cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MECHANICS OF DEFORMATION AND ACOUSTIC PROPAGATION IN POROUS MEDIA

A unified treatment of the mechanics of deformation and acoustic propagation in porous media is presented, and some new results and generalizations are derived. The writer's earlier theory of deformation of porous media derived from general principles of nonequilibrium thermodynamics is applied. The fluid‐solid medium is treated as a complex physical‐chemical system with resultant relaxation and viscoelastic properties of a very general nature. Specific relaxation models are discussed, and the general applicability of a correspondence principle is further emphasized. The theory of acoustic propagation is extended to include anisotropic media, solid dissipation, and other relaxation effects. Some typical examples of sources of dissipation other than fluid viscosity are considered.
Theoretical Chemistry Comes Alive: Full Partner with Experiment.

During the last decade, advances in computational techniques and in the extraction of chemically useful concepts from electronic wave functions have put theorists into the mainstream of chemistry. Some recent examples of the prediction of spectroscopic quantities and the elucidation of catalytic processes for homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions from theoretical calculations are used to illustrate how theory and experiment are now full partners in chemical research. It is expected that during the next decade the thrust of theoretical chemistry will be to combine the knowledge of fundamental chemical steps and fundamental interactions with advances in chemical dynamics and irreversible statistical mechanics and in computer technology to produce simulations of chemical systems with competing reactions taking place simultaneously at various reaction sites. The promise of such simulation is illustrated by a study of the enzyme thermolysin.
Trypsin and α-chymotrypsin treatment abolishes glibenclamide sensitivity of KATP channels in rat ventricular myocytes

Cytoplasmic trypsin-treatment of voltagesensitive potassium channels has been shown to cleave domains of the channel responsible for inactivation of the channel. Trypsin has also been reported to remove slow, irreversible inactivation, or run-down in ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels. Cytoplasmic treatment of rat ventricular KATP channels with either crude, or pure trypsin (1–2 mg/ml) failed to prevent a slow run-down of channel activity. However, trypsin (porcine pancreatic type IX, or type II (Sigma Chem. Co.), or αchymotrypsin (Sigma Chem. Co.) rapidly and irreversibly removed, or substantially decreased glibenclamide and tolbutamide-sensitivity of the channels without removing sensitivity to ATP. We conclude that glibenclamide must bind to either a separate protein, or to a separate domain on the channel in order to effect channel inhibition, and this domain is functionally disconnected from the channel by trypsin-, or α-chymotrypsin treatment.
The oxygen consumption paradox of “stunned myocardium” in dogs

The contractile state of the heart is a major determinant of myocardial oxygen consumption. Since regional myocardial contractility can be severely impaired following a transient coronary occlusion, post-ischemic myocardium is frequently assumed to consume less oxygen. To test this assumption, regional myocardial function and oxygen consumption were studied in ancsthetized dogs during 2 h of myocardial reperfusion following either a 15-min (Group I) or 4-h (Group II) left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion. Both groups developed similar post-ischemic regional dysfunction characterized by paradoxical motion (negative shortening). Measured as a percent of baseline segment shortening, anterior wall function in Group I (n=8) and Group II (n=5) at 30 min of reperfusion was −33±11% and −34±16% (p=NS) and at 120 min was −23±9% and −40±16% (p=NS). However, the two groups showed a marked difference in regional myocardial oxygen consumption during reperfusion. Despite the abnormal wall motion, regional oxygen consumption in Group I at 30 and 120 min of reperfusion was unchanged from pre-ischemic levels as measured as a percent of bascline: 104±20% (p=NS) and 111±21% (p=NS). In contrast, regional oxygen consumption in Group II was markedly depressed from bascline at 30 and 120 min of reperfusion: 42±7% (p<.01) and 40±8% (p<.01). To determine whether the dissociation between regional myocardial oxygen consumption and function in Group I was related to mitochondrial uncoupling, six additional dogs were studied. Tissue samples were obtained from post-ischemic myocardium after 120 min of reperfusion following a 15-min coronary artery occlusion, and compared to non-ischemic myocardium. There were no differences in the in vitro mitochondrial respiratory rates or oxidative phosphorylation capacity between the post-ischemic and non-ischemic myocardium. Therefore, in the post-ischemic myocardium, significant depressions in regional contractility may not be associated with falls in oxygen consumption. Following a 15-min coronary artery occlusion, the injured myocardium maintains a paradoxically high oxygen consumption with normal mitochondrial function despite decreased contractility and abnormal wall motion.
Decrease by cycloheximide of calcium binding and nonesterified fatty acids in rat-intestinal Golgi-enriched membrane fractions

Abstract Rat intestinal Golgi-enriched membrane fractions bind more Ca2+ than do basolateral and microvillus-enriched membrane fractions, and this uptake is reduced by vitamin D-deficiency. The effect of the protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide, on this Ca2+ binding was determined in rats fed a normal, vitamin D-sufficient diet. Cycloheximide, 1.5 mg/kg, rapidly reduced protein synthesis (measured by [3H]leucine incorporation) to 12% of control values within 15 min, but Ca2+ binding diminished gradually to 50% of control values by 60 min. Ca2+ transport across gut sacs was also decreased. The reduction in Ca2+ binding was not due to an alteration in vesicle morphology or to a direct effect of cycloheximide. Nonesterified (free) fatty acids, the probable binding sites for Ca2+ in these membrane fractions, were reduced by cycloheximide to 48% of control values by 60 min. There was no significant change in total lipid phosphate. Cycloheximide may affect the synthesis of proteins necessary for the presence of nonesterified fatty acids in these Golgi membranes.
A road less traveled: Vocation, sex, and religion

Abstract This chronicle of embodied experience charts the pilgrim's progress of a qualitative researcher during a research trip to New Mexico. The story traces a path from his spiritual awakening as a teenager, through his painful coming out in his thirties as a gay man, to an eventual collision of conflicting issues in his fifties while traveling on the road to a healing shrine with a group of Hispanic Roman Catholics. His participation as a researcher forces him to come to grips with the events of his life as he realizes the vital connection between body and soul in the long journey home.
Acute kidney injury in non-severe pneumonia is associated with an increased immune response and lower survival

While sepsis is a leading cause of acute kidney injury in critically ill patients, the relationship between immune response and acute kidney injury in less severely ill patients with infection is not known. Here we studied the epidemiology, 1-year mortality, and immune response associated with acute kidney injury in 1836 hospitalized patients with community-acquired severe and non-severe pneumonia. Acute kidney injury developed in 631 patients of whom 329 had severe and 302 had non-severe sepsis. Depending on the subgroup classification, 16–25% of the patients with non-severe pneumonia also developed acute kidney injury. In general, patients with acute kidney injury were older, had more comorbidity, and had higher biomarker concentrations (interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor, D-dimer) even among patients without severe sepsis. The risk of death associated with acute kidney injury varied when assessed by Gray's survival model and after adjusting for differences in age, gender, ethnicity, and comorbidity. This risk was significantly higher immediately after hospitalization but gradually fell over time in the overall cohort and in those with non-severe pneumonia. A significantly higher risk of death (hazard ratio 1.29) was also present in those never admitted to an intensive care unit. Hence acute kidney injury is common even among patients with non-severe pneumonia and is associated with higher immune response and an increased risk of death.
Nonmedical Use of Prescription Drugs by College Students with Minority Sexual Orientations.

Results from the 2009 National College Health Assessment were analyzed by gender and sexual orientation for college students’ nonmedical use of prescription drugs. Male and female students identified as having a minority sexual orientation (gay or bisexual) were significantly more likely to use nonmedical prescription drugs than heterosexual students. College students with a minority sexual orientation were engaged in more high-risk substance using behaviors than their heterosexual peers. Implications for assessment, counseling, and future research are discussed.
Host nuclear abnormalities and depletion of nuclear antigens induced in Trichinella spiralis-infected muscle cells by the anthelmintic mebendazole.

Infection by the parasitic nematode Trichinella spiralis induces cell cycle repositioning (chronic suspension in apparent G2/M) and genetic reprogramming in differentiated mammalian skeletal muscle cells. These changes occur in association with dramatic enlargement of infected host cell nuclei (as large as 17 μm in diameter) and nucleoli. Nuclear antigens (NA) that colocalize with host chromatin have been detected by antibodies to T. spiralis antigens, but the functions of these NA are unresolved. Mebendazole (MBZ) preferentially binds parasite versus host β-tubulins, is implicated in inhibiting secretion in nematodes and induces cytoplasmic changes in muscle cells infected with T. spiralis. These infected cell changes might be indirect via MBZ inhibition of parasite secretions. This effect would have implications for host/parasite interactions and was evaluated here. MBZ treatment of chronically infected mice caused: (1) a significant deformation of host nuclei and diminution of nucleoli by 4 and 6 days of treatment (dot), respectively; (2) a reduction of nuclear lamins A/C in infected cell nuclei that was concomitant with nuclear deformation; and (3) significant reductions in total RNA, general protein and acid phosphatase activity levels. These changes were associated with the depletion of NA from host nuclei detected by 4 dot. However, DNA content of infected cell nuclei was not detectably reduced and muscle gene expression was not reactivated. The cellular changes documented are likely to account for previously described cytoplasmic alterations induced by MBZ. Concomitant depletion of NA from infected cell nuclei suggests a role of these products in regulating nuclear functions of host cells.
A Novel Superconducting Detector Based on Fluxoid Quantization

Future astrophysics missions will require ever more capable detectors demanding new concepts beyond simple improvements to existing technology. We describe the development of a novel detector whose operation relies on the superconducting phenomenon known as fluxoid quantization. The device is appropriately named the fluxoid quantization detector (FQD) and has several significant advantages over existing superconducting detectors. Most importantly the device can be modulated, allowing for lock-in detection. Equally exciting is the device’s impressive responsivity. The responsivity is estimated to be two orders of magnitude higher than that of state of the art transition edge sensors (TESs). All foreseeable space missions must use detectors that are scalable into large format arrays. In addition, the detectors must be fabricated using reproducible, proven methods. The proposed device technology meets these demands due to its natural compatibility with existing multiplexing and processing techniques. The main applications will be instrumentation for studies of the cosmic microwave back-ground, X-ray calorimetry, far-infrared astrophysics and dark matter detection.
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin released from root exudates and biomass of Bt corn has no apparent effect on earthworms, nematodes, protozoa, bacteria, and fungi in soil

There were no significant differences in the percent mortality and weight of earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) after 40 days in soil planted with Bt (NK4640Bt) or non-Bt corn or after 45 days in soil amended with biomass of Bt or non-Bt corn. The toxin was present in the guts and casts of earthworms in soil planted with Bt corn or amended with biomass of Bt corn, but it was cleared within 2‐3 days from the guts after placing in fresh soil. There were no significant differences in the colony-forming units of culturable bacteria (including actinomycetes) and fungi and in the numbers of protozoa and nematodes between rhizosphere soil of Bt and non-Bt corn or between soil amended with biomass of Bt and non-Bt corn. The Cry1Ab protein in root exudates and biomass of Bt corn appears not to be toxic to earthworms, nematodes, protozoa, bacteria, and fungi. The presence of the toxin in the guts and casts of earthworms confirmed that the toxin released in root exudates and from transgenic biomass was bound on surface-active particles in soil, which protected the toxin from biodegradation, as has been observed in this laboratory with purified toxin. q 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Role for Phosphoglucomutase in Vibrio fischeri-Euprymna scolopes Symbiosis

Vibrio fischeri, a luminescent marine bacterium, specifically colonizes the light organ of its symbiotic partner, the Hawaiian squid Euprymna scolopes. In a screen for V. fischeri colonization mutants, we identified a strain that exhibited on average a 10-fold decrease in colonization levels relative to that achieved by wild-type V. fischeri. Further characterization revealed that this defect did not result from reduced luminescence or motility, two processes required for normal colonization. We determined that the transposon in this mutant disrupted a gene with high sequence identity to the pgm (phosphoglucomutase) gene of Escherichia coli, which encodes an enzyme that functions in both galactose metabolism and the synthesis of UDP-glucose. The V. fischeri mutant grew poorly with galactose as a sole carbon source and was defective for phosphoglucomutase activity, suggesting functional identity between E. coli Pgm and the product of the V. fischeri gene, which was therefore designated pgm. In addition, lipopolysaccharide profiles of the mutant were distinct from that of the parent strain and the mutant exhibited increased sensitivity to various cationic agents and detergents. Chromosomal complementation with the wild-type pgm allele restored the colonization ability to the mutant and also complemented the other noted defects. Unlike the pgm mutant, a galactose-utilization mutant (galK) of V. fischeri colonized juvenile squid to wild-type levels, indicating that the symbiotic defect of the pgm mutant is not due to an inability to catabolize galactose. Thus, pgm represents a new gene required for promoting colonization of E. scolopes by V. fischeri.
Evaluation of the Importance of Model Features For Cyclic Deformation Due to Dip-Slip Faulting

SUMMARY Finite-element techniques are used to investigate models of cyclic deformation on dip-slip faults. the models are based largely on the conceptual formulations of Matsu'ura & Sato (1989), Savage (1983), and Thatcher & Rundle (1984). We investigate the interaction of rheology, fault geometry, mechanical structure, non-tectonic forces, and the earthquake recurrence interval. the interaction of gravity and viscoelastic flow is complex. For example, if the asthenosphere is very weak, then regions that rise rapidly after an earthquake may subsequently subside due to isostatic readjustment. By contrast, if the asthenosphere is more viscous, uplifted regions may continue to grow throughout the earthquake cycle. the magnitude and width of regions of both uplift and subsidence depend on density, viscosity and viscoelastic channel thicknesses. the inclusion of plate bending appears to be important in earthquake modelling at subduction zones. the steady-state convergence of plates may lead to net vertical motion in the subduction zone.
Word timing recovery in direct detection optical PPM communication systems with avalanche photodiodes using a phase lock loop

A technique for word timing recovery in a direct detection optical pulse position modulation (PPM) communication system is described. It tracks on back-to-back pulse pairs in the received random PPM data sequences with the use of a phase locked loop. The experimental system consisted of an AlGaAs laser diode transmitter ( lambda =833 nm) and a silicon avalanche photodiode photodetector, and its used Q=4 PPM signaling at a source data rate of 25 Mb/s. The mathematical model developed to characterize system performance is shown to be in good agreement with the experimental measurements. Use of this recovered PPM word clock, along with a slot clock recovery system described previously, caused no measurable penalty in receiver sensitivity when compared to a receiver which used common transmitter/receiver clocks. The completely self-synchronized receiver was capable of acquiring and maintaining both slot and word synchronizations for input optical signal levels as low as 20 average detected photons per information bit. The receiver achieved a bit error probability of 10/sup -6/ at less than 60 average detected photons per information bit. >
Pial arteriolar vessel diameter and CO2 reactivity during prolonged hyperventilation in the rabbit.

✓ Hyperventilation reduces intracranial pressure (ICP) acutely through vasoconstriction, but its long-term effect on vessel diameter is unknown. In seven rabbits with a cranial window implanted 3 weeks earlier, the effect of prolonged hyperventilation on vessel diameter was studied. Anesthesia was maintained for 54 hours with a pentobarbital drip (1 mg/kg/hr). The pH, CO2, and HCO3− levels were measured in arterial blood and cisterna magna cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The diameter of 31 pial arterioles was measured with an image splitter. After baseline measurements, pCO2 was reduced from 38 to 25 mm Hg and allowed to return to 38 mm Hg for 10 minutes every 4 hours. There was an initial vasoconstriction of 13%, which progressively diminished by 3% every 4 hours. Thus, by the 20th hour, vessel diameters at a pCO2 of 25 mm Hg had returned to slightly above baseline values obtained at a pCO2 of 38 mm Hg. The temporary return of pCO2 to 38 mm Hg every 4 hours caused vasodilation: 12% at 4 hours, gradually incre...
Gas permselectivity properties of high free volume polymers modified by a low molecular weight additive

The permselectivity properties of mixtures of the highly substituted polymers tetramethylhexafluoro polysulfone (TMHFPSF) and tetramethylhexafluoro bisphenol A t-butyl isophthalate (TMHFBPA-tBIA) with a low molecular weight glassy additive Kenflex A (denoted here as KXA) were measured for different gases and compared with the permselectivity properties shown by the base, unsubstituted polymers polysulfone (PSF) and bisphenol A t-butyl isophthalate (BPA-tBIA). The results show that the selectivity-permeability balance of polymer membranes may be appropriately tailored by a combination of chemical and physical alterations of the base polymer. The addition of modest amounts of KXA (ca. 20 wt %) into TMHFPSF or TMHFBPA-tBIA leads to materials whose permeability/selectivity combination is better than that of the unsubstituted materials, PSF or BPA-tBIA. The polymer TMHFPSF responds more beneficially to the incorporation of KXA than TMHFBPA-tBIA. At the same level of permeability, mixtures based on TMHFPSF have higher selectivity factors for H2/CH4 and CO2/CH4 than those based on TMHFBPA-tBIA. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 68: 403–415, 1998
Digital Subthreshold for Ultra-Low Power Operation: Prospects and Challenges

This chapter provides a brief overview of the principles and challenges of ultra-low power circuit design in the subthreshold region of operation. Design principles at all levels of hierarchy, namely, devices, circuits, and architecture need to be evaluated for maximum power gains. Brief description of SRAM design techniques as well as alternative architectures for lower power has also been discussed.
Shrinkage of dispersion parameters in the binomial family, with applications to genomic sequencing

The prevalence of sequencing experiments in genomics has led to an increased use of methods for count data in analyzing high-throughput genomic data to perform analyses. The importance of shrinkage methods in improving the performance of statistical methods remains. A common example is that of gene expression data, where the counts per gene are often modeled as some form of an over-dispersed Poisson. In this case, shrinkage estimates of the per-gene dispersion parameter have lead to improved estimation of dispersion in the case of a small number of samples. We address a different count setting introduced by the use of sequencing data: comparing differential proportional usage via an over-dispersed binomial model. Such a model can be useful for testing differential exon inclusion in mRNA-Seq experiments or differential allele frequencies in re-sequencing data. In this setting there are fewer such shrinkage methods for the dispersion parameter. We introduce a novel method that is developed by modeling the dispersion based on the double binomial distribution proposed by Efron (1986), also known as the exponential dis- persion model (Jorgensen, 1987). Our method (WEB-Seq) is an empirical bayes strategy for producing a shrunken estimate of dispersion and effectively detects differential proportional usage, and has close ties to the weighted-likelihood strategy of edgeR developed for gene expression data (Robinson and Smyth, 2007; Robinson et al., 2010). We analyze its behavior on simulated data sets as well as real data and show that our method is fast, powerful and controls FDR compared to alternative approaches. We provide implementation of our methods in an R package.
No asymmetry in geomagnetic reversals recorded by 1.1-billion-year-old Keweenawan basalts

1.1-billion-year-old volcanic rocks in North America are thought to record asymmetric geomagnetic reversals, indicating non-axial dipolar behaviour of the magnetic field. High-resolution data from Ontario suggest that the reversals were instead symmetric, and that the apparent reversal asymmetry is an aliasing effect of the low resolution of earlier samples combined with the rapid motion of North America.
Effects on drug metabolism of carbaryl and 1-naphthol in the mouse.

Abstract The effects of carbyl and 1-naphthol on hepatic microsomal drug-metabolizing enzyme systems were investigated. The agents were fed at a level of 25 mmol/kg of feed to groups of young male Swiss-Webster mice for 14-day periods. Body weight was depressed by carbaryl, but not by 1-naphthol. The rates of in vitro metabolism of aniline and benzphetamine were greater than control rates in livers of mice fed carbaryl, but the rate of in vivo hydrolysis of the carbamate insecticide Zectran was decreased by carbaryl feeding. Administration of 1-naphthol did not change the rates of in vitro metabolism of either aniline or benzphetamine. Hepatic microsomal concentrations of cytochromes P-450 and b 5 were increased by carbaryl, but feeding of 1-naphthol did not affect levels of either cytochrome. Radiolabeled pentobarbital disappeared from the blood of carbaryl-fed mice more rapidly than from the blood of control animals, and carbaryl-fed mice slept a shorter period of time than controls following pentobarbital administration. The LD50 of an acute oral dose of carbaryl was increased two-fold by feeding carbaryl for 14 days. It was concluded that carbaryl is a weak inducer of hepatic microsomal drug-metabolizing activity, and that the effects observed are not likely due to 1-naphthol.
The Airway Epithelium: Soldier in the Fight against Respiratory Viruses

The airway epithelium acts as a frontline defense against respiratory viruses, not only as a physical barrier and through the mucociliary apparatus but also through its immunological functions. It initiates multiple innate and adaptive immune mechanisms which are crucial for efficient antiviral responses. The interaction between respiratory viruses and airway epithelial cells results in production of antiviral substances, including type I and III interferons, lactoferrin, β-defensins, and nitric oxide, and also in production of cytokines and chemokines, which recruit inflammatory cells and influence adaptive immunity. These defense mechanisms usually result in rapid virus clearance. However, respiratory viruses elaborate strategies to evade antiviral mechanisms and immune responses. They may disrupt epithelial integrity through cytotoxic effects, increasing paracellular permeability and damaging epithelial repair mechanisms. In addition, they can interfere with immune responses by blocking interferon pathways and by subverting protective inflammatory responses toward detrimental ones. Finally, by inducing overt mucus secretion and mucostasis and by paving the way for bacterial infections, they favor lung damage and further impair host antiviral mechanisms.
Localized statistics for DW-MRI fiber bundle segmentation

We describe a method for segmenting neural fiber bundles in diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance images (DW-MRI). As these bundles traverse the brain to connect regions, their local orientation of diffusion changes drastically, hence a constant global model is inaccurate. We propose a method to compute localized statistics on orientation information and use it to drive a variational active contour segmentation that accurately models the non-homogeneous orientation information present along the bundle. Initialized from a single fiber path, the proposed method proceeds to capture the entire bundle. We demonstrate results using the technique to segment the cingulum bundle and describe several extensions making the technique applicable to a wide range of tissues.
Supporting data for characterization of the busulfan metabolite EdAG and the Glutaredoxins that it adducts

This article describes data related to a research article titled “The Busulfan Metabolite EdAG Irreversibly Glutathionylates Glutaredoxins” [1]. EdAG is an electrophilic GSH analog formed in vivo from busulfan, which is used in hematopoietic stem cell transplants. EdAG glutathionylates Glutaredoxins (Grx's) but not glutathione transferase A1-1 (GSTA1-1) in vitro. This article includes a complete NMR characterization of synthetic EdAG including homonuclear and heteronuclear correlation spectra. Also included are mass spectra of peptides from Grx's or GSTA1-1 that have cys residues that do not react with EdAG.
Crystal structure and 13C CP/MAS NMR of the p-xylene clathrate of Dianin's compound

Single-crystal X-ray diffraction and 13C solid state NMR spectroscopy were used to characterize the structure and dynamics of the p-xylene clathrate of Dianin's compound. In contrast to conclusions obtained from single-crystal 2H NMR and modelling, the diffraction results suggest there is a single (symmetry disordered) guest site without any significant distortion of the host framework. A single xylene guest statistically disordered over six overlapping equivalent positions can account for the 13C NMR spectrum at room temperature. The high crystal-lographic symmetry arises from space averaging. At high temperatures the 13C spectrum is consistent with the onset of dynamic processes that result in higher effective symmetry.
Pathogens That Cause Travelers' Diarrhea in Latin America and Africa

With the advent of rapid and convenient means of transportation, millions of persons travel each year from industrialized to developing countries in the tropics and subtropics. These travelers are at risk for a variety of infectious diseases that are endemic in these areas; the most frequently occurring of these is diarrhea. Studies of groups of travelers to Latin America and Africa have found that approximately one-half develop diarrhea during their stay abroad. Etiologic investigations of these illnesses have demonstrated that the important agents that cause travelers' diarrhea are similar to those that cause diarrhea in children in the developing countries. One-third of the cases are associated with enterotoxin-producing strains of Escherichia coli. Smaller proportions appear to be due to rotavirus, Norwalk virus, Shigella, Salmonella, Giardia lamblia, and Entamoeba histolytica. Although they have not been fully evaluated in travelers' illnesses in Latin America or Africa, Campylobacter jejuni, Aeromonas hydrophila, other viruses, and Cryptosporidium probably cause some of the currently unexplained cases of diarrhea.
Differential displacement of classical cadherins by VE-cadherin.

VE-cadherin is an endothelial cell-specific, type II classical cadherin that plays an important role in permeability, vasculogenesis, and vascular remodeling. Endothelial cells express equal levels of VE- and N-cadherin; VE-cadherin is present in junctions while N-cadherin is diffusely expressed over the surface of the cell. The present study was designed first to determine if the ability of VE-cadherin to displace N-cadherin from junctions was endothelial-cell specific, and second to determine if VE-cadherin could displace other classical cadherins from cell junctions. Our data suggest that VE-cadherin specifically influences the cellular localization of N-cadherin, independent of cell type, and does not effect the localization of other classical cadherins.
Multisite Thrombus Imaging and Fibrin Content Estimation With a Single Whole-Body PET Scan in Rats

Objective— Thrombosis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Current diagnostic strategies rely on imaging modalities that are specific for distinct vascular territories, but a thrombus-specific whole-body imaging approach is still missing. Moreover, imaging techniques to assess thrombus composition are underdeveloped, although therapeutic strategies may benefit from such technology. Therefore, our goal was to test whether positron emission tomography (PET) with the fibrin-binding probe 64 Cu-FBP8 allows multisite thrombus detection and fibrin content estimation. Approach and Results— Thrombosis was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats (n=32) by ferric chloride application on both carotid artery and femoral vein. 64 Cu-FBP8-PET/CT imaging was performed 1, 3, or 7 days after thrombosis to detect thrombus location and to evaluate age-dependent changes in target uptake. Ex vivo biodistribution, autoradiography, and histopathology were performed to validate imaging results. Arterial and venous thrombi were localized on fused PET/CT images with high accuracy (97.6%; 95% confidence interval, 92–100). A single whole-body PET/MR imaging session was sufficient to reveal the location of both arterial and venous thrombi after 64 Cu-FBP8 administration. PET imaging showed that probe uptake was greater in younger clots than in older ones for both arterial and venous thrombosis ( P P Conclusions— We demonstrated that 64 Cu-FBP8-PET is a feasible approach for whole-body thrombus detection and that molecular imaging of fibrin can provide, noninvasively, insight into clot composition.
S-Nitrosylation of Calcium-Handling Proteins in Cardiac Adrenergic Signaling and Hypertrophy

Rationale:The regulation of calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis by β-adrenergic receptor (βAR) activation provides the essential underpinnings of sympathetic regulation of myocardial function, as well as a basis for understanding molecular events that result in hypertrophic signaling and heart failure. Sympathetic stimulation of the βAR not only induces protein phosphorylation but also activates nitric oxide–dependent signaling, which modulates cardiac contractility. Nonetheless, the role of nitric oxide in βAR-dependent regulation of Ca2+ handling has not yet been explicated fully. Objective:To elucidate the role of protein S-nitrosylation, a major transducer of nitric oxide bioactivity, on βAR-dependent alterations in cardiomyocyte Ca2+ handling and hypertrophy. Methods and Results:Using transgenic mice to titrate the levels of protein S-nitrosylation, we uncovered major roles for protein S-nitrosylation, in general, and for phospholamban and cardiac troponin C S-nitrosylation, in particular, in βAR-dependent re...
From Anthropologist to Advocate

By accepting this identification and the role expectations associated with it, in January 1985 I began a nine-month professional commitment that carried me from self-identification as an academic anthropologist with an applied research focus to an advocate for policy development in the treatment of Indian alcoholism. That a Washington-based administrator of the Indian Health Service should have identified me in this way and targeted me for a consultancy represents the culmination of an eight-year odyssey through the often imponderable political machinations of the alcohol research and intervention camps and their at best attenuated, and more often nonexistent, connections.
A Novel Scheme to Accurately Compute Higher Vibration Modes using the Ritz Method and a Two-point BVP Solver

Motivated by the control of future hypersonic vehicles subjected to complex aero-thermo-mechanical loads and many other such applications, we propose a novel scheme to compute higher modes of vibration accurately for one-dimensional stuctures, that couples the classic Ritz method as a predictor and the linear two-point boundary value problem (BVP) solver SUPORE as a corrector. The Ritz method is used to compute a preliminary estimate of the natural frequencies for the desired modes. These estimates are then used as initial guesses by SUPORE, which employs superposition and reorthonormalization to accurately solve the governing boundary value problem. Compared to a high fidelity Ritz approximation or a highly refined finite element modeling, this is a simple, computationally less expensive, and yet highly accurate method to compute mode shapes for applications that require higher modes. This scheme is used to compute mode shapes within an error tolerance of 10−6 for the idealized case of a free-free Euler Bernoulli beam and a typical air-breathing hypersonic vehicle modeled as a thin-walled structure taking into account deformations due to bending, shear, and torsion.
Clathrate Hydrate Formation and Micellization of Tetrabutylammonium 10-Undecenoate

The hydrophobic effect can give rise to both clathrate hydrate formation and micellization, depending on the molecular composition of the solute, temperature, and pressure. However, only a single compound, tetrabutylammonium dodecanoate, TBAD, has been shown to induce both types of self-assembly. Here we examine a second clathrate-forming surfactant. Tetrabutylammonium 10-undecenoate, TBAU, is shown to form a clathrate with a hydration number of 22.6 and a melting point of 293.32 ± 0.16 K, and also to form micelles with a critical micelle concentration, CMC, of 0.032 ± 0.004 mol dm -3 at 298.2 ± 0.3 K. Solubilization of a hydrophobic dye, Oil Blue N, by TBAU was compared to a series of tetra-n-alkylammonium 10-undecenoates at 296 ± 2 K. The CMC decreased and the solubilization power of the surfactant increased with the number of carbons in the counterion. No special, clathrate hydrate forming effects were evident above the clathrate hydrate melting point.
Water Potential of Fraser Fir Infested with Balsam Woolly Adelgid (Homoptera: Adelgidae)

Water potential of Fraser fir infested with the balsam woolly adelgid, Adelges piceae (Ratzeburg), and uninfested controls was evaluated using a Scholander pressure chamber. Field measurements were taken at three locations (Mt. Rogers, Va.; Roan Mountain, Tenn.; and Mt. Mitchell, N.C.) during the 1984 growing season. June measurements at Roan Mountain and Mt. Mitchell showed that infested trees were lower in water potential than uninfested controls, but there were no significant differences in midsummer at all three sites. Infested trees at all three sites showed a lower water potential when measured in September. Increment cores taken from infested trees at all three sites contained abnormal xylem (rotholz), and nearly all cores from uninfested trees at Mt. Mitchell also contained rotholz.
Developments in Quantification and Use of Environmental Cracking Mechanisms for Design and Lifetime Prediction

Following a long period of qualitative assessment of environmental cracking phenomenology, there has been recent emphasis on developing quantitative, mechanistically-based predictive models. This focus is driven by scientific and engineering concerns. For example, neither pressure vessel design nor evaluation codes incorporate the contribution of environmental cracking under static loading, nor do they differentiate between the large possible variations in both environment and material chemistry. Similarly, while numerous scientific hypotheses have been proposed to explain the crack advance process and related, contributing phenomena, ultimately their validity must withstand the scrutiny of quantification and comparison to measured cracking kinetics and observed component lifetimes. The benefits and approaches involved in predicting environmental cracking based on mechanistic modeling of crack advance and its underlying phenomena are discussed. The benefits and approaches involved in predicting environmental cracking based on mechanistic modeling of crack advance and the underlying phenomena are discussed. The formulation of a quantitative model from fundamental mechanisms has progressed most rapidly for the film rupture / slip dissolution mechanism of environmental crack advance. Specifically, for iron and nickel base alloys in high temperature water, identification, quantification and integration of the important underlying parameters has led to algorithms which predict crack growth rates over a wide continuum in static and dynamic stressing, metallurgical microstructure and solution chemistry applicable to light water reactors. For widely studied systems, e.g., stainless and low alloy steels in 288°C water, the predictions are within a factor of 2–3 for 90% of the data which span “initiation”, the possible roles of contributing, “secondary” crack advance processes in oxidation-based mechanisms, such as environmentally enhanced cleavage, spontaneous oxidation, etc. Similar efforts to identify and quantify the critical parameters and underlying processes in crack advance mechanisms involving hydrogen embrittlement, environmentally assisted cleavage, etc. are summarized. Conceptual approaches to and progress toward integrating these models with in-situ chemical and crack monitoring devices, with the goal of providing on-line evaluation, control and lifetime prediction of environmental cracking, are also discussed.
All in the party family? Comparing far right voters in Western and Post-Communist Europe

Scholarship on far right parties in Post-Communist Europe has borrowed findings and analytical frameworks from studies on the Western European far right. Similarly, studies on Western European far right parties have increasingly referenced instances of far right success in post-communist states. These parties are similar in their Euroskepticism and exclusionary populism. However, little work has compared voters for the far right between regions. Different political opportunity structures have consequences for far right voter profiles in four important respects. First, the linkage between anti-immigrant attitudes and far right support is stronger in Western Europe. Second, far right voters in Western Europe are less religious than their post-communist counter-parts. Third, post-communist far right voters are economic leftists, whereas rightist attitudes toward income redistribution slightly predict a far right vote in Western Europe. Finally, far right voters in Western Europe are more satisfied with democ...
Localization of two mammalian cyclin dependent kinases during mammalian meiosis

Mammalian meiotic progression, like mitotic cell cycle progression, is regulated by cyclins and cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs). However, the unique requirements of meiosis (homologous synapsis, reciprocal recombination and the dual divisions that segregate first homologues, then sister chromatids) have led to different patterns of CDK expression. Here we show that Cdk4 colocalizes with replication protein A (RPA) on the synaptonemal complexes (SCs) of newly synapsed axes of homologously pairing bivalents, but disappears from these axes by mid-pachynema. The switch from the mitotic pattern of expression occurs during the last two spermatogonial divisions. Cdk2 colocalizes with MLH1, a mismatch repair protein at sites of reciprocal recombination in mid-late pachynema. In addition Cdk2 localizes to the telomeres of chromosomal bivalents throughout meiotic prophase. The mitotic pattern of expression of Cdk2 remains unchanged throughout the spermatogonial divisions, but is altered in meiosis of the spermatocytes.
Recent advances in primary Sjogren's syndrome.

Primary Sjogren’s syndrome, a chronic inflammatory process, is among the most commonly occurring rheumatologic diseases. The clinical hallmark of this disease is exocrine gland dysfunction, resulting predominately in dry eyes and dry mouth. However, the disease often extends beyond the exocrine glands to seriously affect other organs systems, such as the lungs, kidneys, and nervous system. Moreover, patients with primary Sjogren’s syndrome develop non-Hodgkin’s B cell lymphoma at a substantially higher rate than the general population. New research has improved our understanding of disease mechanisms, with notable advances in our knowledge about the genetic susceptibility of disease, the molecular details of the chronic inflammatory response in the salivary glands, and the complex role of the type 1 interferon pathway. The pipeline of drugs under development for the treatment of primary Sjogren’s syndrome is enriched with novel biologics and small molecular entities targeting the pathogenic process. Herein, we summarize the latest advances in elucidating the pathogenesis of primary Sjogren’s syndrome and highlight new drugs in clinical development aiming to reverse the glandular dysfunction and favorably impact the systemic features of this disease.
Tele-audiology: Expanding Access to Hearing Care and Enhancing Patient Connectivity.

Background: Tele-audiology within the Department of Veterans Affairs has expanded significantly in response to growing Veteran hearing needs and issues, namely maldistribution of provider resources and continued lags in timely access to care. Although tele-audiology originated from successive telemedicine programs dating back to the early 1960s, the innovation that is currently being developed broadens tele-audiology and hearing care practice to virtual care modalities such as clinical video telehealth, store-and-forward telehealth, home telehealth, mobile health applications, secure messaging, and electronic consults. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to address current and emerging tele-audiology initiatives in context of a connected health care practice model. It includes information on initiatives within the Department of Veterans Affairs, provides an overview of current and potential modalities for improving patient hearing care, and identifies the challenges that exist in implementing and sustaining these services. Information is intended to stimulate creative thinking about future innovative service delivery models. Conclusion: Significant challenges exist in the evolution of innovative tele-audiology services. Despite barriers, these initiatives have the potential to match existing capacity with emerging patient demands in a mutually beneficial partnership and can be successfully integrated into diverse health care and private sector organizations.
Walt Disney's Frontierland as an Allegorical Map of the American West

In this essay, a historical geographer and cartographic historian interprets Walt Disney's Frontierland as botha miniaturized environment and a stylized map. He speculates that Frontierland perpetuates deeply rooted, and widely shared, mainstream American attitudes toward United States expansionism from the late nineteenth century through the Cold War.
Chapter 7 – Virologic and Biologic Features of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 2 (HIV-2)

Human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) is the second human immunodeficiency virus in the class of human retroviruses; it constitutes the closest known virus related to the prototype AIDS virus, HIV-1. HIV-2 and HIV-1 have unique and striking differences in their geographic distribution, epidemic trends, perinatal and heterosexual transmission rates, and incubation periods to the development of AIDS. The virologic determinants and mechanisms for these apparent biological differences are still unknown. The comparative approach to understanding the biologic differences between HIV-2 and HIV-1 may prove informative to understanding HIV pathogenesis in general. This is best exemplified in studies that indicate that HIV-2 infection via viral, host, and immune mechanisms may confer significant protection from subsequent HIV-1 infection. A further understanding and characterization of HIV-2 immunity and cross-immunity may be useful for HIV vaccine design and development. Finally, this chapter emphasizes that the biologic diversity found in closely related HIV viruses may better help one anticipate the future consequences of HIV infections at the host and population level.
Mobile Virtualization Comparative Analysis

A way to help analyze which system is most appropriate for your environment is to do a comparative analysis of the various solutions available. Here we compare four solutions: Divide from Enterproid, Horizon Mobile from VMWare, BlackBerry Balance from RIM and Good Dynamics from Good Technology. In order to analyze and understand these various solutions, we have to look at them by each category and the corresponding functions.
Biodegradable polymer optical fiber(Conference Presentation)

Biocompatible and even biodegradable polymers have unique advantages in various biomedical applications. Recent years, photonic devices fabricated using biocompatible polymers have been widely studied. In this work, we manufactured an optical fiber using biodegradable polymer POC and POMC. This step index optical fiber is flexible and easy to handle. Light was coupled into this polymer fiber by directly using objective. The fiber has a good light guiding property and an approximate loss of 2db/cm. Due to the two layer structure, our fiber is able to support applications inside biological tissue. Apart from remarkable optical performance, our fiber was also found capable of performing imaging. By measuring the impulse response of this multimode polymer fiber and using the linear inversion algorithm, concept proving experiments were completed. Images input into our fiber were able to be retrieved from the intensity distribution of the light at the output end. Experiment result proves the capability of our optical fiber to be used as a fiber endoscopy no needs to remove.