cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Environmental salinity-induced shifts in sperm motility activation in Fundulus grandis

Motility activation of fish sperm typically responds to levels of specific ions or osmotic pressure differences between the surrounding water and body tissues. In general, the sperm of marine fishes are activated by an increase in osmotic pressure (hypertonic salinity), and that of freshwater species by a decrease (hypotonic salinity). These stenohaline species exist in relatively stable environments, however, estuarine fishes are exposed to rapidly changing and broad salinity ranges, often resulting in external osmotic pressures that include those of the body (isotonic). To assess the ability of Fundulus grandis sperm to adapt to changes in salinity, adult males were acclimated to salinities of 0, 5, 10, 20, 35, or 50 ppt and held for 30 d. The testes were dissected from the fish and sperm were activated with deionized water, various osmolalities (100–1000 mOsmol/kg) of Hanks' balanced salt solution (HBSS), calcium-free HBSS (Ca2 +-Free HBSS), and sodium chloride solution (NaCl). The deionized water did not activate sperm motility regardless of the acclimated salinity. Compared to HBSS, Ca2 +-Free HBSS and NaCl activated sperm motility with a significantly lower percentage at the same osmolalities. The osmolality eliciting the highest motility activation was significantly different (P < 0.01) among acclimated groups and shifted from 300 mOsmol/kg (ranging from 200 to 500) for sperm collected from 5 ppt, 500 mOsmol/kg (ranging from 200 to 800) for sperm collected from 10 ppt, 600 mOsmol/kg (ranging from 400 to 700) for sperm collected from 20 ppt, 800 mOsmol/kg (ranging from 200 to 900) for sperm collected from 35 ppt, and 900 mOsmol/kg (ranging from 600 to 1000) for sperm collected from 50 ppt. Motility peaked after 30 s exposure to HBSS, and decreased over 10 min. Motility exhibited a similar initial pattern when exposed to Ca2 +-Free HBSS, however, the sperm gained motility at lower osmolalities over 10 min, exhibiting multiple peaks. These results indicate that environmental salinity can significantly influence sperm behavior in adult males of F. grandis with substantial changes after only 30 d of acclimation. As such, this should be considered as a major unrecognized variable in sperm research in this species and can be considered for use in optimizing protocols addressing in-vitro fertilization and cryopreservation. Whether this phenomenon is unique to Fundulus or is a characteristic of euryhaline fishes remains unresolved.
Free to choose: the real power of Linux

The Linux operating system has emerged as a competitor to both Microsoft Windows and commercial implementations of UNIX. Linux provides a robust, stable computing environment on a variety of architectures including Intel X86, SPARC, and Alpha. A significant number of desktop and server applications have been ported to Linux. The number of companies willing to provide fee‐based technical support for Linux continues to grow. When combined with Linux’s low initial purchase price, such factors offer a compelling reason for libraries to consider Linux as an alternative to commercial operating systems.
Microparticles with bonded hydrocarbon phases for high-performance reverse-phase liquid chromatography

Porous silica microspheres with bonded hydrocarbon phases have been prepared for high-performance reverse-phase liquid chromatography. These bonded-phase particles exhibit high efficiency because of their small size (∼7 μm), narrow particle size distribution, and excellent solute mass transfer characteristics. Slurry-packed 25 cm×0.32 cm i. d. columns of 7 μm particles modified with octadecyl groups (18% C) exhibit plate height of <0.005 cm with water/methanol mobile phases at 50°C. The high concentration of octadecyl, dimethylbenzyl and trimethyl groups that are introduced by reaction with chlorosilanes minimizes band tailing due to solute adsorption by residual silanol groups on the support surface. These small particles are prepared with different size pores, which determine the level of organic stationary phase and resultant chromatographic retention. These particles with various pore sizes permit optimum reverse-phase interaction with solutes of different molecular weight.
Role of vascular cell adhesion molecules and leukocyte apoptosis in the lymphopenia and thrombocytopenia of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

The immunopathogenesis of leukopenia and thrombocytopenia in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is unclear. In order to explore the leukopenia mechanism, we studied 15 SARS patients who were previously healthy, and 15 age-matched normal controls in a paired design. Soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) and soluble Fas ligand (sFasL) in plasma were measured by ELISA, and intracellular activated caspase-3 fragment in different leukocytes was determined by flow cytometry. Patients with SARS had significantly lower lymphocyte and platelet counts and significantly higher sVCAM-1 and sFasL levels compared to healthy controls. sVCAM-1 levels correlated negatively with total leukocytes and platelet counts, but positively with plasma sFasL levels. Intracellular cleaved caspase-3 expression was also significantly higher in lymphocytes from SARS patients in acute phase than in convalescent stage. Lymphopenia and thrombocytopenia in SARS patients may be caused, in part, by enhanced vascular sequestration associated with increased sVCAM-1 levels. However, lymphopenia may be due to enhanced cell death. Inhibition of cell adhesion and caspase-3 activation could, therefore, have prevented SARS patients from developing thrombocytopenia and lymphopenia.
Multiphase Hepatic CT with a Multirow Detector CT Scanner

OBJECTIVE. The aim of this study was to evaluate a new injection-acquisition technique performed using a multirow detector CT scanner for separation of three distinct hepatic circulatory phases (hepatic artery, portal venous inflow, hepatic venous) and to determine which of these phases is optimal for detecting hypervascular neoplasm.MATERIALS AND METHODS. Two sequential acquisitions were performed during a single breath-hold followed by a third acquisition beginning 60 sec after injection. Injection-to-scan delay for the first acquisition was the individual patient's circulation time, which was determined by a preliminary mini bolus. The mean attenuation of the upper abdominal aorta, portal vein, and hepatic parenchyma were determined for each imaging pass in 20 patients with cirrhosis and 20 patients without cirrhosis. Tumor-to-liver contrast for hypervascular primary and metastatic neoplasm was evaluated in a different set of 16 cirrhotic patients and nine noncirrhotic patients. Three-dimensional CT ar...
A hypothesis for the mechanism of mycoplasma evolution

Mycoplasmas are wall-less prokaryotes which have small genomes and are known to have evolved from ancestors of Gram-positive bacteria. A model is proposed to explain how mycoplasmas may have evolved from these ancestors which had cell walls and large genomes. It is proposed that the initial step in this process was loss of the cell wall and conversion of the ancestral bacterium to an l -form. Fusion of l -forms would have resulted in a single cell that contained two or more complete genomes. It is thought that this bringing together of multiple genomes by cell fusion resulted in genetic recombination between genomes and loss of DNA segments from the cell. Data from bacterial systems are cited in support of this model.
Liver transplantation in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Liver transplantation has never been reported in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). At our medical center, three patients with SLE underwent transplantation and it was successful in two of them. Management considerations germane to SLE are reviewed.
Two-Way Communication Between Endometrial Stromal Cells and Monocytes

Immune system cells and cells of the endometrium have long been proposed to interact in both physiological and pathological processes. The current study was undertaken to examine communication between cultured monocytes and endometrial stromal cells and also to assess responses of endometrial stromal cells for treatment with estradiol (E) in the absence and presence of medroxyprogesterone acetate (P). A telomerase-immortalized human endometrial stromal cell (T-HESC) line and the U937 monocyte cell line were used. Telomerase-immortalized human endometrial stromal cells were treated with E ± P ± monocyte conditioned medium; U937 were treated ± T-HESC conditioned medium. Gene expression in response to treatment was examined by DNA microarray. Bidirectional communication, as demonstrated by changes in gene expression, clearly occurred between U937 monocytes and T-HESC.
Involving the Target Community in Health Education Planning: The Community Network Strategy

Abstract Health educators recognize the value of involving the community in needs assessment and planning activities but have difficulty identifying and involving people who truly reflect the target population's health perspective, particularly in disadvantaged and underserved communities. This article describes the Community Network Strategy (CNS), a technique enabling health educators to systematically penetrate successive layers of the community to find citizens who reflect the program's intended users. In a test of the CNS's utility, it was used to recruit women for four needs assessment focus groups for a mammography program in a low income, rural area. The CNS was consistently able to identify women who were socioeconomically disadvantaged and medically underserved, well-removed from the community's service structure, showed a range of demographic characteristics, and reflected important variations in the target communities' perceptions regarding mammograms. The strategy also elicited a high degree ...
Directed Principal Component Analysis

We consider a problem involving estimation of a high-dimensional covariance matrix that is the sum of a diagonal matrix and a low-rank matrix, and making a decision based on the resulting estimate. Such problems arise, for example, in portfolio management, where a common approach employs principal component analysis PCA to estimate factors used in constructing the low-rank term of the covariance matrix. The decision problem is typically treated separately, with the estimated covariance matrix taken to be an input to an optimization problem. We propose directed PCA, an efficient algorithm that takes the decision objective into account when estimating the covariance matrix. Directed PCA effectively adjusts factors that would be produced by PCA so that they better guide the specific decision at hand. We demonstrate through computational studies that directed PCA yields significant benefit, and we prove theoretical results establishing that the degree of improvement over conventional PCA can be arbitrarily large.
CHILD CARE OR CHILD NEGLECT?: Baby Farming in Late-Nineteenth-Century Philadelphia

This article examines baby farming as an urban neighborhood-based system of group child care in Philadelphia in the late nineteenth century and considers the dangers and abuses the practice of baby farming posed for parents, children, and baby farmers. It explores reformers' early efforts to regulate the city's baby farms. Finally, the essay also investigates the ways in which the residents of Philadelphia's poor neighborhoods monitored the child-care establishments in their communities that catered to working mothers.
Review of ‘Clean Hands Save Lives’, written by Thierry Crouzet

L’Âge d’Homme, Tom Clegg & Thierry Crouzet L’Âge d’Homme, CP 5076, 1002 Lausanne (Suisse) 5, rue Ferou, 75006 Paris (France).
The effect of hyperemia on spinal cord function after temporary thoracic aortic occlusion

Abstract Nineteen mongrel dogs had 30 minutes of thoracic aortic occlusion to determine the effects that blockade of the renin-angiotensin system may have on preserving spinal cord blood flow and function during a period of temporary spinal cord ischemia. Cross- clamping of the thoracic aorta causes renal ischemia and activates the renin-angiotensin system with resulting increased production of angiotensin II. Angiotensin II is a potent peripheral constrictor and elevated levels may constrict collateral spinal cord circulation. At the time of aortic cross-clamping, 10 dogs received 100 mg/kg of MK422 (intravenous enalapril maleate), a converting enzyme inhibitor, and nine animals served as controls. The blockade of the renin-angiotensin system had no preserving effects on spinal cord flow as measured by microspheres and on spinal cord function as graded with the Tarlov scale. However, the paraplegic animals all had significantly increased lower thoracic and lumbar spinal cord flows 30 minutes after clamp release when compared with those animals that remained neurologically intact. In conclusion, marked hyperemia occurring after a period of hypoperfusion may lead to spinal cord edema and compartment syndrome with resulting paraplegia. (J VASC SURG 1988;8:535-40.)
A proposed modification for the DQDB protocol and its effect on fairness and performance

The performance and fairness issues involved in general, and under overload conditions in particular, are examined for the distributed queue dual bus network. An erasure-nodes modification to the protocol is studied and implemented in a simulation model. Subnetwork parameters such as average throughput and average bus access delays are monitored. Fair and equitable allocation of bandwidth among nodes at the center of the dual bus is observed.
Weight and hatchability of turkey eggs.

Abstract EGGS from turkeys whose eggs averaged from 84–89 grams in weight, about the modal egg weight for the material reported, were reported by Marble and Margolf (1936) to have higher hatchability than eggs from females whose eggs averaged less than 84 or more than 89 grams. This finding is in agreement with the concensus of reported work on the effects of egg weight on hatchability of hen’s eggs, as given by Landauer (1937). Data reported in the present paper were collected during the 1937 breeding season at the National Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland. The turkey females consisted of 156 birds, chiefly pullets, of several varieties * and crosses * and were mated to unrelated males. All birds were selected for small size, the average weight in January-February being approximately 11 pounds for the young breeding hens and 21 pounds for the young breeding toms. The small size of the breeding . . .
Reliability of Single-Lead and Multiple-Lead Electrocardiography during and after Exercise

To define the number, type, and criteria for interpretation of electrocardiographic leads yielding the most reliable results during and after exercise, 203 men were studied. Twelve-lead exercise electrocardiograms (including lead CM 5 ) and coronary arteriograms were correlated. Depression of the S-T segment that was present only during exercise was of doubtful significance. Analysis of ECGs after exercise revealed that only leads V 5 , V 6 , and CM5 had acceptable sensitivity (61, 53, and 60 percent, respectively). Analysis with multiple leads increased the sensitivity of exercise tests to 65 percent Lead V5 correctly identified 39 percent (17) of the 44 patients with single-vessel disease and 74 percent (49/66) of those with multiple-vessel disease. The predictive values of interpretations based on lead V 5 and multiple leads were not significantly different (84 percent [67/80] and 82 percent [71/88], respectively). The highest predictive values were in lead 2 (88 percent; 37/42) and lead V 4 (88 percent; 45/51). Sensitivity was inversely related to the degree of ST-segment depression required for abnormality. Specificity was directly related. Predictive value was directly related in all except leads V 4 and CM 5 . A predictive value of 100 percent was manifested by the various leads with the following amounts of ST-segment depression: lead V 3 , ≥ 2 mm; leads V 4 , V 6 , and aVF, ≥ 3 mm; and lead V 5 , ≥ 4 mm. Even with ST-segment depression of 4 mm or more, lead CM5 had only 83 percent predictive value. Using analysis with multiple leads, all patients with abnormal findings on maximal exercise tests of less than six minutes in duration had significant disease.
Modification of sediments and macrofauna by an invasive marsh plant.

Invasive grasses have recently altered salt marsh ecosystems throughout the northern hemisphere. On the eastern seaboard of the USA, Phragmites australis has invaded both brackish and salt marsh habitats. Phragmites australis influence on sediments and fauna was investigated along a salinity and invasion-age gradient in marshes of the lower Connecticut River estuary. Typical salinities were about 19–24 ppt in Site I, 9–10 ppt in Site II and 5–7 ppt in Site III. Strongest effects were evident in the least saline settings (II and III) where Phragmites has been present the longest and exists in monoculture. Limited influence was evident in the most saline region (I) where Phragmites and native salt marsh plants co-occur. The vegetation within Phragmites stands in tidal regions of the Connecticut River generally exhibits taller, but less dense shoots, higher above-ground biomass, and lower below-ground biomass than does the un-invaded marsh flora. There were lower sediment organic content, greater litter accumulation and higher sediment chlorophyll a concentrations in Phragmites- invaded than un-invaded marsh habitat. Epifaunal gastropods (Succinea wilsoni and Stagnicola catascopium) were less abundant in habitats where Phragmites had invaded than in un-invaded marsh habitat. Macro-infaunal densities were lower in the Phragmites-invaded than un-invaded habitats at the two least saline sites (II and III). Phragmites stands supported more podurid insects, sabellid polychaetes, and peracarid crustaceans, fewer arachnids, midges, tubificid and enchytraeid oligochaetes, and greater habitat-wide taxon richness as measured by rarefaction, than did the uninvaded stands. The magnitude and significance of the compositional differences varied with season and with site; differences were generally greatest at the oldest, least saline sites (II and III) and during May, when faunal densities were higher than in September. However, experimental design and the 1-year study period precluded clear separation of salinity, age, and seasonal effects. Although structural effects of Phragmites on salt marsh faunas are evident, further investigation is required to determine the consequences of these effects for ecosystem function.
Biology and Molecular Aspects of Herpes Simplex and Varicell-zoster Virus Infections

The herpes simplex and varicella-zoster viruses are members of the subfamily alpha herpesviruses with specific properties of the virion and with the capacity to establish latent infections in humans. The genome of each of these viruses has been determined with an estimate of the number of genes and proteins encoded. The biology and molecular events of the herpes simplex virus productive and latent infection have been detailed with the use of both in vitro and in vivo model systems. The neuron is the site of latency in the ganglia with a limited transcription of genes expressed during the latent period. The specific molecular regulation of latency and reactivation are not well established. There are co-cultivation, electron microscopy, and biochemical studies that support the concept of corneal latency, although this has not been proven conclusively. Details about the varicella-zoster virus biology and molecular events are not as well advanced since animal models have been lacking. The biology of the productive infection (varicella) is different from herpes simplex virus infection since the portal of entry is the respiratory system. Data support the concept of the maintenance of latency within satellite cells in the ganglia rather than within neurons. There are multiple genes expressed during this latency. These features may explain the different clinical presentations and course of reactivation (zoster) compared with herpes simplex virus reactivation.
ITEM NONRESPONSE IN A CONSUMER SURVEY

Does the fact that only a third of the respondents answering a mail questionnaire answer all items reduce substantially the reliability of the results? This is a study of 14,600 usable questionnaires from a 40,000 mailing. It analyzes item nonresponses by characteristics of respondents and by type, position, and repetition of questions. Robert Ferber is Director of the Survey Research Laboratory and Research Professor of Economics and Marketing at the University of Illinois, and Editor of the Journal of Marketing Research.
A note on rearrangements, spectral concentration, and the zero-order prolate spheroidal wavefunction

If the measure of the support of a function f is small, its symmetric decreasing rearrangement f* is more nearly bandlimited to low frequencies than f, while their norms are equal. An immediate corollary is that the time-limited zero-order prolate spheroidal wavefunction is the extremal function for a new optimization problem involving time- and bandlimiting. The result has an application in exploration seismology. >
Malt lymphoma presenting as a cystic salivary gland mass

Background Mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma has been noted to involve the salivary glands in chronic inflammatory conditions such as Sjogren's syndrome and in HIV infection. Methods and Results The authors encountered a patient with bilateral cystic changes in the parotid glands which proved to be due to MALT lymphoma. The clinical course, histopathology, and treatment options of MALT lymphoma in the salivary gland are discussed in detail. Conclusion This malignant entity should be considered in the differential diagnosis of refractory cystic lesions of the salivary glands. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Head Neck 23: 254–258, 2001
Animal galloping and human hopping: an energetics and biomechanics laboratory exercise

This laboratory exercise demonstrates fundamental principles of mammalian locomotion. It provides opportunities to interrogate aspects of locomotion from biomechanics to energetics to body size sca...
The dynamics between indigenous rights and environmental governance: A preliminary analysis and focus on the impact of climate change governance through the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) programme

This piece discusses the complex relationship between international environmental governance, sometimes referred to as “earth system governance”, and indigenous rights. These two sets of governing institutions are theoretically envisioned as complementary, as both incorporate the important notion of environmental and natural resource protection. Emphasis has been progressively put on the natural symbiosis and correlation between the overall goals of sustainable development and indigenous self- determination and identity preservation. The specific connections forest dwellers and other indigenous populations have with their lands, the knowledge stemming from this connection and the significant role this plays in resource protection have been increasingly acknowledged. This commentary focuses on the interplay of indigenous rights and climate change governance embodied in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its corollary, the initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) in developing countries, later extended to Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation “plus” conservation, the sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+). Discussion then turns to the potential opportunities and harm REDD+ mechanisms represent for indigenous communities and their rights.
C/EBPα reverses the anti-adipogenic effects of the HIV protease inhibitor nelfinavir

Nelfinavir and other HIV protease inhibitors effectively suppress morbidity and mortality in HIV-infected patients. However, therapeutic use of HIV protease inhibitors has been temporally associated with the development of a lipodystrophy/insulin resistance syndrome and some evidence suggests that HIV protease inhibitors may be the causative agent. We report here that nelfinavir promotes loss of cytoplasmic triglyceride from fully differentiated adipocytes and inhibits preadipocyte differentiation at biologically relevant concentrations. Forced expression of the adipogenic transcription factor C/EBPalpha rescues some of the anti-adipogenic effects of nelfinavir. These results suggest that nelfinavir may mediate an anti-adipogenic effect by antagonizing expression of C/EBPalpha.
Studies in penicillin hypersensitivity: V. Further studies on the antigenic properties of altered penicillin☆

Abstract Among 18 patients studied shortly after experiencing systemic reactions to penicillin, skin sensitizing antibodies were detected by passive transfer tests with a solution of potassium penicillin G in all but one. In this single exception, serum reagins were demonstrated for an altered penicillin compound, produced by the incubation of procaine or potassium penicillin G in the presence of sodium carboxymethylcellulose, a component of a diluent employed in the manufacture of aqueous procaine penicillin suspension. Another diluent component, sodium citrate, also proved capable, although to a lesser degree, of altering procaine penicillin to a form which reacted with the patient's serum. It had no such effect on potassium penicillin. Reagins for altered penicillin compounds as demonstrated in this study will undoubtedly account for some of the reports of patients who suffered immediate systemic reactions to penicillin but were said to show negative skin reactions to tests with potassium penicillin.
The 2004 Parkfield Earthquake, the 1985 Prediction, and Characteristic Earthquakes: Lessons for the Future

The 1985 prediction of a characteristic magnitude 6 Parkfield earth- quake was unsuccessful, since no significant event occurred in the 95% time window (1985-1993) anywhere near Parkfield. The magnitude 6 earthquake near Parkfield in 2004 failed to satisfy the prediction not just because it was late; it also differed in character from the 1985 prediction and was expectable according to a simple null hypothesis. Furthermore, the prediction was too vague in several important respects to meet the accepted definition of an earthquake prediction. An event occurring by chance and meeting the general description of the predicted one was reasonably probable. The original characteristic earthquake model has failed in comprehensive tests, yet it is still widely used. Modified versions employed in recent official seismic hazard calculations allow for interactions between segments and uncertainties in the parameters. With more adjustable parameters, the modified versions are harder to falsify. The characteristic model as applied at Parkfield and elsewhere rests largely on selected data that may be biased because they were taken out of context. We discuss implications of the 2004 event for earthquake prediction, the characteristic earthquake hypothesis, and earthquake occurrence in general.
Fully micromechanical piezo-thermal oscillators

This work presents thermally actuated micromechanical resonant structures capable of self-sustained oscillation without the need for supporting electronic circuitry. This is enabled by interactions between thermal actuation and the piezoresistive effect in such structures leading to an internal positive feedback mechanism. Single crystal silicon extensional mode dual plate resonators with frequencies in the few MHz range (as high as 6.6MHz) have been fabricated to demonstrate this concept. Such devices can initiate self-sustained oscillations under both vacuum and atmospheric pressure by passing only a DC bias current through them. Output voltage peak to peak amplitudes as high as 825mV, with power consumption in the few mili-Watts range, have been demonstrated for such self-sustained oscillators. Preliminary jitter measurements show promising results.
VELOCITY ESTIMATION AND DOWNWARD CONTINUATION BY WAVEFRONT SYNTHESIS

A “wave stack” is any stack over a common shot or geophone gather in which the moveout is independent of time. It synthesizes a particular wavefront by superposition of the many spherical wavefronts of raw data. Unlike the common midpoint stack, wave stacks retain the important property of being the sampling of a wave field and, as such, permit wave‐equation treatment of formerly difficult or impossible problems. Seismic sections of field data generated by wave stacks that synthesized slanted downgoing plane waves showed a similarity in appearance to the common midpoint stacks. In signal‐to‐noise ratio they lay between the single offset section and the midpoint stack. The angle selectivity of the slanted plane‐wave stacks permitted detection of a reflector that was not visible on either the midpoint stack or the raw gathers. Simple velocity estimation in slant frame coordinates differs only in detail from standard frame coordinates. Because of the wave field character of data that have been slant plane‐wa...
Comprehension Windows Strategy: A Comprehension Strategy and Prop for Reading and Writing Informational Text

Comprehension Windows Strategy (CWS) is an informational text strategy that enhances comprehension during the processes of reading and writing and includes an easy to create instructional prop. CWS provides a structure for assisting students in the essential processes of understanding and organizing information; it is a means for improved comprehension. CWS addresses multiple learner outcomes, specifically it (a) facilitates building a content knowledge base, (b) organizes facts, (c) motivates students to become active readers and writers, (d) supports critical thinking, and (e) introduces proper documentation and use of citations. In addition, this strategy can be used in small groups for collaborative practice or used during independent practice. CWS also fosters the natural integration of language Arts and literacy with other content area curriculum standards.
Corrigendum to “Molecular profile of clonal strains of human skeletal stem/progenitor cells with different potencies” [stem cell res. 14 (2015) 297–306]

a Craniofacial and Skeletal Diseases Branch, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA b Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02215, USA c Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Fission-Excitation Functions in Interactions of B 11 , C 12 , N 14 , and F 19 with Various Targets

Fission cross sections for the systems $^{169}\mathrm{Tm}$ + $^{11}\mathrm{B}$, $^{175}\mathrm{Lu}$ + $^{11}\mathrm{B}$, and $^{12}\mathrm{C}$, $^{174}\mathrm{Y}$ + $^{12}\mathrm{C}$, $^{182}\mathrm{W}$ + $^{12}\mathrm{C}$, $^{165}\mathrm{Ho}$ + $^{14}\mathrm{N}$, and $^{159}\mathrm{Tb}$ + $^{19}\mathrm{F}$ have been measured for heavy-ion bombarding energies up to 10.4 MeV per nucleon. The experimental technique consisted of counting coincident fission-fragment pairs with two gold-surface-barrier silicon-diode detectors. For the above systems, fission takes place only in reactions in which a compound nucleus is formed between the incident projectile and the target nucleus. Values of the compound-nucleus cross sections for these reactions are estimated from other data in order to account for surface reactions which occur in heavy-ion bombardment. The difference between the cross section for compoundnucleus formation and that for fission is assumed to be equal to the cross section for neutron-evaporation products. The ratio of the fission cross section to that for neutron evaporation is then taken to be equal to $〈\frac{{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{f}}{{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{n}}〉$, the ratio of the level widths for the two competing processes averaged over the various reaction channels. A theoretical fit to the $〈\frac{{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{f}}{{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{n}}〉$ values is obtained for the low-energy region of the excitation function, where first-chance fission is highly probable. We find the ratio of the level-density parameter for fission to that for neutron emission to be 1.2 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.1, and values for the fission barrier to be in agreement with those predicted by Myers and Swiatecki.
Using an Algebraic Inversion of the Dependability Index to Determine Pass/Fail Criteria for Clinical Performance Examinations

There has been considerable debate as to how to establish a pass/fail point for clinical performance examinations. Most standard setting techniques require considerable effort and may well be beyond the resources of most local institutions. At the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas we explored different pass/fail standards or criteria used in an OSCE given at the end of a second year Introduction to Clinical Medicine course. We compared the number of students who passed or failed for years 1990-1995 based upon using three different standards or cut scoring procedures: 1) a group or norm referenced cut point of two standard deviations below the mean, 2) an a priori estimated cut score based on 1991 group data applied to all OSCE scores, and 3) a cut point based upon an algebraic inversion dependability index of both 0.8 and 0.9. We found that the use of an estimated cut score as a reference in combination with algebraic inversion dependability index to be a most appropriate and simplest way to apply a standard setting process for pass/fail decisions. A well reasoned estimated score based upon faculty judgement and previous years test experience can serve as a useful benchmark.
Au Unusual Lymphomatous Disease Associated with Intracytoplasmic Crystals in Lymphoplasmocytoid Cells

A case of an unusual lymphomatous disease associated with lymphoplasmocytoid cells containing intracytoplasmic crystals is presented. These crystals are considered to be the secretory product of these cells. They are discussed in the light of recent studies on the secretory activity of plasmocytes and related cells. A specific diagnosis of the patient9s disease is not made although the main cell type present closely resembles that occurring in Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia.
Acoustic and Elastic Cloaking Using Non-Singular Transformation

Non-singular transformation is developed to achieve approximate acoustic and elastic cloaking. In the literature, perfect cloaking is realized under the condition of mapping cloak inner boundary to a single point, which gives rise to the development of unconventional metamaterials. Such cloaks introduce serious challenges in terms of materials design and fabrication. This paper studies the transformation functions that map the inner boundary of a 2D acoustic or elastic cloak (in physical space) to a region with small but finite dimension (in mathematical space). The goal is to find an optimized transformation that considers the limitations on mass density anisotropy, and elastic anisotropy of realizable metamaterials. It should be noted that the proposed cloak is not perfect and scatters minimal portion of the incident wave. However, it provides a realistic path towards the design and fabrication of an acoustic cloak for pressure waves, and elastic cloak for general stress waves.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
A Thermoplastic Constitutive Modeling and Geotechnical Centrifuge Simulation of Partially Saturated Soil Under Buried Explosive Loading

In high-rate failure models for geological and rock-like materials, heating due to inelastic deformation is often neglected or accommodated incompletely through the use of an isentropic elastic response. However, for realistic prediction of geomaterials response to high-rate large deformations with significant released energy (such as buried explosive), dissipation caused by the initial mechanical work of the blast wave results in a non-negligible entropy generation that must be accounted for in constitutive modeling. In this study, thermal effects in the vicinity of a buried explosive in partially saturated soil are investigated using the Jones-Wilkins-Lee (JWL++) detonation model of High Explosive (HE) material, along with coupled multiphysics balance equations in an open-source massively parallel computational framework (Uintah) via Material Point Method (MPM) and Implicit, Continuous fluid, Eulerian (ICE) for compressible multi-material formulation of fluid-structure interactions (including highly pressurized explosive gaseous products). The temperature is allowed to evolve according to thermo-plasticity equations (derived from dissipation inequalities and basic conservation/thermodynamics laws) and thereafter, the state of internal variables (porosity, entropy, yield stress, etc) and stress in the partially saturated soil are determined for the obtained temperature. In order to account for material hardening from pore collapse, a yield surface based on Gurson’s upper bound theory evolves with stress, temperature, and internal state variables in plastic phase. Comparisons of soil response to blast loading are provided to quantify the importance of thermal effects.Furthermore, geomaterials develop anisotropy in their response to deformation caused by prompt high-pressure shock waves. Thermodynamic admissibility implies that the fourth-order tangent stiffness tensor of geomaterials must develop a recoverable deformation-induced anisotropy (RDIA) even if the material is initially isotropic. This effect is significant for materials, like geomaterials, that have strongly pressure-sensitive strength. The degree of RDIA and the required additional terms in the form of deformation-induced anisotropy based on thermodynamics requirements in a high-temperature phenomenon are summarized for the region near the buried explosive source in partially saturated soil.© 2013 ASME
Tube Diameter of Oriented and Stretched Polymer Melts

The Lin–Noolandi entanglement ansatz correlates the tube diameter with polymer density and chain stiffness, and has been successfully extended to concentrated solutions as well. We develop a new ve...
Positive and Negative Regulation of Angiogenesis: From Cell Biology to the Clinic

Virtually every subspecialty in medicine in one way or another deals with angiogenesis-associated physiological or pathological processes and, without exception, every organ system in the body has many diseases in which angiogenesis is an important component. This in itself makes the study of angiogenesis mandatory, in both basic science and clinical settings. Yet the study of angiogenesis does not require this justification. As a biological process it is extraordinarily rich, touching on virtually every aspect of modern cell biology, making it almost impossible for molecular biologists, biochemists and morphologists to ignore. Considerable therapeutic benefit can now be obtained through positive or negative manipulation of the angiogenic process, and this is due in large part to the rapid transfer to the clinical setting of knowledge acquired through a cell biological approach.
Power and exponential-power series solutions of evolution equations

Cet article examine les transseries solutions formelles d'equations d'evolution lineaires et leur correspondance avec les solutions, en utilisant la transformation de Laplace generalisee. On trouve que, malgre la grande diversite des formes possibles pour une solution transserielle, il y a un ordre exponentiel maximal. Il s'agit d'un certain ordre de croissance, et les autres solutions transserielles sont obtenues par superposition asymptotique de solutions transserielles de cet ordre.
Does the Dwarf Sundew (Drosera brevifolia) Attract Prey

Charles Darwin first suggested some carnivorous plants attract insects to their leaves for extracting nutrients. Since Darwin, it has been assumed that the ability to lure prey is a characteristic of botanical carnivory and that there is strong selection for carnivorous plants to evolve adaptations to accomplish this. The carnivorous syndrome defines botanical carnivory as having four components that include the ability to: attract prey, retain prey with specialized leaves, dissolve prey with digestive enzymes, and absorb soluble nutrients from prey. Relatively few studies have investigated prey attraction and it has been well documented in only three genera of carnivorous plants. We conducted a series of field and lab experiments on the dwarf sundew (Drosera brevifolia) and found this species to be no better at capturing prey than neutral sticky traps. Thus, no evidence was found suggesting this species lures prey to its leaves. We suggest that, like spider webs, sundews might be better adapted to having adhesive surfaces that passively capture prey. Carnivorous plants face the prey-pollinator conflict of trying to draw the same insects to flowers for pollination as are being drawn to leaves as prey. By evolving alternative ways of capturing prey without attractants, some taxa of carnivorous plants, like D. brevifolia, may reduce the intensity of the prey-pollinator conflict. If these alternatives prevail in species-rich genera of carnivorous plant, then the carnivorous syndrome may need to be refined.
Thinking about the ERP Course of Economy and Management Specialties

With the rapid development of the enterprise informatization,companies demand more and more ERP talents.This paper carried on relevant thinking about how to carry out the ERP course teaching activities in the economy and management specialties of colleges and universities.It clears the target and characteristics of ERP course teaching,constructs the system of ERP course teaching,and innovative teams.At same time,the paper gives supporting measurements of ERP course teaching in further development ways.
Experimental demonstration of plasmon enhanced energy transfer rate in NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ upconversion nanoparticles

Energy transfer upconversion (ETU) is known to be the most efficient frequency upconversion mechanism. Surface plasmon can further enhance the upconversion process, opening doors to many applications. However, ETU is a complex process involving competing transitions between multiple energy levels and it has been difficult to precisely determine the enhancement mechanisms. In this paper, we report a systematic study on the dynamics of the ETU process in NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ nanoparticles deposited on plasmonic nanograting structure. From the transient near-infrared photoluminescence under various excitation power densities, we observed faster energy transfer rates under stronger excitation conditions until it reached saturation where the highest internal upconversion efficiency was achieved. The experimental data were analyzed using the complete set of rate equations. The internal upconversion efficiency was found to be 56% and 36%, respectively, with and without the plasmonic nanograting. We also analyzed the transient green emission and found that it is determined by the infrared transition rate. To our knowledge, this is the first report of experimentally measured internal upconversion efficiency in plasmon enhanced upconversion material. Our work decouples the internal upconversion efficiency from the overall upconverted luminescence efficiency, allowing more targeted engineering for efficiency improvement.
Tantalum nitride films integrated with transparent conductive oxide substrates via atomic layer deposition for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Tantalum nitride, Ta3N5, is one of the most promising materials for solar energy driven water oxidation. One significant challenge of this material is the high temperature and long duration of ammonolysis previously required to synthesize it, which has so far prevented the use of transparent conductive oxide (TCO) substrates to be used which would allow sub-bandgap light to be transmitted to a photocathode. Here, we overcome this challenge by utilizing atomic layer deposition (ALD) to directly deposit tantalum oxynitride thin films, which can be fully converted to Ta3N5via ammonolysis at 750 °C for 30 minutes. This synthesis employs far more moderate conditions than previous reports of efficient Ta3N5 photoanodes. Further, we report the first ALD of Ta-doped TiO2 which we show is a viable TCO material that is stable under the relatively mild ammonolysis conditions employed. As a result, we report the first example of a Ta3N5 electrode deposited on a TCO substrate, and the photoelectrochemical behavior. These results open the door to achieve efficient overall water splitting using a Ta3N5 photoanode.
Conservative Therapy of Gastroesophageal Reflux

Reflux disease is a chronic, recurring problem. Patients with symptoms of reflux disease such as heartburn, regurgitation, and acid indigestion are very common in our practice. To put some perspective to the problem, we can describe this population as the gastroesophageal reflux disease iceberg (Fig. 1).
Regulation of inflammatory responses by neuregulin-1 in brain ischemia and microglial cells in vitro involves the NF-kappa B pathway

We previously demonstrated that neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) was neuroprotective in rats following ischemic stroke. Neuroprotection by NRG-1 was associated with the suppression of pro-inflammatory gene expression in brain tissues. Over-activation of brain microglia can induce pro-inflammatory gene expression by activation of transcriptional regulators following stroke. Here, we examined how NRG-1 transcriptionally regulates inflammatory gene expression by computational bioinformatics and in vitro using microglial cells. To identify transcriptional regulators involved in ischemia-induced inflammatory gene expression, rats were sacrificed 24 h after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and NRG-1 treatment. Gene expression profiles of brain tissues following ischemia and NRG-1 treatment were examined by microarray technology. The Conserved Transcription Factor-Binding Site Finder (CONFAC) bioinformatics software package was used to predict transcription factors associated with inflammatory genes induced following stroke and suppressed by NRG-1 treatment. NF-kappa B (NF-kB) was identified as a potential transcriptional regulator of NRG-1-suppressed genes following ischemia. The involvement of specific NF-kB subunits in NRG-1-mediated inflammatory responses was examined using N9 microglial cells pre-treated with NRG-1 (100 ng/ml) followed by lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 10 μg/ml) stimulation. The effects of NRG-1 on cytokine production were investigated using Luminex technology. The levels of the p65, p52, and RelB subunits of NF-kB and IkB-α were determined by western blot analysis and ELISA. Phosphorylation of IkB-α was investigated by ELISA. CONFAC identified 12 statistically over-represented transcription factor-binding sites (TFBS) in our dataset, including NF-kBP65. Using N9 microglial cells, we observed that NRG-1 significantly inhibited LPS-induced TNFα and IL-6 release. LPS increased the phosphorylation and degradation of IkB-α which was blocked by NRG-1. NRG-1 also prevented the nuclear translocation of the NF-kB p65 subunit following LPS administration. However, NRG-1 increased production of the neuroprotective cytokine granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and the nuclear translocation of the NF-kB p52 subunit, which is associated with the induction of anti-apoptotic and suppression of pro-inflammatory gene expression. Neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of NRG-1 are associated with the differential regulation of NF-kB signaling pathways in microglia. Taken together, these findings suggest that NRG-1 may be a potential therapeutic treatment for treating stroke and other neuroinflammatory disorders.