cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of antiretroviral therapy on occurrence of pre-eclampsia.

I propose that highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) causes pre-eclampsia by a direct toxic effect on the liver in which the synthesis and secretion of retinol-binding proteins are impaired leading to the reduced serum retinol concentrations typically found in pre-eclampsia. Vitamin A would thus be expected to accumulate in the liver due to defective mobilisation. Retinyl esters retinoic acid and other biologically active biliary metabolites of vitamin A that would normally be excreted harmlessly via the intestine are instead regurgitated or leaked from damaged hepatocytes into the maternal circulation. Low serum retinol concentrations would thus be paradoxically associated with increased concentrations of active retinoids. These retinoids have not been previously assessed in pre-eclampsia or in HIV-1- positive patients treated with HAART. (excerpt)
Inferior vena cava reconstruction using fresh inferior vena cava allograft following caval resection for leiomyosarcoma : Midterm results

We present a 56-year-old woman affected by a large leiomyosarcoma originating from the suprarenal inferior vena cava (IVC). A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed near obstruction of the IVC and involvement of the right renal vein. The patient underwent successful en bloc resection of the tumor, right kidney, right adrenal gland, and IVC. Caval reconstruction was performed using a non-type specific allograft, followed by left renal vein re-implantation. The patient tolerated the procedure well without any complications. The use of an IVC allograft allowed for continued graft patency, without the need of immunosuppression or long-term anticoagulation. However, local recurrence did occur.
Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Slow Crack Growth in Engineering Polymers

The process zone (PZ) that surrounds and precedes a crack is a common feature of fracture in engineering polymers. Depending on the material, the specimen geometry, the temperature, and the loading conditions various types of microdefects such as crazes, shearbands, microcracks, micro-voids, etc, constitute the process zone. The microdefects are formed in response to stress concentration, and shield the crack tip from high stress level. There is a complex crack – damage interaction, which is briefly addressed by means of a semi-empirical method. On a continuum mechanics level, the PZ appears as a domain with effective elastic properties different from that of the original material. The crack and PZ evolve as one system with multiple degrees of freedom. It is regarded as a Crack Layer (CL) in contrast with the conventional image of crack as an ideal cut. There are thermodynamic forces responsible for CL growth, which are defined as derivative of Gibbs free energy with respect to the corresponding CL “coordinates”. The thermodynamic forces can be expressed as integrals of the Energy Momentum Tensor of elasticity. Onsager type relations between CL growth rates and corresponding CL forces constitute a system of constitutive equations for CL propagation. Examples of solution of these equations, and comparison with experimental data as well as with conventional models are presented in accompanying paper.
A Content Analysis of Cognitive Health Promotion in Popular Magazines

Health behaviors, particularly physical activity, may promote cognitive health. The public agenda for health behaviors is influenced by popular media. We analyzed the cognitive health content of 20 United States magazines, examining every page of every 2006-2007 issue of the highest circulating magazines for general audiences, women, men, African Americans, and the health conscious (n = 178). Diet was the greatest focus. Physical activity coverage was limited. Important behavior-related cognitive health risks, including hypertension and diabetes, were not mentioned. Publications for African Americans had little cognitive health content. Coverage of cognitive health was not commensurate with growing evidence that health behaviors may help to maintain it. Findings may be useful to public health officials, health care providers, non-profit organizations that promote cognitive health, individuals evaluating cognitive health information in popular media, and those responsible for magazines or other media.
Glycine transport by pigeon red cells: calculation of glycine accumulation ratios by numerical integration of entry and exit rate equations

Abstract The rate equations integrated, obtained from previous work, describe Na+-dependent and independent movement both into and out of hemolysed-and-restored cells, as well as Na+ entry and exit. The calculated glycine accumulation ratios (both greater and less than unity) were compared with previously measured values. Active accumulation and expulsion of glycine could be approximately accounted for by a process for which the Na+ electrochemical gradient furnishes the energy, but discrepancies exist which could be due to an additional energy source or to inexact or inappropriate parameters or assumptions for the rate equations.
Studies on virus particles resembling oncogenic RNA viruses in monkey breast carcinoma.

An 8-year-old rhesus monkey was found to have a spontaneous breast cancer. Over a 3-month period several biopsy specimens were taken to search for virus particles by electron microscopy and tissue culture. At autopsy other tissue specimens were also studied. The elctron microscopy revealed the presence of a large number of virus particles in the intercellular spaces extracellularly adjacent to cell surfaces and in the intercellular vacuoles. These virus particles consisted of a dense nucleoid and an outer unit membrane. Also another type of virus particle morphologically resembling Type A mouse mammary tumor virus was observed in the cytoplasm of cells. This virus was isolated and cultured in the tumor tissue with monkey embryo and monkey lung cells. Cell-free virus was found to be infectious for other types of cultured cells including human leukocytes and human embryonic cells. This agent does not cross-react with antisera prepared against other viruses suggesting a new viral entity. Results indicate the oncogenic nature of this virus. However other monkeys inoculated with cell-free virus or infected tissue culture cells have not yet developed tumors.
The Computational Versatility of Proteomic Signaling Networks

Almost all proteomic signaling networks in prokaryotes and eukaryotes are based on the simple phosphorylation/dephosporylation cycle; from this simple unit it is possible to construct a huge variety of control and computational circuits, both analog and digital. With the characterization of many signaling networks, researchers are turning to address the question of how a particular physiological response can be understood in terms of the proteins that make up the network; this is one of the central questions in "Systems Biology". In this article I wish to summarize the great versatility of the basic protein cycle as a means to construct complex functional behaviors including the central role that feedback plays in determining the properties of protein based networks.
Indescribable cardinals and elementary embeddings

Indescribability is closely related to the reflection principles of Zermelo-Frankel set theory. In this axiomatic setting the universe of all sets stratifies into a natural cumulative hierarchy (Vα: α ϵ On) such that any formula of the language for set theory that holds in the universe already holds in the restricted universe of all sets obtained by some stage.The axioms of ZF prove the existence of many ordinals α such that this reflection scheme holds in the world Vα. Hanf and Scott noticed that one arrives at a large cardinal notion if the reflecting formulas are allowed to contain second order free variables to which one assigns subsets of Vα. For a given collection Ω of formulas in the ϵ language of set theory with higher type variables and a unary predicate symbol they define an ordinal α to be Ω indescribable if for all sentences Φ in Ω and A ⊆ VαSince a sufficient coding apparatus is available, this definition is (for the classes of formulas that we are going to consider) equivalent to the one that one obtains by allowing finite sequences of relations over Vα, some of which are possibly k-ary. We will be interested mainly in certain standardized classes of formulas: Let (, respectively) denote the class of all formulas in the language introduced above whose prenex normal form has n alternating blocks of quantifiers of type m (i.e. (m + 1)th order) starting with ∃ (∀, respectively) and no quantifiers of type greater than m. In Hanf and Scott [1961] it is shown that in ZFC, indescribability is equivalent to inaccessibility and indescribability coincides with weak compactness.
Long- and Short-Range Transcriptional Repressors Induce Distinct Chromatin States on Repressed Genes

Summary Transcriptional repression is essential for establishing precise patterns of gene expression during development [1]. Repressors governing early Drosophila segmentation can be classified as short- or long-range factors based on their ranges of action, acting either locally to quench adjacent activators or broadly to silence an entire locus [2]. Paradoxically, these repressors recruit common corepressors, Groucho and CtBP, despite their different ranges of repression [3–7]. To reveal the mechanisms underlying these two distinct modes of repression, we performed chromatin analysis using the prototypical long-range repressor Hairy and the short-range repressor Knirps. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and micrococcal nuclease mapping studies reveal that Knirps causes local changes of histone density and acetylation, and the inhibition of activator recruitment, without affecting the recruitment of basal transcriptional machinery. In contrast, Hairy induces widespread histone deacetylation and inhibits the recruitment of basal machinery without inducing chromatin compaction. Our study provides detailed mechanistic insight into short- and long-range repression on selected endogenous target genes and suggests that the transcriptional corepressors can be differentially deployed to mediate chromatin changes in a context-dependent manner.
Age-related changes in mitochondrial function in Drosophila melanogaster.

Abstract Aging of Drosophila melanogaster resulted in a steady increase in the rate of mitochondrial oxidation of pyruvate-malate. At advanced ages, the rate of phosphate incorporation into ATP decreased markedly. This decrease in ATP synthesis was paralleled by a decrease in the activity of mitochondrial ATPase, a probable component of the phosphorylating system. Aging cells steadily accumulated an inhibitor which strongly depressed ATP synthesis when the cytosol of aged cells was incubated with the mitochondria of young cells.
A data reduction package for multiple object spectroscopy.

Experience with fiber-optic spectrometers has demonstrated improvements in observing efficiency for clusters of 30 or more objects that must in turn be matched by data reduction capability increases. The Medusa Automatic Reduction System reduces data generated by multiobject spectrometers in the form of two-dimensional images containing 44 to 66 individual spectra, using both software and hardware improvements to efficiently extract the one-dimensional spectra. Attention is given to the ridge-finding algorithm for automatic location of the spectra in the CCD frame. A simultaneous extraction of calibration frames allows an automatic wavelength calibration routine to determine dispersion curves, and both line measurements and cross-correlation techniques are used to determine galaxy redshifts.
Dissociation of μ and δ opioid receptor-mediated reductions in evoked and spontaneous synaptic inhibition in the rat hippocampus in vitro

Modulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-mediated inhibition, and glutamate-mediated excitation by highly selective mu and delta opioid agonists was studied using intracellular recordings of CA1 pyramidal neuron synaptic responses in superfused hippocampal slices. Equimolar concentrations of the selective mu agonist, [Tyr-(D-Ala)-Gly-(N-Me-Phe)-Gly-ol]-enkephalin (DAGO), or the delta selective agonist, [D-Pen2,D-Pen5]-enkephalin (DPDPE), reversibly increased the amplitudes of excitatory post-synaptic potentials (EPSPs), evoked by Schaffer collateral/commissural stimulation, without altering the input resistance or resting membrane potential of these CA1 pyramidal neurons. The increased EPSP amplitudes resulting from superfusion with the enkephalin analogs were qualitatively similar to those caused by the GABAA receptor antagonist, bicuculline methiodide (BMI). Specific stimulation/recording protocols and micro-lesions of the slices were used to evoke relatively pure forms of recurrent and feed-forward GABA-mediated inhibitory post-synaptic potentials (IPSPs). The mu opioid agonist DAGO reduced both recurrent and feed-forward IPSPs, while the delta agonist DPDPE had no effect upon these responses. To test the hypothesis that the enhancement of pyramidal neuron EPSPs by delta (and mu) opioids was due to the reduction of an inhibitory potential that was coincident with the EPSP, DPDPE or the mu agonist, DAGO, were applied while recording monosynaptic IPSPs following the elimination of EPSPs by the glutamate receptor antagonists, D,L-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (APV) and 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX). The mu agonist, DAGO, reversibly reduced these pharmacologically isolated IPSPs, while the delta agonist, DPDPE, had no effect upon these responses. Despite the fact that the delta agonist, DPDPE, had no effect on recurrent, feed-forward or monosynaptic evoked IPSPs, this enkephalin did reversibly reduce the frequency of spontaneously occurring IPSPs, measured using whole-cell recordings with pipettes containing 65 mM KCl. The mu agonist, DAGO, and the GABAA antagonist, BMI, similarly reduced spontaneous IPSP rates. We conclude from these data that mu and delta opioid receptor activation increases EPSPs via the reduction of a form of GABAergic inhibition that is difficult to characterize, and which may be distinct from conventional feed-forward and recurrent inhibition. Furthermore, delta opioids seem to reduce this form of GABAergic inhibition selectively, while mu opioids reduced this inhibition, and conventional feed-forward and recurrent IPSPs as well.
The effects of defendant remorse on mock juror decisions in a malpractice case.

The purpose of this study was to observe the effects of defendant remorse on monetary damages awarded to a plaintiff in a malpractice case. In two experiments, the physician-defendant expressed remorse at the time of the incident and again at trial, expressed remorse at trial, explicitly demonstrated a lack of remorse at trial, or made no mention of remorse (or a lack thereof). Participants decided how much money to award to the plaintiff and evaluated both the plaintiff and the defendant on several dimensions. Participants awarded greater compensation when the physician expressed remorse at the time of the incident than in the other conditions, both when the plaintiff was the injured patient's spouse in a wrongful death suit (experiment 1) and when the patient sued on his own behalf (experiment 2). This effect of remorse was greater for males than for females (experiment 1) and for relatively severely injured plaintiffs (experiment 2). Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Experimental Study and Fabric Tensor Quantification of Microcrack Distributions in Composite Materials

In this study, the microcrack distributions of samples of a metal-matrix composite material (titanium aluminide (Ti-14Al-21Nb(α2)) reinforced with continuous silicon carbide (SiC) (SCS-6) fibers) are measured experimentally, and then quantified using the fabric tensor approach. The laminated composite material samples have two lay-up configurations: [0/90]s and [±45]s. These samples are tested under uniaxial tension up to different levels of loads, to understand how microcrack distributions develop with applied loads. The [±45]s samples are shown to have more microcracks and a wider range of orientations of microcracks than the [0/90]s samples. The microcracks can be divided into two categories: fiber microcracks and fiber-interface microcracks. Distributions of both types are shown to be similar in shape but different in orientation. In addition, microcrack distributions weighted by the microcrack lengths are presented. Fabric tensors of zero, second, fourth, sixth, eighth, and tenth order are used to ap...
The Central Memory CD4+ T Cell Population Generated during Leishmania major Infection Requires IL-12 to Produce IFN-γ

Central memory CD4+ T cells provide a pool of lymph node-homing, Ag-experienced cells that are capable of responding rapidly after a secondary infection. We have previously described a population of central memory CD4+ T cells in Leishmania major-infected mice that were capable of mediating immunity to a secondary infection. In this study, we show that the Leishmania-specific central memory CD4+ T cells require IL-12 to produce IFN-γ, demonstrating that this population needs additional signals to develop into Th1 cells. In contrast, effector cells isolated from immune mice produced IFN-γ in vitro or in vivo in the absence of IL-12. In addition, we found that when central memory CD4+ T cells were adoptively transferred into IL-12-deficient hosts, many of the cells became IL-4 producers. These studies indicate that the central memory CD4+ T cell population generated during L. major infection is capable of developing into either Th1 or Th2 effectors. Thus, continued IL-12 production may be required to ensure the development of Th1 cells from this central memory T cell pool, a finding that has direct relevance to the design of vaccines dependent upon central memory CD4+ T cells.
The Incidence and Timing of PAC Contributions to Incumbent U.S. House Members, 1993-94

In this article, we discuss how donor and recipient characteristics affected the incidence and timing of political action committee (PAC) contributions to incumbent members of the U.S. House of Representatives during the 1993-94 election cycle. We contribute to the campaign finance literature by modeling the timing of contributions, which is important because timing affects the perception of political actors about the competitiveness of elections and the loci of power among members of Congress, interest groups, and between members of Congress and interest groups. Split-population event history models allow us to compare and contrast determinants of whether and when contributions are made across various types and sizes of PACs.
Observations on the Relationship Between Above- and Below-Ground Anthocyanin Production in Galax urceolata (Poir.) Brummitt Growing in Sun-Exposed and Shaded Locations

Abstract Galax urceolata (Diapensiaceae) is a common evergreen herb of southern Appalachian forests. During the fall and winter, leaves of plants in high light produce substantial amounts of anthocyanins. Oddly, rhizomes in these plants also accumulate anthocyanins. The purpose of this observational study was to identify seasonal trends in anthocyanin production in above- and below-ground tissues of Galax. We measured anthocyanins and chlorophyll in Galax using standard extraction and spectrophotometric procedures from plants in sun-exposed and shaded locations; one population at Mount Jefferson State Natural Area in fall 2007 and two at Grandfather Mountain in fall/winter 2008–09. Rhizome carbohydrates (soluble sugars and starch) were measured from the Grandfather populations using high performance liquid chromatography. We found significantly more anthocyanins in leaves and rhizomes of plants from sun-exposed locations compared to plants from shaded locations, but no differences in carbohydrate concentr...
A dual lateral-field-excited bulk acoustic wave sensor array

Recently, there has been interest in the fabrication of multiple quartz crystal microbalances (QCMs) on a single substrate to create a sensor array. However, such devices are ultimately subject to the limitations of the QCM configuration, requiring electrodes and wires on the sensing surface of the crystal substrate, resulting in a cumbersome arrangement that is unable to detect electrical property changes. The lateral-field-excited (LFE) sensor is a novel sensing device that only requires electrodes on the back side of the substrate. With a bare sensing surface, the LFE sensor is a better choice for implementing a sensor array. The purpose of this paper is to report on the fabrication and testing of two independent LFE devices on a single substrate. The individual LFE elements are shown to respond to both electrical and mechanical property changes, with minimal crosstalk between the LFE elements.
THE LOCALIZATION OF ENZYME ACTIVITIES IN THE RAT BRAIN

Studies with rat brain illustrate the usefulness of formol-calcium-fixed tissue for studying both enzymatic "chemoarchitectonics" and intracellular organelles. Unembedded frozen sections and polyvinyl alcohol-embedded sections may be used to demonstrate the activities of DPNH-tetrazolium reductase localized in mitochondria and ergastoplasm, TPNH-tetrazolium reductase localized in mitochondria, ATPase (and/or apyrase or ADPase) in cell membranes, and acid phosphatase in lysosomes.1 Among the observations recorded are: (1) the presence of lysosomes in all cells of the brain; (2) the presence of numerous large lysosomes near the nuclei of capillary endothelial cells; (3) a polarized arrangement of large lysosomes in epithelial cells of the ependyma and choroid plexus; (4) the presence of ATPase activity in the cell membranes of some neurons; (5) the presence of either an apyrase or combination of ATPase and ADPase in the cell membranes of neuroglia and capillaries; (6) the presence of both DPNH- and TPNH-tetrazolium reductase activities in neuroglia; (7) the presence of DPNH- and TPNH-tetrazolium reductase activities in mitochondria and of DPNH-tetrazolium reductase activity in Nissl substance. The possible functional significance of these localizations is briefly discussed, as is their relation to "quantitative histochemistry" data available in the literature.
Automatic verification of interactions in asynchronous systems with unbounded buffers

Asynchronous communication requires message queues to store the messages that are yet to be consumed. Verification of interactions in asynchronously communicating systems is challenging since the sizes of these queues can grow arbitrarily large during execution. In fact, behavioral models for asynchronously communicating systems typically have infinite state spaces, which makes many analysis and verification problems undecidable. In this paper, we show that, focusing only on the interaction behavior (modeled as the global sequence of messages that are sent, recorded in the order they are sent) results in decidable verification for a class of asynchronously communicating systems. In particular, we present the necessary and sufficient condition under which asynchronously communicating systems with unbounded queues exhibit interaction behavior that is equivalent to their interactions over finitely bounded queues. We show that this condition can be automatically checked, ensuring existence of a finite bound on the queue sizes, and, we show that, the finite bound on the queue sizes can be automatically computed.
Targeting tumors with genetically enhanced T lymphocytes

Our ability to simply and rapidly transduce human cells offers novel prospects for the targeting and functional enhancement of tumor-reactive T lymphocytes. Recognition of self tumor antigens is indeed constrained by mechanisms of immune tolerance. Furthermore, tumors exploit a number of mechanisms to elude or derail immunity, including the down-regulation of antigen and/or MHC expression and the inactivation of effector T cells through mechanisms such as anergy, apoptosis and suppression. The advent of effective methods for gene transfer in T cells provides a new means for generating tumor-specific T cells endowed with the ability to overcome barriers to their full activation within the tumor microenvironment. We recently reported a novel strategy to offset the costimulatory deficit that characterizes the tumor microenvironment. We hypothesized that tumor antigen-specific T lymphocytes that constitutively express costimulatory ligands could themselves serve to deliver activating costimulatory signals. We have now shown that the constitutive expression of CD80 and 4-1BBL in human T lymphocytes fully substitutes for the lack of these ligands on APCs, including tumor cells. CD80 and 4-1BBL co-transduction confers upon T cells the ability to expand and amplify effector functions following repeated exposure to antigen, in both cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific T cells activated through their endogenous TCR or in polyclonal T cells transduced with a chimeric antigen receptor. Primary T cells that are genetically targeted to prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a model target antigen investigated in prostate cancer immunotherapy, and co-express CD80 and 4-1BBL thus display robust tumor antigen-dependent proliferation and reject large tumor burdens in mice bearing systemic prostate tumors in the lungs, lymph nodes, and bone marrow. Altogether, our studies establish the occurrence of both auto- and trans-costimulation in T cells expressing costimulatory ligands, and support the broad applicability of this novel paradigm for enhancing the efficacy of adoptive T cell therapy. This abstract was published in Cancer Immunity, a Cancer Research Institute journal that ceased publication in 2013 and is now provided online in association with Cancer Immunology Research.
Patch-work solidarity: describing and explaining US and European labour internationalism

This paper describes and explains the broad patterns of union internationalism championed by Europe and US labour unions. Descriptively, historical evidence reveals that cross-national organizing and cooperation among US and European unions vary most significantly on three dimensions: (1) despite being modest and taking a back-seat to national priorities, both US and European unions have meaningfully increased their cross-border ties since the 1970s; (2) these unions have prioritized intra-regional ties over developing-country or transatlantic coordination; and (3) US unions are more interested in labour rights policies and basic organizing, including somewhat more attention to developing-country and transatlantic initiatives, while their European counterparts focus on broader welfare policy and collective bargaining in their regional setting. Analytically, the argument is that such patch-work internationalism reflects not only patterns of economic‘globalization’, but also historical-institutional feature...
Non-breeding gonadal testosterone production of male and female Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) following GnRH challenge

Yearly, testosterone (T) levels fluctuate as many vertebrates cycle through reproductive and non-reproductive periods. Among many temperate birds, it is well established that levels of T peak as gonads recrudesce for breeding and then fall as gonads regress prior to the non-breeding season. While the tissues producing breeding season T are well studied, the tissues responsible for non-breeding T have received less investigative attention. We examined the ability of male and female Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) to elevate gonadal T following standardized injections of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) across three non-breeding seasons. Males and females were capable of significantly elevating gonadal T production following GnRH injections during periods of reproductive quiescence. The magnitude of T elevation varied across the non-breeding season, but not between sexes. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a significant increase in gonadal T production following GnRH injections administered in the non-breeding season.
Excessive daytime sleepiness in a 13-year-old.

Included in the large group of children referred for attention deficit evaluations, several less common entities can be found. Careful history will enable the identification of these atypical cases of attention deficit and allow more preceise diagnosis and treatment.
Practical Implications of Preference-Based Conference Scheduling

Conference scheduling involves organizing presentations into sessions which are assigned to time periods and rooms. This includes assuring a feasible utilization of time periods and rooms, and avoiding individual schedule conflicts. The problem increases in complexity by considering the preferences of presenters: for time periods, for rooms, etc. A greater level of complexity comes from considering the preferences of conference attendees, which we define as preference-based conference scheduling (PBCS). This article provides a structure on which PBCS problems are founded, including empirical demonstration of solution techniques. In addition, real-world strategic planning issues of flexibility and preference detail are explored.
Dabigatran Etexilate: A Novel Oral Thrombin Inhibitor for Thromboembolic Disease

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of dabigatran etexilate, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October 2010 for the prevention of cardioembolic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation; potential off-label use is treatment and prevention of venous thromboembolic disorders.Data Sources:Literature was accessed through MEDLINE (1977-April 2011) and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1977-April 2011) using the terms dabigatran, dabigatran etexilate, BIBR 1048, direct thrombin inhibitor, anticoagulant, and thromboembolism. In addition, US government Web sites, including clinicaltrials.gov and fda.gov, were reviewed for pertinent information. Lastly, reference citations from publications identified in the initial search were reviewed.Study Selection and Data Extraction:All English-language articles identified from the data sources were evaluated. For the evaluation of clinical efficacy and safety, only Phase 2 and 3 studies are included in this review.Data Synthesis:In 6 pu...
Pro-inflammatory cytokines from Kupffer cells downregulate hepatocyte expression of adrenomedullin binding protein-1

Abstract Polymicrobial sepsis is characterized by an early, hyperdynamic phase followed by a late hypodynamic phase. Adrenomedullin (AM), a vasodilatory peptide, inhibits this transition from the early phase to the late phase. Adrenomedullin binding protein-1 (AMBP-1) enhances AM-mediated activities. The decrease of AMBP-1 levels in late sepsis reduces the vascular response to AM and produces the hypodynamic phase. Studies have indicated that the administration of LPS downregulates AMBP-1 production in the liver. Since hepatocytes are the primary source of AMBP-1 biosynthesis in the liver, we employed a co-culture strategy using hepatocyte and Kupffer cells to determine whether LPS directly or by increasing pro-inflammatory cytokines from Kupffer cells downregulates AMBP-1 production. Hepatocytes and Kupffer cells isolated from rats were co-cultured and treated with LPS for 24 h. LPS significantly attenuated AMBP-1 protein expression in a dose-dependent manner. Since AMBP-1 is basically a secretory protein, cell supernatants from co-culture cells treated with LPS were examined for AMBP-1 protein levels. LPS treatment caused a dose related decrease in AMBP-1 protein secretion. Similarly, LPS treatment produced a significant decrease in AMBP-1 protein expression in hepatocytes and Kupffer cells cultured using transwell inserts. LPS had no direct effect on AMBP-1 levels in cultured hepatocytes or Kupffer cells alone. To confirm that the observed effects in co-culture were due to the cytokines released from Kupffer cells, hepatocytes were treated with IL-1β or TNF-α for 24 h and AMBP-1 expression was examined. The results indicated that both cytokines significantly inhibited AMBP-1 protein levels. Thus, pro-inflammatory cytokines released from Kupffer cells are responsible for downregulation of AMBP-1.
Cell-level thermal management issues in concentrator III–V multijunction solar cells

Concentrator solar cells are almost always characterized near room temperature (RT) conditions, but are operated at system-dependent elevated temperatures in the field. Cell designs that are optimized for RT can quickly lose their advantage at higher temperatures. Cell designers have traditionally considered thermal management to be the problem of system designers, but some initial consideration of these issues at the cell level can reduce the thermal resistances and heat-load that must be removed by system level active or passive cooling. We consider the location of heat generation within multijunction solar cells and its flow through thermal resistances caused by the substrates and mixed III–V alloy layers. We show advantages of inverted designs by rejection of much of the unused light below 1 eV, which makes up about 16% of the power flux. A 40% efficient IMM solar cell with a 1 eV bottom cell will therefore have about a 20% lower heat flux than a comparable 40% efficient Ge-based solar cell.
A Widening of the Net of Social Control

Abstract Young women's involvement with the U.S. juvenile justice system has grown rapidly over the last two decades. With this growth has come a proliferation of interventions intended to meet a 1992 federal initiative for correctional facilities and programs for adolescents to provide “gender-specific” services. In this article, we present the results of an inductive, qualitative evaluation of an art therapy program for institutionalized girls developed in response to this initiative. Using data from focus groups with young women and interviews with staff and administration, we demonstrate how the program, as it attempts to help them, also attempts to control the young women by reinforcing gendered notions of appropriateness. Examining assumptions about gender on which the program is based, as well as the notable absence of attention to issues of race, ethnicity, and class, we draw on the work of Foucault to consider how gender-specific treatment can serve to broaden social control over young women. We ...
Robust Accounting in Decentralized P2P Storage Systems

A peer-to-peer (P2P) storage system allows a network of peer computers to increase the availability of their data by replicating it on other peers in the network. In such networks, a central challenge is preventing "freeloaders", or nodes that use disproportionately more storage on other peers than they contribute to the network. While several existing systems claim to solve this problem, we show that all known approaches are vulnerable to various attacks by either a single greedy peer or a small group of peers. To address this problem, we describe a robust distributed system to account for the storage activities of each peer. We analyze the security of this system, prove that it is secure under a much stronger attack model than previous work, and evaluate the efficiency of a prototype implementation.
Improved sense-amplifier-based flip-flop: design and measurements

Design and experimental evaluation of a new sense-amplifier-based flip-flop (SAFF) is presented. It was found that the main speed bottleneck of existing SAFF's is the cross-coupled set-reset (SR) latch in the output stage. The new flip-flop uses a new output stage latch topology that significantly reduces delay and improves driving capability. The performance of this flip-flop is verified by measurements on a test chip implemented in 0.18 /spl mu/m effective channel length CMOS. Demonstrated speed places it among the fastest flip-flops used in the state-of-the-art processors. Measurement techniques employed in this work as well as the measurement set-up are discussed in this paper.
Mapping and gene conversion studies with the structural gene for iso-1-cytochrome C in yeast.

ABSTRACT We have investigated the order of the four genes cyc1 , rad7 , SUP4 , and cdc8 which form a tightly linked cluster on the right arm of chromosome X in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae . Crossing over and coconversion data from tetrad analysis established the gene order to be centromere– cyc1 – rad7 – SUP4 . Also cdc8 appeared to be distal to SUP4 on the basis of crossovers that were associated with conversion of SUP4 . The frequencies of recombination and the occurrence of coconversions suggest that these four genes are contiguous or at least nearly so. Gene-conversion frequencies for several cyc1 alleles were studied, including cyc1 – 1 , a deletion of the whole gene that extends into the rad7 locus. The cyc1 – 1 deletion was found to be capable of conversion, though at a frequency some fivefold less than the other alleles studied, and both 3:1 and 1:3 events were detected. In general 1:3 and 3:1 conversion events were equally frequent at all loci studied, and approximately 50% of conversions were accompanied by reciprocal recombination for flanking markers. The orientation of the cyc1 gene could not be clearly deduced from the behavior of the distal marker SUP4 in wild-type recombinants that arose from diploids heteroallelic for cyc1 mutations.
Current Threats to Biodiversity

The most immediate threats to biodiversity in the Eastern Arc Mountains are deforestation, forest fragmentation, forest degradation, over-exploitation of species, and the introduction of exotic species. In order to simplify the discussion of these threats, the impact of each of these activities will be discussed separately. However, in reality many of these activities occur simultaneously. For example, forest fragmentation is associated with deforestation, while forest degradation is generally a result of over-exploitation of species. The combined impact of these threats on biodiversity is often considerably greater than simply the sum of the individual activities.
Prosthetic Speech Appliances for Patients with Cleft Palate

The prosthetic treatment of certain patients with cleft palate is an important part of the multidisciplinary approach to solving the many problems related to total health.
The establishment and maintenance of hepatocyte surface polarity

Vertebrates rely upon their livers for a multitude of functions (Arias et al., 1988; Zakim and Boyer, 1990). Notable examples include: the synthesis and secretion of plasma proteins and bile; the absorption, modification, storage and redistribution of nutrients absorbed from the diet by the gut; and the detoxification and elimination of potentially harmful xenobiotic compounds. These and many other crucial activities can be ascribed directly to the hepatocyte, the major epithelial cell of the liver. The remarkable ability of the hepatocyte to carry out this diverse group of processes derives in large part from its strategic positioning between blood plasma and bile and its attendant asymmetry. It is in this context that I will discuss selected aspects of what is presently known about the establishment and maintenance of hepatocyte surface polarity. By hepatocyte surface polarity I refer specifically to the compartmentalization of the hepatocyte surface (and plasma membrane) into structurally and functionally distinct domains which differ in molecular composition. Since relatively little is known about the compartmentalization of plasma membrane lipids by hepatocytes, this discussion will be, by necessity, focused upon the domain-specific plasma membrane proteins of hepatocytes.
Integrating theory, measurement and data analysis in family studies survey research.

years through a variety of excellent review papers (Berardo, 1981; Campbell, 1981; Glick and Gross, 1975; Hill, 1981; McLaughlin and Otto, 1981; O'Leary and Turkewitz, 1978; Wiseman, 1981). Consequently, the field of family studies has come a long way in terms of empirical sophistication, at least in awareness if not always in practice. Furthermore, Olson (1976) and Sprenkle (1976) among others have called for an integration of efforts by family theorists, researchers, educators, and clinicians. Nevertheless, in spite of these outstanding efforts, inadequate attention continues to be given to the integrated nature of the research process which, as adapted from Olson (1976), may be depicted as a cycle (see Figure). Unfortunately, we often tend to specialize in different phases of the cycle, losing touch with recent advances and fellow professionals FIGURE. THE INTEGRATED AND CYCLICAL NATURE OF FAMILY RESEARCH
Treatment of nephrotic syndrome with interrupted ACTH or oral cortisone therapy.

Summary1. Lowering of serum complement during the edematous phase of the nephrotic syndrome is apparently the result of an antigen-antibody reaction. 24 to 48 hours preceding spontaneous or ACTH induced diuresis, serum complement rises significantly to or toward normal. 2. ACTH, given for 7 days, effects clinical remissions which are only temporary in most cases. When the initial week of ACTH is followed by interrupted courses of ACTH given on 3 successive days of each week for 5 to 8 weeks, remissions have been long-lasting. Courses of interrupted therapy were continued until the complement level stabilized at average normal or high levels. Recent work suggests that if the initial treatment with ACTH is followed by interrupted courses of oral Cortisone, similar favorable results may be obtained.
Quality Assessment of Influenza Surveillance in Hospitals of Mianyang City,2011- 2013

Objective To assess the quality of influenza surveillance in hospitals of Mianyang and to provide references for scientific prevention and control measures. Methods The reported cases with influenza- like illnesses( ILI),relevant information of specimen collection and detecting,as well as management were all collected for analyzing. Results The quality of the surveillance in 2012- 2013 was better than in 2011- 2012 in terms of ILI reporting and specimens collecting and transportation. All the three sentinel hospitals reported ILI case accurately,timely and completely. The constituent ratio of the specimens within three days met with relevant requirements. The specimens' quantity and the time spent on specimens transporting should be improved. Additionally,the hospitals' management is progressing towards standardization. Conclusion The quality of surveillance need to be further improved. Reward and punishment mechanism should be implemented and the intensity of training and supervision are as well to be strengthened to improve the surveillance quality.
Fruit Composition and Sensory Attributes of Organic Heirloom Tomatoes as Affected by Grafting

Grafting has many purposes in vegetable production. It is used for control of soilborne pathogens, season extension in protected culture, and improving productivity in cucurbitaceous and solanaceous crops. Consumers desire heirloom tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) for their perceived excellent flavor. Heirloom tomatoes are susceptible to many soilborne diseases and may benefit from grafting onto more robust, disease-resistant rootstocks especially under organic production. In this two-year study, heirloom tomato ‘Brandywine’ was grafted onto tomato hybrid ‘Survivor’ and interspecific tomato hybrid ‘Multifort’ rootstocks to determine the effects of grafting on fruit quality attributes such as soluble solids content (SSC), pH, total titratable acidity (TTA), and vitamin C. Nongrafted and self-grafted ‘Brandywine’ tomatoes were included as controls. Consumer sensory tests were also conducted to assess the effects of grafting on overall appearance and acceptability, firmness, tomato flavor, and sweetness. No significant differences in vitamin C, SSC, pH, or TTA were found in fruit from the nongrafted, self-grafted, and ‘Brandywine’ grafted with the two rootstocks either year. The SSC of all tomatoes in 2010 was lower than that of 2011. In 2010, fruit from ‘Brandywine’ grafted onto the rootstock ‘Survivor’ was scored significantly lower in appearance, acceptability, and flavor than the nongrafted ‘Brandywine’ treatment. All grafted treatments resulted in a significant decrease in acceptability ratings in the consumer sensory test. No significant differences were observed between nongrafted and grafted treatments in 2011. Consumers who reported more frequent consumption of fresh tomato tended to give lower ratings for most sensory attributes evaluated. Harvest time and fruit ripeness need to be considered in future research to better understand the influence of grafting with selected rootstocks on fruit composition and sensory attributes of heirloom tomatoes.
Quantifying the Electron Donor and Acceptor Abilities of the Ketimide Ligands in M(N═CtBu2)4 (M = V, Nb, Ta)

Addition of 4 equiv of Li(N═C(t)Bu2) to VCl3 in THF, followed by addition of 0.5 equiv of I2, generates the homoleptic V(IV) ketimide complex, V(N═C(t)Bu2)4 (1), in 42% yield. Similarly, reaction of 4 equiv of Li(N═C(t)Bu2) with NbCl4(THF)2 in THF affords the homoleptic Nb(IV) ketimide complex, Nb(N═C(t)Bu2)4 (2), in 55% yield. Seeking to extend the series to the tantalum congener, a new Ta(IV) starting material, TaCl4(TMEDA) (3), was prepared via reduction of TaCl5 with Et3SiH, followed by addition of TMEDA. Reaction of 3 with 4 equiv of Li(N═C(t)Bu2) in THF results in the isolation of a Ta(V) ketimide complex, Ta(Cl)(N═C(t)Bu2)4 (5), which can be isolated in 32% yield. Reaction of 5 with Tl(OTf) yields Ta(OTf)(N═C(t)Bu2)4 (6) in 44% yield. Subsequent reduction of 6 with Cp*2Co in toluene generates the homoleptic Ta(IV) congener Ta(N═C(t)Bu2)4 (7), although the yields are poor. All three homoleptic group 5 ketimide complexes exhibit squashed tetrahedral geometries in the solid state, as determined by X-ray crystallography. This geometry leads to a d(x(2)-y(2))(1) ((2)B1 in D(2d)) ground state, as supported by DFT calculations. EPR spectroscopic analysis of 1 and 2, performed at X- and Q-band frequencies (∼9 and 35 GHz, respectively), further supports the (2)B1 ground-state assignment, whereas comparison of 1, 2, and 7 with related group 5 tetra(aryl), tetra(amido), and tetra(alkoxo) complexes shows a higher M-L covalency in the ketimide-metal interaction. In addition, a ligand field analysis of 1 and 2 demonstrates that the ketimide ligand is both a strong π-donor and strong π-acceptor, an unusual combination found in very few organometallic ligands.
Conclusion: Now Here from Nowhere

The search for a theory of quantum gravity represents the quest for a more unified understanding of the world. Yet, this search also reveals the utility and significance of a divided picture: one in which different levels emerge at different energy scales. The emergent theories are novel compared to the higher energy theory from which they each emerge, describing features and behaviour that only exist at the lower energy scales. Additionally, the emergent theories are importantly autonomous from their bases. This comes about because few details of the high-energy physics get “carried down” to lower energies, and those that do flow down are translated into the degrees of freedom of the macro theory. Even so, there is much that the different levels have in common. In fact, it is the relationships that tie these theories together, and the features that they share that are responsible for the novelty and autonomy that characterise emergence.