopsy, should therapy take into consideration the results of the first biopsy?
On the effectiveness of direct shipping strategy for the one-warehouse multi-retailer R -systems

We consider the problem of integrating inventory control and vehicle routing into a cost-effective strategy for a distribution system consisting of one depot and many geographically dispersed retailers. All stock enters the system through the depot and is distributed to the retailers by vehicles of limited constant capacity. We assume that each one of the retailers faces a constant, retailer specific, demand rate and that inventory is charged only at the retailers but not at the depot. We provide a lower bound on the long run average cost over all inventory-routing strategies. We use this lower bound to show that the effectiveness of direct shipping over all inventory-routing strategies is at least 94% whenever the Economic Lot Size of each of the retailers is at least 71% of vehicle capacity. The effectiveness deteriorates as the Economic Lot Sizes become smaller. These results are important because they provide useful guidelines as to when to embark into the much more difficult task of finding cost-effective routes. Additional advantages of direct shipping are lower in-transit inventory and ease of coordination.
High dynamic range photogrammetry for synchronous luminance and geometry measurement

This study developed high dynamic range photogrammetry for synchronous acquisition of luminance of targets across a scene and their three dimensional coordinates XYZ in the field. The high dynamic ...
SMG-ly Knocking Out Gene Expression in Specific Cells: An Educational Primer for Use with “A Novel Strategy for Cell-Autonomous Gene Knockdown in Caenorhabditis elegans Defines a Cell-Specific Function for the G-Protein Subunit GOA-1”

SUMMARY A recent article by Maher et al . in GENETICS introduces an alternative approach to cell-type-specific gene knockdown in Caenorhabditis elegans , using nonsense-mediated decay. This strategy has the potential to be applicable to other organisms (this strategy requires that animals can survive without nonsense-mediated decay—not all can). This Primer article provides a guide and resource for educators and students by describing different gene knockdown methodologies, by assisting with the technically difficult portions of the Maher et al. article, and by providing conceptual questions relating to the article. Related article in GENETICS : Maher, K. N., A. Swaminathan, P. Patel, and D. L. Chase, 2013 A novel strategy for cell-autonomous gene knockdown in Caenorhabditis elegans defines a cell-specific function for the G-protein subunit GOA-1. Genetics 194: 363–373.
Metastatic Sarcomatoid Renal Cell Carcinoma Treated With Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor–Targeted Therapy

Purpose Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) with sarcomatoid differentiation is an aggressive disease that is associated with poor outcomes to chemotherapy or immunotherapy. The utility of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)–targeted therapy in patients with this disease is unknown. Patients and Methods Patients who had mRCC with sarcomatoid features in the primary tumor and who were treated with VEGF-targeted therapy were retrospectively identified. Pathology slides were reviewed to determine the percentage of sarcomatoid differentiation. Objective response rate, percentage of tumor burden shrinkage, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were determined. Results Forty-three patients who had sarcomatoid mRCC were identified. The median percentage of sarcomatoid features was 14% (range, 3% to 90%). Patients were treated with either sunitinib (49%), sorafenib (28%), bevacizumab (19%), or sunitinib plus bevacizumab (5%). Partial responses were observed in eight patients (19%); 2...
Fast motion estimation and mode decision for H.264 video coding in packet loss environment

H.264 coding standard offers several coding modes, including intra mode and inter prediction mode with different block sizes. Since intra mode does not need reference from previous frames, in packet loss environment, intra mode can be a good choice to stop error propagation and enhance decoded video quality. To achieve best coding efficiency, such best mode decision is often made upon optimizing rate distortion (RD) constraints. Unfortunately, this RD optimization process incurs a considerable complexity increase of the encoder. To solve the problem, we propose a fast motion estimation and mode decision algorithm for H.264 video coding in packet loss environment. Unlike previous algorithms, our method takes advantage of channel distortion estimation as assistance to decide if an early termination of existing coding mode choices is necessary. Experiment results show that, compared with error resilient coding method proposed in the work of Stockhammer et al. (2002) and Yuan Zhang et al. (2004), the proposed algorithm can enhance speed up to 10 times while maintaining similar average picture quality.
When Does Helping Help Or Hurt? Factors Affecting Consumer Satisfaction from Retailer Help in Web and Store Shopping

Help-seeking and help-giving have been investigated extensively in other areas, such as psychology, education, and child development, but have received relatively little attention in consumer behavior settings, where retailers often provide consumers with help. We draw from the extant literature on help, and from the unique aspects of help in consumer settings, to develop hypotheses concerning the impact on consumers of three kinds of help - requested, offered, and imposed - that have been identified in help research in other areas, and how this impact differs across store and internet shopping. We test these hypotheses with two laboratory experiments, one field study, and two field experiments.
Interleukin‐1‐β and Tumor Necrosis Factor‐α Increase Peripheral‐Type Benzodiazepine Binding Sites in Cultured Polygonal Astrocytes

Peripheral-type benzodiazepine binding sites (PTBBS) are markedly increased in the injured CNS. Astrocytes appear to be the primary cell type which express increased PTBBS. Because certain cytokines within the injured CNS are potent mitogens for astrocytes, we examined the effects of two such cytokines, interleukin (IL)-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor (TNF), on PTBBS in cultured astrocytes using [3H]Ro 5-4864 as the specific ligand. Purified cultures of either polygonal or process-bearing astrocytes were prepared from neonatal rat cerebral hemispheres. At a concentration of 1.8 nM, specific binding of the radioactive ligand to polygonal astrocytes reached equilibrium within 60 min and was half-maximal by 5-10 min. By contrast, specific binding to process-bearing astrocytes barely exceeded background levels. IL-1 and TNF increased PTBBS within polygonal astrocytes in both dose- and time-dependent manners. At 10-50 ng/ml, IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha elevated [3H]Ro 5-4864 binding in polygonal astrocyte cultures 65 and 87%, respectively, above the level in control cultures. However, no changes in PTBBS were seen within polygonal astrocytes after IL-2 treatment. Scatchard analysis of saturation binding experiments suggested that the increase in PTBBS promoted by TNF was due to an increased number of binding sites present in polygonal astrocytes and not due to an increase in receptor affinity. Binding data suggested that PTBBS within cultures of process-bearing astrocytes were virtually absent irrespective of the treatment. These in vitro data suggest that certain cytokines found in the injured brain may be involved in up-regulating PTBBS within a particular subtype of astrocyte.
DNA Microarray Analysis of Complex Biologic Processes

DNA microarrays, or gene chips, allow surveys of gene expression, (i.e., mRNA expression) in a highly parallel and comprehensive manner. The pattern of gene expression produced, known as the expression profile, depicts the subset of gene transcripts expressed in a cell or tissue. At its most fundamental level, the expression profile can address qualitatively which genes are expressed in disease states. However, with the aid of bioinformatics tools such as cluster analysis, self-organizing maps, and principle component analysis, more sophisticated questions can be answered. Microarrays can be used to characterize the functions of novel genes, identify genes in a biologic pathway, analyze genetic variation, and identify therapeutic drug targets. Moreover, the expression profile can be used as a tissue or disease "fingerprint." This review details the fabrication of arrays, data management tools, and applications of microarrays to the field of renal research and the future of clinical practice.
Splice-mediated Variants of Proteins (SpliVaP) - Data and characterization of changes in signatures among protein isoforms due to alternative splicing

It is often the case that mammalian genes are alternatively spliced; the resulting alternate transcripts often encode protein isoforms that differ in amino acid sequences. Changes among the protein isoforms can alter the cellular properties of proteins. The effect can range from a subtle modulation to a complete loss of function. (i) We examined human splice-mediated protein isoforms (as extracted from a manually curated data set, and from a computationally predicted data set) for differences in the annotation for protein signatures (Pfam domains and PRINTS fingerprints) and we characterized the differences & their effects on protein functionalities. An important question addressed relates to the extent of protein isoforms that may lack any known function in the cell. (ii) We present a database that reports differences in protein signatures among human splice-mediated protein isoform sequences. (i) Characterization: The work points to distinct sets of alternatively spliced genes with varying degrees of annotation for the splice-mediated protein isoforms. Protein molecular functions seen to be often affected are those that relate to: binding, catalytic, transcription regulation, structural molecule, transporter, motor, and antioxidant; and the processes that are often affected are nucleic acid binding, signal transduction, and protein-protein interactions. Signatures are often included/excluded and truncated in length among protein isoforms; truncation is seen as the predominant type of change. Analysis points to the following novel aspects: (a) Analysis using data from the manually curated Vega indicates that one in 8.9 genes can lead to a protein isoform of no "known" function; and one in 18 expressed protein isoforms can be such an "orphan" isoform; the corresponding numbers as seen with computationally predicted ASD data set are: one in 4.9 genes and one in 9.8 isoforms. (b) When swapping of signatures occurs, it is often between those of same functional classifications. (c) Pfam domains can occur in varying lengths, and PRINTS fingerprints can occur with varying number of constituent motifs among isoforms – since such a variation is seen in large number of genes, it could be a general mechanism to modulate protein function. (ii) Data: The reported resource (at http://www.bioinformatica.crs4.org/tools/dbs/splivap/ ) provides the community ability to access data on splice-mediated protein isoforms (with value-added annotation such as association with diseases) through changes in protein signatures.
Purification and characterization of a cytochrome P‐450 from insecticide susceptible and resistant strains of housefly, Musca domestica L., before and after phenobarbital exposure

A cytochrome P-450 (P-450) was purified from abdominal microsomes of untreated and phenobarbital treated susceptible (S+) and insecticide-resistant (LPR) houseflies using HPLC purification procedures. The purified P-450s exhibited the same apparent molecular masses (54,400 dalton) and could not be distinguished from each other on the basis of HPLC chromatographic properties, reduced CO-difference absorbance maxima (447 +/- 0.5 nm), or partial NH2-terminal sequences (MLLLLLLIVVTTLYIFAKL). Since these P-450s were indistinguishable and were immunologically identical to cytochrome P-450lpr we conclude that these P-450s are in fact cytochrome P-450lpr. The level of P-450lpr was increased twofold after PB exposure in the S+ strain, while the level of P-450lpr did not change in the LPR strain. Immunoinhibition of ECOD activity with anti-P-450lpr antiserum suggests that PB treatment in S+ house flies induced P-450lpr, and other forms of cytochromes P-450 with high activity toward this substrate.
A low latency SISO with application to broadband turbo decoding

The standard algorithm for computing the soft-inverse of a finite-state machine [i.e., the soft-in/soft-out (SISO) module] is the forward-backward algorithm. These forward and backward recursions can be computed in parallel, yielding an architecture with latency /spl Oscr/(N), where N is the block size. We demonstrate that the standard SISO computation may be formulated using a combination of prefix and suffix operations. Based on well-known tree-structures for fast parallel prefix computations in the very large scale integration (VLSI) literature (e.g., tree adders), we propose a tree-structured SISO that has latency /spl Oscr/(log/sub 2/N). The decrease in latency comes primarily at a cost of area with, in some cases, only a marginal increase in computation. We discuss how this structure could be used to design a very high throughput turbo decoder or, more generally, an iterative detector. Various subwindowing and tiling schemes are also considered to further improve latency.
Sharp results on irregular sampling of bandlimited functions

We discuss the reconstruction of bandlimited functions for randomly sampled values and give an algorithm that works provided the sampling density is above the Nyquist rate.
SANS from Polymers—Review of the Recent Literature

This paper reviews the recently published literature on Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) from polymers. Papers published over the past three years and resulting from the use of the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) are included. Those with which this author is most familiar are summarized in a brief format. The intent of this review paper is to demonstrate the usefulness of the SANS technique and its impact on polymer research. SANS is a structural characterization method and a good probe for miscibility thermodynamics in polymer mixtures. SANS topics covered include polymer solutions, copolymers, polymer blends, branched or grafted polymers, polymer gels, polymer networks, polymer micelles, polymeric nanomaterials, and polymer membranes.
Correlation of myocardial p-123I-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid retention with 18F-FDG accumulation during experimental low-flow ischemia

Myocardial ischemia is associated with reduced free fatty acid (FFA) β-oxidation and increased glucose utilization. This study evaluated the potential of dynamic SPECT imaging of a FFA analog, p-123I-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid (IPPA), for detection of ischemia and compares retention of IPPA with 18F-FDG accumulation. Methods: In a canine model of regional low-flow ischemia (n = 9), serial IPPA SPECT images (2 min per image) were acquired over 52–90 min. In a subset of dogs (n = 6), 18F-FDG was injected after completing SPECT imaging and allowed to accumulate for 40 min before killing the animals. Flow was assessed with radiolabeled microspheres. Myocardial metabolism was evaluated independently by selective coronary arterial and venous sampling. Results: Serial IPPA SPECT images showed an initial defect in the ischemic region (0.70% ± 0.03% ischemic-to-nonischemic ratio), which normalized within 48 min because of the slower IPPA clearance from the ischemic region (t1/2 = 54.2 ± 3.3 min) relative to the nonischemic region (t1/2 = 36.7 ± 5.6 min) (P
Virtual Child Pornography: Does it Mean the End of the Child Pornography Exception to the First Amendment?

From its inception, child pornography law has attempted to reconcile two powerful interests: the First Amendment and the prevention of sexual exploitation of children. Recently, in Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition, 535 U.S. 234 (2002), the Court struck down provisions of the Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996 that proscribed "virtual" child pornography. This Article attempts to demonstrate that Congress's legislative response to the Free Speech decision is unconstitutional. Indeed, the Free Speech decision may result in the child pornography exception to the First Amendment being valid in principle but unhelpful to the government in prosecuting many cases involving sexually explicit images of minors. The government has been very successful in prosecuting child pornography cases after the Free Speech decision. If, however, the government is eventually unable to meet its burden of proving that images depict actual children because of the existence of virtual child pornography, and is forced to prosecute child pornography cases under obscenity statutes instead, it will undoubtedly have to expend more resources prosecuting cases and will obtain fewer convictions.
ReFr: An Open-Source Reranker Framework

ReFr (http://refr.googlecode.com) is a software architecture for specifying, training and using reranking models, which take the n-best output of some existing system and produce new scores for each of the n hypotheses that potentially induce a different ranking, ideally yielding better results than the original system. The Reranker Framework has some special support for building discriminative language models, but can be applied to any reranking problem. The framework is designed with parallelism and scalability in mind, being able to run on any Hadoop cluster out of the box. While extremely efficient, ReFr is also quite flexible, allowing researchers to explore a wide variety of features and learning methods. ReFr has been used for building state-of-the-art discriminative LM’s for both speech recognition and machine translation systems. Index Terms: language modeling, discriminative language modeling, reranking, structured prediction
Aortic Regurgitation With Markedly Reduced Left Ventricular Function Is Not a Contraindication for Aortic Valve Replacement

Background The current study assesses outcomes and risk factors for aortic valve replacement (AVR) for aortic regurgitation (AR) in the setting of markedly reduced left ventricular (LV) function compared with moderately reduced LV function and preserved LV function. Methods Between January 2002 and June 2013, 485 consecutive patients underwent AVR for severe AR. Overall, 37 of 485 patients (8%) had an LV ejection fraction (EF) less than or equal to 35% (low EF) with median of 30%; 141 of 485 patients (27%) had an LVEF of 36% to 50% (moderate) with median of 45%, and 307 of 485 patients (65%) had an LVEF greater than 50% (preserved) with median of 60%. Results Preoperative characteristics were similar across groups, except patients with low EF were older (67.4 ± 12.1 years versus moderate [58.6 ± 15.0 years], p = 0.003 versus preserved [56.9 ± 14.3 years], p = 0.001), more often had reoperations (35.1% versus preserved 19.9%, p = 0.054), and had more concomitant coronary artery bypass grafts (37.6% versus preserved 14.3%, p = 0.001). Operative mortality for the entire cohort was 1.9% (9 or 485) and was similar across groups, 0% in the low EF group, 2.1% (3 of 141) in the moderate group, and 2.0% (6 of 307) in the preserved group (all p > 0.5). Cox proportional hazard modeling indicated that age (hazard ratio [HR] 1.061, p ≤ 0.001), preoperative creatinine (HR 1.478, p ≤ 0.014), history of atrial fibrillation (HR 1.920, p = 0.095), and New York Heart Association class III/IV (HR 2.127, p = 0.004) predicted survival. At median follow-up of 26 months, in the low EF group, the mean LVEF at follow-up was 49.5% ± 10.2% versus baseline 30% ± 4.6% ( p ≤ 0.001). Conclusions In this series, patients with markedly reduced LV function (LVEF ≤35%) had similar postoperative outcomes and survival as patients with moderate LV dysfunction or preserved LV function.
Evidence for interspecific hybridisation in pteridophytes with subterranean mycoparasitic gametophytes

Pteridophytes with subterranean sexual stages exist in five families. Their prothalli grow underground without light, nourished by fungi, and are rounded, massive, and without chlorophyll. Various authors have suggested that such gametophytes may inhibit outbreeding ability and that minor variations may therefore form in colonies through inbreeding.This paper questions these ideas. The subterranean condition is believed to be suited to fields, grassy meadows, and other habitats subject to seasonal drying. The parenchymatous thallus makes possible water storage. Water can flow between some particles. Sperm may be carried by mass flow in various directions and can evidently swim as much as 2 cm. Close clumping of underground gametophytes appears to be no less common than in surficial gametophytes and evidence exists that hybridisation occurs.No evidence has been detected that outbreeding is inhibited, and we conclude that it is successful and that cross-fertilisation is no less common among underground gametophytes than among surface gametophytes. Numerous examples are listed from Lycopodiales, Psilotales, and Ophioglossales.
Breast calcinosis in a patient with Dermatomyositis.

A 71-year-old woman presented with a pruritic macular rash on her chest that progressed to involve the limbs, face, and scalp. In addition, the rash was associated with progressive proximal muscle weakness that was symmetrically distributed, dysphagia, and fatigue over the past 6 months. A skin examination revealed Gottron’s and shawl signs. She underwent a skin biopsy that revealed perivascular lymphocytic infiltration and interface dermatitis. This was consistent with the diagnostic findings of dermatomyositis (DM). Moreover, electromyography was consistent with a myopathic pattern, and the muscle biopsy revealed a well-defined perifascicular distribution of muscle fiber injury with sparse collections of inflammatory cells predominantly surrounding the perimysial vessels and muscle fibers. These characteristics were diagnostic of DM (1). Routine and serological tests revealed that both erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein levels were elevated. The patient was reluctant to undergo prednisone or intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, and she was administered methotrexate instead. She exhibited a good response to treatment. Age- and risk-appropriate screening was performed, which was negative for malignancy. Interestingly, a mammogram revealed bilateral, unusual, coarse, heterogeneous, branched, and sheet-like calcifications, which were regionally distributed at the top and spanned toward the center at a posterior depth. In addition, the left side was affected to a greater extent than the right, which is compatible with benign subcutaneous calcifications associated with DM (Figure 1a, b).
A Sociocultural Approach to Style

Common definitions of style have tended to treat it as an artifact controlled by the producer, overlooking two features afforded attention in sociocultural linguistics: dynamism and co-construction. Although some scholars have highlighted style’s interactivity, their accounts have not yielded a comprehensive theory. This essay advances and illustrates a more rigorous definition of style as a fluid activity in which meaning is often contested, continually negotiated, and necessarily informed by interlocutors’ beliefs. Ultimately, in integrating and expanding on theories of style’s interactivity and contingency, it provides guidance for style researchers and demonstrates the value of cross-disciplinary conversation around style.
Impact of the Crystallite Orientation Distribution on Exciton Transport in Donor–Acceptor Conjugated Polymers

Conjugated polymers are widely used materials in organic photovoltaic devices. Owing to their extended electronic wave functions, they often form semicrystalline thin films. In this work, we aim to understand whether distribution of crystallographic orientations affects exciton diffusion using a low-band-gap polymer backbone motif that is representative of the donor/acceptor copolymer class. Using the fact that the polymer side chain can tune the dominant crystallographic orientation in the thin film, we have measured the quenching of polymer photoluminescence, and thus the extent of exciton dissociation, as a function of crystal orientation with respect to a quenching substrate. We find that the crystallite orientation distribution has little effect on the average exciton diffusion length. We suggest several possibilities for the lack of correlation between crystallographic texture and exciton transport in semicrystalline conjugated polymer films.
Updates of chemop prevention in breast cancer

The chemoprevention of using pharmacologic agents intervenes in the process of development and progression of carcinoma to prevent malignant breast tumor.It is well known that antagonism of estrogen has become the important approach in breast cancer prevention.This article reviewed several dominating clinical trials of breast cancer prevention and the approach of increased risk assessment.