cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans as Regulators of Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 Signaling in Brain Endothelial Cells SPECIFIC ROLE FOR GLYPICAN-1 IN GLIOMA ANGIOGENESIS

Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) is a potent angiogenic factor in gliomas. Heparan sulfate promotes ligand binding to receptor tyrosine kinase and regulates signaling. The goal of this study was to examine the contribution of heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) to glioma angiogenesis. Here we show that all brain endothelial cell HSPGs carry heparan sulfate chains similarly capable of forming a ternary complex with FGF2 and fibroblast growth factor receptor-1c and of promoting a mitogenic signal. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that glypican-1 was overexpressed in glioma vessel endothelial cells, whereas this cell-surface HSPG was consistently undetectable in normal brain vessels. To determine the effect of increased glypican-1 expression on FGF2 signaling, we transfected normal brain endothelial cells, which express low base-line levels of glypican-1, with this proteoglycan. Glypican-1 expression enhanced growth of brain endothelial cells and sensitized them to FGF2-induced mitogenesis despite the fact that glypican-1 remained a minor proteoglycan. In contrast, overexpression of syndecan-1 had no effect on growth or FGF2 sensitivity. We conclude that the glypican-1 core protein has a specific role in FGF2 signaling. Glypican-1 overexpression may contribute to angiogenesis and the radiation resistance characteristic of this malignancy.
A Novel Optical Sensor for Metal Ions Based on Ground-State Intermolecular Charge-Transfer Complexation

A derivative of dipyridylethylene 2 was synthesized in order to study intermolecular coordination between the 18-crown-6 ether units of bis-crown stilbene 1 and the NH3+ groups of 2. In acetonitrile solution, the formation of a supramolecular complex is evidenced by a considerable upfield shift of the 1H NMR signals from the aromatic and olefinic protons. Emission quenching and the appearance of a new absorption band in the visible spectral region indicate the formation of a charge-transfer complex. The addition of Ba2+ to a solution of the complex leads to significant fluorescence enhancement and to the disappearance of the charge-transfer absorption band.
Design of a mooring system for an inertia tube wave energy collector

The dynamics of a point absorber wave energy collector (WEC) were investigated using the University of New Hampshire (UNH) developed finite element computer program Aqua-FE and tank testing. The WEC design considered here makes use of a buoy rigidly connected to a long, vertical inertia tube which is open at the top and bottom. A piston-rod assembly is enclosed and connected to the power take-off (PTO) mechanism. Due to inertia of water within the tube, relative motion between the piston and buoy-inertia tube structure occurs, and this drives the PTO. The Aqua-FE model was then used to design a slack mooring system sufficient for holding the WEC on station while minimizing interference with its energy absorption function. The Aqua-FE model was created and validated by comparison to wave tank measurements made using a 1/9.4 scale physical model in experiments conducted in the UNH 36.6 m long by 3.66 m wide by 2.44 m deep wave tank. The mathematical model was then applied to predict full scale response to seas representing extreme storms expected at UNH's offshore test site south of the Isles of Shoals, NH. Predicted mooring loads were used to specify mooring system hardware. The Aqua-FE model for this system was evaluated using scale model results for free-release tests in heave (vertical displacement), pitch (angular motion), as well as heave in a series of single frequency waves. Wave periods, Froude-scaled to full size, spanned the range of periods observed at the UNH site.
My Sleep Fest: An Autoethnographic Short Story

I awaken to a cool light. And silence.The gray walls of my bedroom shimmer. I don’t know if the light is rising or falling.A cold wet sheet rests against my leg. I kick my foot across the bed towar...
Gene expression in tissue associated with extracellular matrix modified ePTFE.

Previous studies have established that surface modification of ePTFE with extracellular matrix molecules promotes vascularization within and around the implanted material. To understand the molecular basis of this tissue response to modified ePTFE, we analyzed large-scale gene expression in nonmodified and extracellular matrix-modified ePTFE-associated healing. Using a microarray containing 15,000 unique mouse cDNAs and an ANOVA-based analysis, we identified 789 genes related to cell signaling, inflammation, matrix remodeling, and proliferation that were differentially expressed across time, between modifications, or both. Genes were clustered based upon similarity in gene expression, producing 7 unique temporal super-patterns of expression. The clustered data revealed 3 general expression patterns unique to tissue surrounding the nonmodified ePTFE, while 6 unique expression patterns were associated with extracellular matrix-modified ePTFE. The more diverse expression patterns associated with extracellular matrix-modified ePTFE suggests that the tissue surrounding the extracellular matrix-modified ePTFE is more dynamic in terms of transcriptional activity. Taken together, these clusters serve as a “genetic fingerprint” for tissue healing in response to a specific material or material modification. Use of these genetic profiles will aid in the pursuit of improved device biocompatibility and enhanced material function. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 73A: 30–38, 2005
Missing experimental challenges to the Standard Model of particle physics

Abstract The success of particle detection in high energy physics colliders critically depends on the criteria for selecting a small number of interactions from an overwhelming number that occur in the detector. It also depends on the selection of the exact data to be analyzed and the techniques of analysis. The introduction of automation into the detection process has traded the direct involvement of the physicist at each stage of selection and analysis for the efficient handling of vast amounts of data. This tradeoff, in combination with the organizational changes in laboratories of increasing size and complexity, has resulted in automated and semi-automated systems of detection. Various aspects of the semi-automated regime were greatly diminished in more generic automated systems, but turned out to be essential to a number of surprising discoveries of anomalous processes that led to theoretical breakthroughs, notably the establishment of the Standard Model of particle physics. The automated systems are much more efficient in confirming specific hypothesis in narrow energy domains than in performing broad exploratory searches. Thus, in the main, detection processes relying excessively on automation are more likely to miss potential anomalies and impede potential theoretical advances. I suggest that putting substantially more effort into the study of electron–positron colliders and increasing its funding could minimize the likelihood of missing potential anomalies, because detection in such an environment can be handled by the semi-automated regime—unlike detection in hadron colliders. Despite virtually unavoidable excessive reliance on automated detection in hadron colliders, their development has been deemed a priority because they can operate at currently highest energy levels. I suggest, however, that a focus on collisions at the highest achievable energy levels diverts funds from searches for potential anomalies overlooked due to tradeoffs at the previous energy thresholds. I also note that even in the same collision environment, different research strategies will opt for different tradeoffs and thus achieve different experimental outcomes. Finally, I briefly discuss current searches for anomalous process in the context of the previous analysis.
Rapid Moisture-Characterization of Composites and Possible Screening Applications

Moisture diffusion in fiber reinforced plastics is characterized by two observables: the saturation level Pe, which is the weight percent moisture uptake at equilibrium, and the susceptibility parameter Pe√D which is determined by the initial absorption rate, D being the diffusion coefficient for a direction normal to the exposed surfaces. We describe a relatively quick method for determining these parameters and discuss the possibility of using the results to screen composite materials for consistency of mechanical properties that depend on resin composition and cure quality. We designate this approach as the incremental grinding method. Experi mental tests on composites made from Narmco 5208 (epoxy) and Hexcel F178 (polyimide) resins show that this method can be used, at least in these cases, to distinguish between different compositions and postcures. Aside from the matter of sample screening, the experimental data indicate that simple diffusion theory gives good predictions of moisture distribu tion, ...
Triple-Valve Replacement: An Analysis of Eight Years' Experience

Abstract The total experience with combined aortic, mitral, and tricuspid valve replacement in 38 patients during an eight-year period ending in December, 1974, is reviewed. The hospital mortality was 23.7% (9 patients) and was influenced by the preoperative New York Heart Association Functional Class: 18% (5 of 28 patients) in Class III and 40% (4 of 10) in Class IV. Intraoperative myocardial injury was the other important factor affecting hospital mortality. The majority of late deaths were related to cardiac causes. The five-year survival was 53% (20 patients) for the entire group and 62% (17 patients) for the Class III patients. At latest follow-up (mean, 44 months), 22 (76%) of the hospital survivors had improved by at least one functional class. It appears that surgical intervention before patients reach Class IV status should give better early and long-term results. Our current indications for tricuspid valve replacement as opposed to repair are presented.
25,26-Bis(propan-2-yl­idene)hepta­cyclo[20.2.1.110,13.02,21.03,8.09,14.015,20]hexa­cosa-2(21),3,5,7,9(14),11,15,17,19,23-deca­ene

In the title compound, C32H28, the central cyclo­octa­tetra­ene ring has a boat conformation, and the mol­ecule is saddle shaped. The seat is defined by the mean plane of the four-atom attachment points (r.m.s. deviation = 0.014 A) of the two bicyclo­heptenyl substituents. These substituents comprise the pommel and cantle, with each mean plane defined by four atoms proximate to the seat (r.m.s. deviations = 0.002 and 0.004 A). Relative to the seat, the pommel and cantle bend up 31.16 (4) and 29.40 (5)°, while the benzo units (flaps, r.m.s. deviations = 0.006 and 0.009 A) bend down 36.75 (4) and 38.46 (4)°. The mean planes of the dimethyl­ethyl­idene units are almost perpendicular to the saddle seat, making dihedral angles 86.89 (4) and 88.01 (4)°.
The role of videourodynamic studies in diagnosis and treatment of vesicoureteral reflux

From January 1986 to January 1988, 63 children with 95 refluxing ureters have been studied in a prospective study with videourodynamic examination. All children with reflux grades I, II, and III received antibacterial treatment. Surgical treatment was adopted for reflux grades IV and V, provided detrusor instability had been excluded. However, if there was detrusor instability, anticholinergic drugs and antibacterial treatment were given in all grades of reflux and videourodynamic examination was repeated after 3 to 6 months and after 12 months of therapy. Bilateral reflux was found in 22 of 38 patients with a stable bladder, and reimplantation was performed in 11 patients with 18 refluxing ureters. In 25 children with 35 refluxing ureters of various grades of reflux, detrusor instability was found and unilateral reflux was noted more frequently than bilateral reflux. Surgery was necessary for only five children, because in the majority of the patients detrusor instability and reflux could be treated by anticholinergic drugs and antibacterial treatment. For the decision as to which treatment should be given in vesicoureteral reflux, a videourodynamic study is mandatory.
Characteristics of central binding sites for [3H] DAMGO in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Abstract The binding of [3H] DAMGO, a highly selective ligand for μ-opiate receptors, to membranes of discrete brain regions and spinal cord of 10 week old spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats was determined. The brain regions examined were hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, corpus striatum, pons and medulla, midbrain and cortex. [3H] DAMGO bound to membranes of brain regions and spinal cord at a single high affinity site. The receptor density (Bmax value) and apparent dissociation constant (Kd value) of [3H] DAMGO to bind to membranes of hippocampus, corpus striatum, pons and medulla, cortex and spinal cord of WKY and SHR rats did not differ. The Bmax value of [3H] DAMGO in membranes of hypothalamus and midbrain of SHR rats was significantly higher than in WKY rats but the Kd values in the two strains did not differ. On the other hand, the Bmax value of [3H] DAMGO in membranes of amygdala of SHR rats was lower than that of WKY rats but the Kd values in the two strains were similar. It is concluded that SHR rats have higher density of μ-opiate receptors in hypothalamus and midbrain but lower density in amygdala in comparison with WKY rats, and that such differences in the distribution of μ-opiate receptors may be related to the elevated blood pressure in SHR rats.
Headache and intermittent claudication of the jaw in temporal arteritis.

SYNOPSIS-ABSTRACT THE PHYSICIAN should beware of headache in the senior citizen. It may forebode, among many things, the insidious onset of temporal arteritis, a disease that can be easily overlooked in its early stages. Temporal arteritis occurs exclusively in older persons. The average age of the first 105 patients carefully studied at the Mayo Clinic was 69.1 years. Danger lurking behind the headache of temporal arteritis is of far greater magnitude than that in any other type of headache. Loss of vision can occur at any time during the course of the illness, and has occurred in a high percentage of cases. Loss of vision, if it occurs, is always permanent. A high degree of suspicion on the part of the physician will lead to an early diagnosis, and thus, if treatment is promptly instituted, to the prevention of blindness. To the medical profession, the real challenge of temporal arteritis is to fide the patient through the illness without the loss of vision.
Does Play Promote Self-Regulation in Children?.

This theoretical paper discusses the role of pretend play and games with rules in fostering children's self-regulation. It proposes several pathways through which play facilitates self-regulation processes. First, in play, children learn to inhibit their impulsive behaviour and follow rules which transform their behaviour from impulsive and spontaneous to mediated and voluntary. Second, play liberates children from situational constraints as children begin to act upon the meanings of objects as opposed to their immediate motivational valence. Third, children develop internal representations which guide their behaviour. Finally, play promotes verbal self-regulation as children are engaged in an ongoing dialogue with their partners in order to resolve differences in perspectives, to reach an agreement about roles, and to invent play rules. The paper further reviews empirical studies which explore the effect of play on inhibition, working memory, and private speech. The current status of play and implication...
Photography, National Identity, and the `Cataract of Times': Wartime Images and the Case of Japan

THE YOKOHAMA MUSEUM OF ART offered up an anomaly in the summer of 1995. No other museum in the Tokyo metropolitan area referred to the fiftieth anniversary of Japan's surrender through an exhibition of photographs; indeed, no other major exhibition that summer featured documentary photography from any period.1 The Yokohama Museum, on the other hand, discreetly yet firmly constructed a vivid photographic recollection of the decade that saw the cessation of hostilities. This article examines Photography in the 1940s, as the Yokohama exhibition was called, against the striking absence of photographic documents of the war in other art museums and against the wider struggle in Japan over the purpose of history.2 Through the analysis of this particular exhibition, I explore the larger interpretive problems presented by photographic art collections. As historians grapple with the expanding importance of visual images,3 our analyses must account for what I see as the inherently unstable relationship among still photographs, national identity, and concepts of time as they come together in museums.4 Understanding this
Developing brands and emerging markets: An empirical application

Developing nations often face a series of economic hurdles in route to developed status. As they transition from one economic phase to another there is a general need to modify the basis of competitive advantage that they attempt to achieve in the marketplace. The authors present a place brand platform that can be used by developing nations to limit the cyclicality of demand, reliance on mass production, and the necessity for price competition. The framework is developed based upon a review of branding efforts and marketing theory. The basic framework is applied to a case study in ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) and parallels are drawn for regional nations.
Analyticity of solutions of nonlinear evolution equations

Analyticity in t of solutions u(t) of nonlinear evolution equations of the form u′ + A(t, u)u = ƒ(t, u), t > 0, u(0) = u0, is established under suitable conditions on A(t, u), ƒ(t, u), and u0. An application is given to quasilinear parabolic equations.
Old apartments and new plans: reconciling planning and housing goals in two Texas cities

Increasingly, cities in rapidly growing regions are promoting redevelopment to achieve denser, mixed use patterns thought crucial to environmental sustainability. Redevelopment often threatens older apartments, built in the 1970s and early 1980s during a building boom fostered by federal tax incentives. While often these aging apartments are a poor fit for the family households who inhabit them, they have become the largest stock of rental housing affordable to very low income residents. Replacing this stock of centrally located, transit accessible affordable housing would be extraordinarily expensive. City planners view these complexes as the opposite of the mixed use, pedestrian-friendly development needed in cities. Affordable housing agencies are concerned with preserving existing subsidized housing. Yet arguably, both planners and housers should be concerned about the loss of these aging apartments. Displacement of large numbers of low-income transit dependent residents from the central core of citie...
Brain Extracellular Space as a Diffusion Barrier

The extracellular space (ECS) consists of the narrow channels between brain cells together with their geometrical configuration and contents. Despite being only 20–60 nm in width, the ECS typically occupies 20% of the brain volume. Numerous experiments over the last 50 years have established that molecules moving through the ECS obey the laws of diffusion but with an effective diffusion coefficient reduced by a factor of about 2.6 compared to free diffusion. This review considers the origins of the diffusion barrier arising from the ECS and its properties. The paper presents a brief overview of software for implementing two point-source paradigms for measurements of localized diffusion properties: the real-time iontophoresis or pressure method for small ions and the integrative optical imaging method for macromolecules. Selected results are presented. This is followed by a discussion of the application of the MCell Monte Carlo simulation program to determining the importance of geometrical constraints, especially dead-space microdomains, and the possible role of interaction with the extracellular matrix. It is concluded that we can predict the impediment to diffusion of many molecules of practical importance and also use studies of the diffusion of selected molecular probes to reveal the barrier properties of the ECS.
Aspects of magnetic disorder

A brief review is given of the effects that quenched, magnetic disorder have on the magnetic properties of systems with short-range interactions. Of primary interest are random exchange, random anisotropy and random fields. Recent theoretical and experimental studies have begun to illuminate the unusual critical behavior that is seen in randomly diluted antiferromagnets in the presence of a uniform field, which is the most direct manner by which the random field problem may be approached. Considerable uncertainty still exists as to what is the lower critical dimensionalityd1 and the effective dimensionality ¯d ford-dimension Ising systems in the presence of a random field. This whole area appears to be one in which further insight might be gained through the application of microscopic probes such as NMR, Mossbauer Effect andμSR.
Continence interval in elderly incontinent men

Urinary incontinence is a serious management problem among elderly patients. The care and management of chronic care patients is more difficult in those having urinary incontinence. The level of care required is dependent on both the continence and incontinence behavior of the patient. The continence behavior in this study is presented as the time interval between episodes of involuntary urine loss. The continence interval in elderly inpatient men having severe incontinence was found to be significantly longer in patients having a larger measured cystometric bladder capacity as well as in patients having greater independence in activities of daily living. Significant variability in the continence interval was measured for each patient over a wide range of continence intervals and resulted in an irregular pattern of time between episodes of incontinence. The irregular continence intervals suggest an instability of the central nervous system sensory-motor regulatory mechanism of bladder control in the elderly.
Centralized, decentralized, and independent control of a flexible manipulator on a flexible base

The dynamics and control of a flexible manipulator arm with payload mass on a flexible base in space are considered. The controllers are provided by one torquer at the center of the base and one torquer at the connection joint of the robot and the base. The nonlinear dynamics of the system is modeled by applying the finite element method and Lagrangian formula. Three control strategies are considered and compared, i.e., centralized control, decentralized control, and independent control. All these control designs are based on the linear quadratic regulator theory. A mathematical decomposition is used in the decentralization process so that the coupling between the subsystems is weak, while a physical decomposition is used in the independent control design process. For both the decentralized and the independent controls, the stability of the overall linear system is checked before a numerical simulations is initiated. Two numerical examples show that the response of the independent control system are close to those of the centralized control system, while the responses of the decentralized control system are not.
Seed plant diversity in the Triassic of Antarctica: A new anatomically preserved ovule from the Fremouw Formation

A new anatomically preserved ovule is described from the Middle Triassic Fremouw Formation of the Beardmore Glacier area, Antarctica. Probolosperma antarcticum gen. et sp. nov. is bilaterally symmetrical and up to 1 cm long and 6 mm wide. The integument is characterized by a complex sarcotesta with a palisade-like outer layer and a sclerotesta that forms two small lateral wings and elaborations in the chalazal and apical regions. The vascular system consists of a terete strand that enters the pedicel to form a small cup of tracheids at the base of the nucellus, with two strands that extend distally in the inner part of the sclerotesta. Comparisons with other gymnosperm ovules indicate that Probolosperma represents a new taxon, which enhances the diversity of known seed plants from the Triassic of Antarctica.
Discrete Choice Surveys by Telephone

In two consumer studies, discrete choice surveys were administered both by telephone and by traditional pencil and paper methods. Study participants responded to discrete choice surveys concerning pizza restaurants in the first study and fast food restaurants in the second. Neither aggregate level estimated utilities for the pizza restaurants, nor market shares for the fast food restaurants differed by method of administration. The results indicate that discrete choice surveys can be successfully administered by telephone.
Study of the forces stabilizing complexes between chlorophylls and heterocyclic amine mutagens

Chlorophyllin (CHL), a water-soluble derivative of chlorophyll, forms molecular complexes with heterocyclic amine mutagens in vitro. In a previous study [Dashwood and Guo (1993): Environ Mol Mutagen, 22:164-171], we observed an inverse correlation between the binding constants of several mutagen-CHL complexes and the antimutagenic potency of CHL in the Salmonella assay. The present investigation utilized molecular mechanics methods of energy minimization and spectrophotometric titration to examine structural features of chlorophylls, chlorins, and porphyrins that might be important for complex formation with heterocyclic amines. The exocyclic amine group of the mutagen aligned consistently with acid groups in CHL, suggesting that H-bond or electrostatic interactions facilitate complex formation. Replacement of the exocyclic amine with a nitro group abrogated this specific orientation and raised the minimized energies of the complexes. No relationship was found between complex strength and the specific positions of amine or methyl groups on the mutagen. However, the presence of methyl groups increased the minimized energies and lowered the binding constants of the complexes, perhaps due to partial disruption of pi-pi interaction by steric effects. All of the compounds examined, including chlorophyll a, required the presence of pi-pi interactions to form stable complexes with the heterocyclic amines. In general, the present results were in agreement with the inhibitory potency of each compound in the Salmonella assay, and they provide further support for the hypothesis that chlorophylls in the diet might act as interceptor molecules of food-borne carcinogens and mutagens.
B-mode ultrasonographic examination of the accessory sex glands of boars.

Abstract Thorough examinations of the reproductive system of boars are generally not performed on normal boars to be used for breeding; only boars with problems undergo a form of a breeding soundness examination. In order for veterinarians to identify pathological conditions, the normal architecture of the accessory sex glands needs to be described. The purpose of this study was to use B-mode ultrasonography to describe the accessory sex glands in the boar and to see if transrectal ultrasonography would be a viable option in which to obtain this data. Initially, cross-sectional saline bath examinations of accessory sex glands were performed on crossbred boar reproductive tracts ( n =4) using B-mode ultrasonography equipped with a 5 MHz dual frequency linear array transducer. In situ examinations were also performed on terminal line crossbred boars ( n =16) ranging in age from 10 to 23 months old using the same ultrasound methodology; four boars were under general anesthesia and the remaining 12 were standing in crates. Eight boars were abstinent for 2 days and the other eight had ejaculates collected 2 h prior to examination. The paired bulbourethral glands are best described as a long oval gland with a uniformly echogenic appearance with a large anechoic space in the center of the gland extending most of its length. The walls of the vesicular glands were found to be thin, with the parenchyma having multiple small echolucent areas that appeared to merge and form a central canal. The prostate gland was best identified as a pecan-sized gland with a uniform echogenic appearance. Visualization of the prostate gland was accomplished with more proficiency using the saline bath ultrasonography as compared to in situ examinations. All of the accessory sex glands could be examined using both methodologies of ultrasonographic examination with a 5 MHz frequency linear array transducer. It was determined that each accessory sex gland could be recognized, and differences between ejaculated and nonejaculated boars could be identified. The results of this study demonstrate that transrectal ultrasonography can be used as a diagnostic aid in assessing the accessory sex glands of boars.
Effect of Donation Time on Platelet Concentrates and Fresh‐Frozen Plasma. An in vitro Study

To investigate the effect of donation time on the quality of blood components, we measured the platelet count and pH on platelet concentrates, and the factor V and VIII:C levels and fibrinopeptide A concentration on fresh-frozen plasma by duration of donation time. Platelet concentrates and fresh-frozen plasma were classified into three groups according to donation time: group 1, less than 10 min; group 2, 10-15 min, and group 3, longer than 15 min. Mean platelet counts of platelet concentrate were: group 1, 8.6 +/- 2.5 (in x 10(10], group 2, 8.1 +/- 2.6, and group 3, 6.5 +/- 3.2 (p less than 0.05). The same pH was maintained in all three groups. The fibrinopeptide A concentrations in groups 1 and 2 were 24 +/- 53 and 169 +/- 64 ng/ml, respectively, while in group 3 all were greater than 200 ng/ml, indicating correlation of a higher fibrinopeptide A level with longer donation time. Although a higher fibrinopeptide A level indicated a greater degree of thrombin generation, assays of factors V and VII:C did not show decreased activity in groups 2 and 3.
EMERGING AND RE-EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES: The Third Epidemiologic Transition

We use an expanded framework of multiple epidemiologic transitions to review the issues of re/emerging infection. The first epidemiologic transition was associated with a rise in infectious diseases that accompanied the Neolithic Revolution. The second epidemiologic transition involved the shift from infectious to chronic disease mortality associated with industrialization. The recent resurgence of infectious disease mortality marks a third epidemiologic transition characterized by newly emerging, re-emerging, and antibiotic resistant pathogens in the context of an accelerated globalization of human disease ecologies. These transitions illustrate recurring sociohistorical and ecological themes in humanndisease relationships from the Paleolithic Age to the present day.
Vitamin A Deficiency Injures Lung and Liver Parenchyma and Impairs Function of Rat Type II Pneumocytes

The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of vitamin A deficiency on liver and lung morphology and type II pneumocyte function. Weanling rats were fed a retinol-adequate (control) or -deficient diet for 6 wk. Average food intakes and body weights were not different between the vitamin A-deficient and -adequate rats. Histologic examination revealed that the lungs of vitamin A-deficient rats had less collagen in the adventitia of small caliber arteries and arterioles and in the alveolar septa, which appeared thinner than that of controls. Many areas of the lungs of the same rats were also emphysematous (increased size of air spaces distal to the terminal bronchiole, with thinning and partial or total destruction of septal wall). Content of elastin also was lower in the lung parenchyma, as well as in the small arteries and arterioles, but not in the larger ones. Peribronchial collagen was not affected by the deficient diet. Scattered inflammation was observed in most of the vitamin A-deficient rats; a mild inflammatory reaction also was seen in one of the controls. Vitamin A-deficient rats also exhibited hepatocyte vacuolization and mild inflammation in the liver, specifically in the periportal tracts. Surfactant synthesis and ornithine decarboxylase activity were significantly lower in type II pneumocytes isolated from vitamin A-deficient rats. In conclusion, our data provide evidence that vitamin A deficiency produces profound morphologic alterations in liver and lung parenchyma and impairs pneumocyte function.
A RESEARCH NOTE: REEXAMINING TRANSNATIONAL ETHNIC ALLIANCES AND FOREIGN POLICY BEHAVIOR

In this paper I explore the relationship between ethnic alliances and foreign policy behavior through a replication, correction, and modification of previous work on the subject. After replicating David Davis and Will Moore’s analyses of the relationship between ethnic alliances and foreign policy behavior, I correct and then modify the original model. With the corrected model, I demonstrate that correcting for errors in data coding improves the original results and eliminates the conflicting results reported by the original authors. Davis and Moore argue that ethnic alliances have only a marginal impact on the foreign policy behavior (international interactions) of states. After modification of their model using an improved measure of the foreign policy behavior in a dyad (and improved measures of some of the control variables), I show that ethnic alliances are important predictors of foreign policy behavior. Additionally, I find support for the democratic peace proposition. Democratic dyads have better relationships than nondemocratic dyads regardless of the presence or absence of transnational ethnic alliances. These findings lead me to conclude that the conflict literature deals with the ethnic components of territorial disputes needs to be explored in more detail and that foreign policy behavior should be an integral part of research on militarized conflict.
Paleoseismic and Slip-Rate Observations along the Honey Lake Fault Zone, Northeastern California, USA

The Honey Lake fault is a major strike-slip fault in northeastern California that accommodates northwest-directed right-lateral shear in the northern Walker Lane. We reexamine the fault’s paleoseismic history and slip rate by evaluating a natural stream bank exposure of the fault and offset terrace riser. Structural and stratigraphic relations within the modern stream cut, radiocarbon ages, and a detailed topographic survey of the offset terrace riser are used to estimate a Holocene fault slip rate of 1.7–0.6 mm/yr or more. We also interpret the occurrence of at least four surface-rupturing earthquakes during the last 7025 calendar years before present (B.P.). Three of the surface-rupturing earthquakes occurred prior to 4670 calendar years B.P. and have interevent times that range between 730 and 990 yr. The stratigraphic record is limited after ~4670 calendar years B.P., and records evidence for at least one more subsequent surface-rupturing earthquake.
Surgical treatment for lumbar disc herniation: Open discectomy (indications, technique, outcomes, and complications)

Lumbar microdiskectomy is one of the most common spine procedures performed. The most common indication is lumbar radiculopathy that is refractory to nonsurgical treatment. Other indications, such as progressive neurological deficit or cauda equina syndrome, are more rare. Open exposure affords excellent visualization of the nerve roots, safe dissection in the lateral recess, safe mobilization of the nerve roots, and ability to remove the offending fragment. The purpose of this article is to review the indications, technique, outcome, and complications of lumbar microdiskectomy.
Learning instance concepts from multiple-instance data with bags as distributions

We analyze and evaluate a generative process for multiple-instance learning (MIL) in which bags are distributions over instances. We show that our generative process contains as special cases generative models explored in prior work, while excluding scenarios known to be hard for MIL. Further, under the mild assumption that every negative instance is observed with nonzero probability in some negative bag, we show that it is possible to learn concepts that accurately label instances from MI data in this setting. Finally, we show that standard supervised approaches can learn concepts with low area-under-ROC error from MI data in this setting. We validate this surprising result with experiments using several synthetic and real-world MI datasets that have been annotated with instance labels.
Big-data for building energy performance: Lessons from assembling a very large national database of building energy use

Abstract Building energy data has been used for decades to understand energy flows in buildings and plan for future energy demand. Recent market, technology and policy drivers have resulted in widespread data collection by stakeholders across the buildings industry. Consolidation of independently collected and maintained datasets presents a cost-effective opportunity to build a database of unprecedented size. Applications of the data include peer group analysis to evaluate building performance, and data-driven algorithms that use empirical data to estimate energy savings associated with building retrofits. This paper discusses technical considerations in compiling such a database using the DOE Buildings Performance Database (BPD) as a case study. We gathered data on over 750,000 residential and commercial buildings. We describe the process and challenges of mapping and cleansing data from disparate sources. We analyze the distributions of buildings in the BPD relative to the Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) and Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), evaluating peer groups of buildings that are well or poorly represented, and discussing how differences in the distributions of the three datasets impact use-cases of the data. Finally, we discuss the usefulness and limitations of the current dataset and the outlook for increasing its size and applications.
Space-based power grids introduction: Feasibility study

This paper introduces a viable alternative for space-based power transfer that is called space-based solar power grid (SBSPG).12 The SBSPG is a solar power network that consists of hybrid wire-wireless formations. Each formation has four units: (1) a solar power harvesting unit (SOPHU) located on a solar power station in a medium altitude orbit (MEO), (2) a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, (3) a transmission line structure (TLS) that connects the SOPHU to the LEO satellite; and (4) a power collecting base station (PCBS) on the earth. The paper discusses the details of its structure, and compares it with the traditional Geostationary space-based power transfer in terms of the harvested power on the earth. The pointing accuracy of the LEO satellite has an important impact on the power transfer efficiency of the proposed system. Thus, the paper also studies its mechanical implementation feasibility.
PLANNING THE URBAN FUTURE IN 1960s BRITAIN

This article recovers Buckinghamshire county council's proposal to build a monorail city for 250,000 residents during the 1960s. The project was eventually taken over by Whitehall, which proceeded to establish Britain's largest new town of Milton Keynes instead, but from 1962 to 1968 local officials pursued their monorail metropolis. By telling the story of ‘North Bucks New City’, the article develops a series of claims. First, the proposal should be understood not as the eccentric creation of a single British county, but rather as one iteration of larger state efforts to manage the densities and distributions of growing populations. Second, while the 1960s witnessed the automobile's decisive triumph as a means of personal mobility in Britain, that very triumph ironically generated critiques of the car and quests for alternatives. Third, the monorail was part of a complex social vision that anticipated – and, in part through the facilitation of recreational shopping, sought to alleviate – a crisis of delinquency expected to result from a world of automation and affluence. Fourth, despite its ‘futuristic’ monorail, the plan ultimately represented an effort by experts and the state to manage social change along congenial lines. Fifth, the proposal advanced a nationalist urbanism, promising renewed global stature for post-imperial Britain by building upon its long urban history. Finally, the article concludes by arguing that this unrealized vision points to the limitations of ‘modernism’ in the history of urban planning, and to the problems of teleology in the history of the 1960s.
Rationale and Uses of a Public HIV Drug-Resistance Database

Knowledge regarding the drug resistance of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is critical for surveillance of drug resistance, development of antiretroviral drugs, and management of infections with drug-resistant viruses. Such knowledge is derived from studies that correlate genetic variation in the targets of therapy with the antiretroviral treatments received by persons from whom the variant was obtained (genotype-treatment), with drug-susceptibility data on genetic variants (genotype-phenotype), and with virological and clinical response to a new treatment regimen (genotype-outcome). An HIV drug-resistance database is required to represent, store, and analyze the diverse forms of data underlying our knowledge of drug resistance and to make these data available to the broad community of researchers studying drug resistance in HIV and clinicians using HIV drug-resistance tests. Such genotype-treatment, genotype-phenotype, and genotype-outcome correlations are contained in the Stanford HIV RT and Protease Sequence Database and have specific usefulness.
Nitrate and Nitrite Ultraviolet Actinometers

We developed nitrate and nitrite actinometers to determine radiant fluxes from 290 to 410 nm. These actinometers are based on the reaction of the photochemically generated OH radical with benzoic acid to form salicylic acid (SA) and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (pHBA). Actinometer development included determination of the temperature and wavelength dependence of the quantum yield for formation of SA and pHBA from nitrate and nitrite photolysis in air-saturated solutions. Quantum yields (at 25 8C) for SA production from nitrate photolysis ranged from 0.00146 to 0.00418 between 290 and 350 nm, and from 0.00185 to 0.00633 for nitrite photolysis between 290 and 405 nm. The quantum yields for SA production were approximately 50‐60% greater than quantum yields for pHBA production from nitrate and nitrite photolysis. For both actinometers, SA and pHBA formation was temperature dependent, increasing by approximately a factor of 2.2 from 0 to 35 8C. Activation energies for SA formation varied with wavelength, ranging from 14.7 to 16.5 kJ mol 21 between 290 and 330 nm for the nitrate actinometer and 12.3 to 17.8 kJ mol 21 between 310 and 390 nm for the nitrite actinometer. Activation energies for pHBA formation were 2‐11% higher. Wavelengthdependent changes in the quantum yield and activation energy for SA and pHBA formation from nitrate photolysis suggest multiple electronic transitions for nitrate from 290 to 350 nm. Quantum yields for OH radical formation from nitrate and nitrite photolyses were estimated from SA and pHBA quantum yields at 25 8C. Wavelength-dependent OH quantum yields ranged from 0.007 to 0.014 for nitrate photolysis between 290 and 330 nm and from 0.024 to 0.078 for nitrite photolysis between 298 and 390 nm. The nitrate and nitrite actinometers can maintain initial rate conditions for hours, are insensitive to laboratory lighting, easy to use and extremely sensitive; the minimum radiant energy that can be detected in our irradiation system is approximately 10 29 einsteins.
A Liver-Bone Endocrine Relay by IGFBP1 Promotes Osteoclastogenesis and Mediates FGF21-Induced Bone Resorption

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) promotes insulin sensitivity but causes bone loss. It elevates bone resorption by an undefined non-osteoclast-autonomous mechanism. We have detected a pro-osteoclastogenic activity in the hepatic secretome that is increased by FGF21 and largely attributed to insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 (IGFBP1). Ex vivo osteoclast differentiation and in vivo bone resorption are both enhanced by recombinant IGFBP1 but suppressed by an IGFBP1-blocking antibody. Anti-IGFBP1 treatment attenuates ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis and abolishes FGF21-induced bone loss while maintaining its insulin-sensitizing metabolic benefit. Mechanistically, IGFBP1 functions via its RGD domain to bind to its receptor integrin β1 on osteoclast precursors, thereby potentiating RANKL-stimulated Erk-phosphorylation and NFATc1 activation. Consequently, osteoclastic integrin β1 deletion confers resistance to the resorption-enhancing effects of both IGFBP1 and FGF21. Therefore, the hepatokine IGFBP1 is a critical liver-bone hormonal relay that promotes osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption as well as an essential mediator of FGF21-induced bone loss.
Capacitation and acrosome reactions in human spermatozoa monitored by a chlortetracycline fluorescence assay

Human spermatozoa were incubated in culture medium containing human serum albumin (HSA) to promote capacitation, which was monitored by a rapid chlortetracycline (CTC) fluorescence assay. Four CTC fluorescence patterns were readily distinguished, one of which appeared to be correlated with capacitated sperm. When capacitated sperm were treated with either ionophore A23187 or acid-solubilized mouse zonae pellucidae to induce the acrosome reaction, the CTC assay identified acrosome-reacted sperm by lack of fluorescence on the head. Fresh sperm would not undergo the induced acrosome reaction. The percentages of acrosome-reacted sperm identified by the CTC assay in induced and control populations were the same as those identified by the presently used indirect immunofluorescence and triple stain assays.
A national initiative to advance school mental health performance measurement in the US

AbstractStandardized health performance measurement has increasingly become an imperative for assuring quality standards in national health care systems. As compared to somatic health performance measures, behavioral health performance measures are less developed. There currently is no national standardized performance measurement system for monitoring comprehensive school mental health in the USA. Drawing upon related initiatives in the school mental health field and national performance standards for behavioral health care in non-school settings, the current study describes the identification, development, and refinement of quality and sustainability performance measures for comprehensive school mental health. A three-phase method involving literature review and expert consensus, nominal group decision-making, and a modified Delphi process resulted in the development of two performance assessments, which include 12 domains and 67 indicators. Future directions for national performance measurement among s...
New Perspectives and Needs in Biomechanical Modelling

Biomechanical modelling of the musculo-skeletal system of man has been and remains one of the challenging tasks in Bioengineering. The variety of systems ranging from the subcellular level to the whole body and the types of functions that can be modelled are almost limitless. In a review of models related to the biomechanics of impact, King and Chou (1976) discussed the availability and capability of gross-motion simulators and regional models of the head, spine and thorax published prior to 1975. This paper briefly updates this review and concentrates principally on biomechanical models of the non-impact type, involving the musculo-skeletal system; such as models of bones, joints and of the whole body or multiple body segments, including gait. Non-impact models of soft tissues, the cardiovascular system and hemodynamics, prosthetic devices, joint lubrication, thermodynamic events, and microscopic biological elements are excluded.