cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synthetic capacity does not predict elasmobranchs' ability to maintain trimethylamine oxide without a dietary contribution.

Abstract Trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) is an organic osmolyte and universal protein stabilizer. Its role as a cytoprotectant is particularly important in ureosmotic elasmobranchs that accumulate high levels of urea, a macromolecular perturbant. Feeding is a key component in the turnover and maintenance of these nitrogenous compounds. However, previous studies examining TMAO regulation have been largely completed using starved individuals, when nitrogen balance is altered. Here, under fed conditions, we test the importance of dietary TMAO on long-term maintenance in three elasmobranch species with differing endogenous synthetic capacities. Smoothhounds (Mustelus canis), spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias), and little skates (Leucoraja erinacea) exhibited species- and tissue-specific differences in their ability to conserve TMAO when fed a low TMAO diet for 56 days. Smoothhounds, a species with the capacity for endogenous production, exhibited a decrease in muscle TMAO. Spiny dogfish and little skates, species with no reported ability for synthesis, exhibited decreases in plasma and liver TMAO, respectively. Our findings are contrary to previous starvation studies demonstrating constant levels of TMAO for up to 56 days in elasmobranchs. Further, the previously reported synthetic capacity of these species did not correlate with their ability to conserve TMAO and cannot be used to predict a species reliance on dietary contributions for prolonged maintenance. It is possible that all species rely to a degree on absorption of TMAO from the diet or that alternate synthetic or regulatory pathways play a larger role than previously thought.
The effect of isochoric freezing on mammalian cells in an extracellular phosphate buffered solution.

Abstract Isochoric (constant volume) freezing has been recently suggested as a new method for cell and organ preservation. As a first step in studying the effect of isochoric freezing on mammalian cells, Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cells (MDCK), were frozen in an isochoric system, in a simple extracellular phosphate buffered solution to −10 °C (96.5 MPa), - 15 °C (162 MPa) and −20 °C (205 MPa) for 60 and 120 min. Cell membrane integrity and cell metabolism were studied with a Live/Dead cell vitality assay and flow cytometry. We found that cell survival decreases with an increase in pressure (lower temperatures) and time of exposure. For example, 60% of cells survived 60 min at – 10 °C and only 18% survived 120 min at this temperature. Negligible survival was measured at – 20 °C . This study may serve as the baseline towards further research on techniques to optimize the effects of isochoric freezing on living biological matter.
The neurology of noise: Musical therapy both path and present (P2.193)

Objective: Explore the historical and modern usage of musical therapy in the neurological treatment of disease. Background: Music is a human expression, a pattern of sound waves that communicates thoughts and emotions. Not just noise, music carries meaning as it is produced by and for the brain. The application of music in therapy for neurological conditions has been explored in the literature as well as in popular culture. This project seeks to investigate the history and evolution of music as a therapeutic platform from its inception to present day. Design/Methods: This project is a literature review and analysis, and has two major components. The first is an investigation into the physiology of music, including an anatomical correlation to the generation of music and a scientific explanation for its therapy in pathology. The second is a consideration of the neurological conditions that have been treated with musical therapy in both historical and modern medicine. This latter section focuses on evaluating the impact that music has had on the medical world. Results: The therapeutic nature of music has been implemented for maladies of all sorts since the art form’s inception. Scientific explanations may vary, but musical therapy has a place in the treatment of conditions including mood, aphasic, compulsive, and movement disorders. Conclusions: From its use to relieve refractory melancholia in the enlightenment period to miraculously mitigating shell shock in the trench warfare of the twentieth century, there is no questioning the impact of music on the medical world. This project aims to explore the science behind the art form, and to determine its legitimacy in treating specific neurological conditions. Disclosure: Dr. Carberry has nothing to disclose. Dr. Guber has nothing to disclose. Dr. Etienne has nothing to disclose.
System-level energy consumption modeling and optimization for cellulosic biofuel production

Abstract As a promising alternative to fossil fuels, cellulosic biofuel has obtained considerable interest due to its potential for mitigating global climate change and enhancing energy security. However, the widespread adoption of cellulosic biofuel is taking place in a slower pace than expected. One major challenge is that the cellulosic biofuel production is still highly energy-intensive. In fact, the energy contained in cellulosic biofuel is less than the energy required for its production. To address this issue, in this paper, an analytical system-level energy model is proposed to characterize the fundamental relationships between total energy consumption and biofuel production parameters in cellulosic biofuel production systems. Furthermore, an optimization strategy based on Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is adopted to minimize the energy consumption of cellulosic biofuel production while maintaining the desired biofuel yield. A baseline case is implemented for analyzing energy consumption, and the results show that pretreatment consumes most energy among all processes and the water/biomass ratio is the most significant energy driver. In addition, the optimal solution results in a 21.09% reduction in the total energy consumption compared to the baseline case.
Application of Excimer Laser Processing in SiC Device Fabrication

Activation of dopants implanted into SiC is a key processing step in SiC device fabrication. Until now, activation of n-type dopants in SiC required temperatures higher than 1300°C, with higher temperatures required for p-type dopants. At these high temperatures, most common dielectrics used in processing will be molten and the properties of many metals or metal silicides change. This poses severe difficulties for SiC device fabrication. Excimer processing utilizes a well-controlled XeCl laser beam pulse or pulses (308 nm and 3.9 eV) of a duration of about 30 ns. The process is a local and nonequilibrium process. Using a suitable masking material, a selected area on a SiC substrate can be heated to a high temperature (even to melting temperature) within a few nanoseconds. Since the heating time is so short, the heating is limited to the region within a few tenths of a micrometer (depending on the laser beam energy and pulse duration) of the surface in the unmasked area, with little propagation vertically or laterally. The talk will present the results of laser annealing, melting and recrystallization of β- and 6Hβ-SiC doped with Ga or Al. A Rutherford Back Scattering (RBS) analysis of the ion-implanted and laser-processed SiC layer will be discussed.
K'uk'ulkan at Mayapán: Venus and postclassic Maya statecraft

L'article confirme que la conceptualisation de l'oracle de Venus a Mayapan pourrait faire partie des traditions commemorant Venus et/ou K'uk'ulkan a Uxmal et Chich'en Itza
Animal Models in Chronic Daily Headache (CDH) and Pathophysiology of CDH

Chronic migraine (CM) has complex pathophysiology that cannot be easily studied in humans. Therefore, animal models are ideally suited for this type of investigation and have played crucial roles in our understanding of CM pathophysiology and aid in treatment. Multidisciplinary approaches used in animal models explore anatomical circuits, phenotypic traits, electrophysiological activities, biochemical pathways, and genetic manipulations. Examination of pathophysiology, therapeutic and prophylactic treatment options, drug effects, and non-pharmacological therapies is explored in preclinical settings and helps improve their applications in clinical practice. On the other hand, known CM therapies also benefit from animal models when unraveling drug mechanisms, sensitivity, and toxicity. Thus, even with known limitations, animal models are unraveling CM mechanisms and contributing to the development of therapeutic tools with translational implications that will guide personalized therapies.
Effect of transverse compression on the residual tensile strength of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (Dyneema® SK-76) yarns

Abstract Ballistic impact induces complex stress states on fiber-based armor systems. During impact fibers undergo multiaxial loading which includes axial tension, axial compression, transverse compression, and transverse shear. Transverse compression induced by the projectile leads to permanent deformation and fibrillation of fibers resulting in degradation of material tensile strength. Previous work (Sockalingam et al. Textile Res. J 2018) has shown a reduction of 20% in the tensile strength of Dyneema® SK76 single fibers subjected to 77% nominal transverse compressive strains. Experimental investigation of quasi-static transverse compression on Dyneema® SK-76 yarns, unconstrained in the lateral direction, indicate an average of 4% reduction in tensile strength of yarns compressed to 77% nominal strains. In this work we use finite element modeling techniques to understand the difference in residual tensile strength between single fibers and yarns observed in laterally unconstrained transverse compression experiments. Finite element study of the transverse compression response of single fibers and yarns indicate that local strains developed in fibers within the yarn are much lower than the local strains developed in single fibers subjected to a given nominal strain and may explain the less reduction in strength observed in yarns.
Electron-mediated carbohydrate fuel cells: Characterizing the homogeneous viologen-mediated electron transfer rate of carbohydrate oxidation

Abstract One area of exploration for renewable energy is the development of fuel cells, including carbohydrate fuel cells that can extract energy from carbohydrates. Viologen electron mediators have been shown to enhance energy extraction and improve carbohydrate conversion efficiencies, although the limiting step appears to be the homogeneous rate at which electrons are first transferred from the carbohydrate to the viologen. In this work, electron transfer rates for various monosaccharides in the presence of methyl viologen were studied in the absence of a fuel cell to isolate the homogeneous rate. Using glucose as the model carbohydrate, a rigorous mechanistic model of the homogeneous electron transfer rate was developed and showed a first-order dependence on OH− concentration, a first-order dependence on carbohydrate concentration, a zero-order dependence when the methyl viologen concentration was ≫ 0.4 mM, and an increasing rate with incubation time when glucose was incubated in a buffer solution prior to exposure to methyl viologen. The incubation effect had a strong dependence on pH and was consistent with interconversion between glucose and fructose. The mechanistic model, which agreed well with experimental data, can be useful for identifying process improvements to carbohydrate fuel cells, especially when the homogenous rate is a limiting step.
Proton irradiation damage and annealing effects in ON Semiconductor J-series silicon photomultipliers

Abstract Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) have become popular light conversion devices in recent years due to their low bias voltage and sensitivity to wavelengths emitted from common scintillating materials. These properties make them particularly attractive for resource-constrained missions such as space-based detector applications. However, the space radiation environment is known to be particularly harsh on semiconductor devices, where high particle fluences can degrade performance over time. The radiation hardness of a particular SiPM, manufactured by ON Semiconductor (formally SensL), has yet to be studied with high energy protons, which are native to the space radiation environment. To study these effects we have irradiated groups of two SiPMs to four different fluences of 800 MeV protons delivered by the accelerator at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. Fluences of 1 . 68 × 1 0 9 , 1 . 73 × 1 0 10 , 6 . 91 × 1 0 10 , and 1 . 73 × 1 0 11 protons cm − 2 , and their corresponding estimated doses of 0.15, 1.55, 6.19, and 15.5 kRad, were chosen based on estimates of the potential exposure a SiPM might receive during an interplanetary space mission lasting 10 years. We report the effects these doses have on dark current and the self-annealing time.
Barriers to Referral to Minimally Invasive Gynecology Surgical Subspecialists

Study Objective To determine patterns and barriers for referral to minimally invasive gynecologic surgery (MIGS) fellowship-trained subspecialists. Design Questionnaire. Setting United States and its territories and Canada. Patients or Participants Actively practicing general obstetrician/gynecologists (OB/GYNs). Interventions Online survey. Measurements and Main Results There were 155 respondents. There were 155 respondents. Of the respondents, 142 (91.6%) general OB/GYNs were included. Subspecialty fellowship training resulted in exclusion of 13 (8.4%) respondents. Eighty-five respondents (59.9%) considered referral to MIGS fellowship-trained subspecialists. Factors that were not associated with decision to refer to MIGS subspecialists included years in practice (p=0.16), additional training experiences beyond residency (p=0.10), and number of hysterectomies performed via laparotomy (p=0.34). Self-reported high volume surgeons (p Conclusion The majority of general OB/GYNs would consider referral to MIGS fellowship-trained surgeons. Providers who reported adequate residency training, and those who preferred continuity of care or referral to other surgical subspecialists were less likely to refer to MIGS subspecialists.
Effects of Short-Term Golden Root Extract (Rhodiola rosea) Supplementation on Resistance Exercise Performance

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of short-term Golden Root Extract (GRE; Rhodiola rosea) supplementation on blood lactate, catecholamines, and performance during repeated bench press exercise. Resistance-trained males (n = 10) participated in this study. In a double-blinded, crossover, counterbalanced study design, participants supplemented with either 1500 mg/day of GRE or placebo (PL; gluten-free cornstarch) for 3 days prior to experimentation. An additional 500 mg dose was ingested 30 min prior to exercise testing. During each exercise trial, participants completed 2 repetitions of bench press at 75% of one-repetition maximum (1RM) as explosively as possible. A linear position transducer was used to measure mean concentric velocity. After 5 min of rest, participants completed 3 sets × repetitions to failure (RTF) at 75% 1RM separated by 2 min of rest between each set. A capillary blood sample was obtained pre- (PRE) and immediately post- (POST) exercise to measure blood concentrations lactate (LA), epinephrine (EPI), and norepinephrine (NE). Mean concentric velocity was significantly higher with GRE when compared to PL (p = 0.046). However, total RTF were significantly lower with GRE versus PL (p < 0.001). Regardless of treatment, LA was significantly higher Post versus Pre (p < 0.001), but GRE resulted in greater Post values compared to PL (p = 0.049). EPI and NE increased in both conditions Pre to Post (p < 0.001). However, Pre NE was significantly higher with GRE versus PL (p = 0.008). Findings indicate that short-term GRE supplementation increases mean bench press velocity but decreases bench press repetition volume. Furthermore, GRE resulted in higher NE levels and blood lactate following exercise. Thus, supplementing with GRE may enhance explosive resistance training performance but may also impair upper body strength-endurance.
Drag reduction via opposition control in a compressible turbulent channel

The compressibility effect on opposition drag control is investigated using direct numerical simulation of turbulent channel flows at a bulk Reynolds number Re${}_{b}$ = 3000 for three different bulk Mach numbers: Mb = 0.3, 0.8, and 1.5. With increasing Mb, drag reduction slightly decreases at small sensing plane location ${y}_{d}^{+}$ but increases at large ${y}_{d}^{+}$. Interestingly, for large ${y}_{d}^{+}$ cases, a resonance buffer layer characterized by a streamwise periodic array of spanwise-coherent rollers is established, one of the primary reasons for the degradation of drag reduction performance.
Are women with advanced pelvic organ prolapse treated by open mesh sacrocolpopexy at risk of secondary incisional hernia

Our purpose was to determine whether vaginal hernia is a predisposing factor for incisional hernia (IH) in a cohort of women with symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse (POP) who underwent corrective repair by open mesh sacrocolpopexy (MSC) and had long-term follow-up to determine their rate of subsequent IH. Following IRB approval, the charts of women entered into a longitudinal database and who underwent open MSC at a tertiary institution were reviewed. Data collected included demographics, MSC and IH details, and long-term outcome. Patients were excluded if the follow-up after MSC was < 1 year. Data were reviewed by a neutral investigator who was not involved in patient care (FA). From 1999 to 2012, 75 of 88 women met inclusion criteria, with mean follow-up of 65 (48–84) months. Thirteen were either lost to follow-up or had follow-up < 1 year. Seven women underwent symptomatic IH repair, with a mean onset of IH diagnosis after MSC at 18 (range 8–72) months. Five repairs were done via an open approach, and two were repaired laparoscopically. No IH recurrence was noted at a mean of 41 (range 14–75) months after IH repair. No risk factors were identified in the IH group compared with those who did not form a secondary IH. In this longitudinal series, IH after open MSC occurred in 9.3 %, a rate comparable with that reported in women undergoing abdominal procedures through midline or Pfannenstiel incisions.
Psychotropic Drug-Induced Reductions in Seizure Threshold

Summary There are no simple answers to questions such as ‘Which antidepressant is most likely to cause seizures?’ or ‘Which antipsychotic drug is the safest to use in a patient with a seizure disorder?’ The risk of psychotropic drug-induced seizures is dependent on many factors beyond inherent differences in the propensity of individual drugs to lower seizure threshold. Individual patient variables that affect the likelihood of drug-induced seizures occurring include a history of epilepsy or seizures, a family history of epilepsy, and postnatal brain damage, head trauma and dementia. Once a drug is selected, seizure risk is directly dependent on dosage, rate and amount of dose titration, and concurrent use of other drugs. Setting aside these other risk factors, the likelihood of drug-induced seizures occurring does differ among psychotropic drugs. Among antipsychotic drugs, clozapine is associated with the highest risk of seizures, followed by chlorpromazine, with other phenothiazines and risperidone having a lower risk and haloperidol the least risk. Among antidepressants, maprotiline, amoxapine, amfebutamone (bupropion) and clomipramine pose the greatest risk along with other tricyclic antidepressants in high doses. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), trazodone, nefazodone and the selective serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are associated with a lower risk of seizures. Benzodiazepines with long elimination half-lives are less likely to cause seizures during withdrawal than those agents with short to intermediate half-lives, although the rate and amount of dosage reduction are more important variables. Finally, most psychotropic drugs are metabolised by cytochrome P450 isoenzymes. Concurrent use of enzyme inhibitors or discontinuation of enzyme inducers may cause a significant increase in plasma concentrations of the psychotropic drug, increasing the likelihood of adverse effects and the potential for seizures.
Real-time control of a virtual human using minimal sensors

We track, in real-time, the position and posture of a human body, using a minimal number of six DOF sensors to capture full body standing postures. We use four sensors to create a good approximation of a human operator's position and posture, and map it on to our articulated computer graphics human model. The unsensed joints are positioned by a fast inverse kinematics algorithm. Our goal is to realistically recreate human postures while minimally encumbering the operator.
The Impact of Limited Retail Shelf Space on Category Management

Shelf space scarcity is a predominant aspect of the consumer goods industry. This paper analyzes its implications for category management. We consider two category management mechanisms: retailer category management, where the retailer determines product prices, and category captainship, where a manufacturer in the category is responsible for retail pricing. We develop a game-theoretic model of two competing manufacturers selling through the same retailer. The retailer behaves strategically and determines the category shelf space based on the profit potential of the category and on the opportunity cost of retail shelf space. Our analysis reveals that irrespective of the form of category management, the retailer can use category shelf space strategically to control the intensity of competition between manufacturers to his benefit. We find that shelf space scarcity significantly affects conditions under which category captainship would naturally emerge by benefiting the retailer and the category captain. Category captainship has been criticized for disadvantaging non-captain manufacturers. While we provide support for this claim, we also find that category captainship may benefit non-captain manufacturers when implemented by a powerful retailer in categories with sufficiently differentiated products.
Exploring Opportunities in Cultural Diversity

In economics and political science, there is evidence from large cross-sectional datasets and field experiments that neighborhoods, villages, cities, and countries with higher levels of cultural diversity have lower levels of generalized trust, lower quality of public goods, and poorer economic performance. However, in social psychology, organizational behavior, and computer science, there is evidence that diverse populations are collectively better able to solve complex problems with creative solutions. The next generation of research, crucial for the globalized world that is undermining homogeneous communities, will utilize experimental research designs (such as those based on natural or quasi-natural experiments, laboratory experiments, and randomized experiments in controlled natural settings) to better understand the mechanisms sustaining underperformance of diverse communities and to identify interventions that enable community members to take advantage of the problem-solving promise of diversity to yield social and economic benefits. Keywords: value in diversity; ethnic conflict; social cooperation; economic productivity; immigration
Steady pulsed imaging and labeling scheme for noninvasive perfusion imaging

Purpose: A steady pulsed imaging and labeling (SPIL) scheme is proposed to obtain high-resolution multislice perfusion images of mice brain using standard preclinical MRI equipment. Theory and Methods: The SPIL scheme repeats a pulsed arterial spin labeling (PASL) module together with a short mixing time to extend the temporal duration of the generated PASL bolus to the total experimental time. Multislice image acquisition takes place during the mixing times. The mixing time is also used for magnetization recovery following image acquisition. The new scheme is able to yield multislice perfusion images rapidly. The perfusion kinetic curve can be measured by a multipulsed imaging and labeling (MPIL) scheme, i.e., acquiring single-slice ASL signals before reaching steady-state in the SPIL sequence. Results: When applying the SPIL method to normal mice, and to mice with unilateral ischemia, high-resolution multislice (five slices) CBF images could be obtained in 8 min. Perfusion data from ischemic mice showed clear CBF reductions in ischemic regions. The SPIL method was also applied to postmortem mice, showing that the method is free from magnetization transfer confounds. Conclusion: The new SPIL scheme provides for robust measurement of CBF with multislice imaging capability in small animals. Magn Reson Med, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Japan's Image in America: Popular Writing about Japan, 1800‐1941

Japan's Image in America: Popular Writing about Japan, 1800-1941 Charles B. Wordell (Kyoto: Yamaguchi Publishing House, 1998)
Shortest-path routing in randomized DHT-based Peer-to-Peer systems

Randomized DHT-based Peer-to-Peer (P2P) systems grant nodes certain flexibility in selecting their overlay neighbors, leading to irregular overlay structures but to better overall performance in terms of path latency, static resilience and local convergence. However, routing in the presence of overlay irregularity is challenging. In this paper, we propose a novel routing protocol, RASTER, that approximates shortest overlay routes between nodes in randomized DHTs. Unlike previously proposed routing protocols, RASTER encodes and aggregates routing information. Its simple bitmap-encoding scheme together with the proposed RASTER routing algorithm enable a performance edge over current overlay routing protocols. RASTER provides a forwarding overhead of merely a small constant number of bitwise operations, a routing performance close to optimal, and a better resilience to churn. RASTER also provides nodes with the flexibility to adjust the size of the maintained routing information based on their storage/processing capabilities. The cost of storing and exchanging encoded routing information is manageable and grows logarithmically with the number of nodes in the system.
Selective Targeting of Leukemic Cell Growth in Vivo and in Vitro Using a Gene Silencing Approach to Diminish S-Adenosylmethionine Synthesis

We exploited the fact that leukemic cells utilize significantly higher levels of S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) than normal lymphocytes and developed tools that selectively diminished their survival under physiologic conditions. Using RNA interference gene silencing technology, we modulated the kinetics of methionine adenosyltransferase-II (MAT-II), which catalyzes SAMe synthesis from ATP and l-Met. Specifically, we silenced the expression of the regulatory MAT-IIβ subunit in Jurkat cells and accordingly shifted the of the enzyme 10–15-fold above the physiologic levels of l-Met, thereby reducing enzyme activity and SAMe pools, inducing excessive apoptosis and diminishing leukemic cell growth in vitro and in vivo. These effects were reversed at unphysiologically high l-Met (>50 μm), indicating that diminished leukemic cell growth at physiologic l-Met levels was a direct result of the increase in MAT-II due to MAT-IIβ ablation and the consequent reduction in SAMe synthesis. In our NOD/Scid IL-2Rγnull humanized mouse model of leukemia, control shRNA-transduced Jurkat cells exhibited heightened engraftment, whereas cells lacking MAT-IIβ failed to engraft for up to 5 weeks post-transplant. These stark differences in malignant cell survival, effected by MAT-IIβ ablation, suggest that it may be possible to use this approach to disadvantage leukemic cell survival in vivo with little to no harm to normal cells.
L-Glutamine and the Growth of Embryonic Chick Tibiotarsi in vitro

IN 1955 1 Kieny published an account of the amino-acid requirements of eight-day embryonic chick tibiae cultivated on various simple mixtures of inorganic salts and amino-acids, including L-glutamic acid. She reported that although the addition of glutamine to the media caused some increase in the length of the bones they also lost weight. In a later paper2, however, she concluded that the substance had no effect on the bones. Recently, Biggers, Gwatkin and Heyner3 have described the growth of embryonic chick, rat and mouse tibiae on a relatively simple medium (denoted BGJb), which does not contain L-glutamic acid. It has been demonstrated in simple total deficiency experiments that L-glutamine is essential for growth in all three species, whether the response is measured in terms of length, wet weight or dry weight.
Cyclic creep of type 304 stainless steel during unbalanced tension-compression loading at elevated temperature

Samples of Type 304 stainless steel were subjected to cyclic stresses with a positive mean stress at 300 and 560°C. Very rapid net elongation was observed whenever the stress limits were such as to produce a plastic strain amplitude of the same order of magnitude as the elastic strain at the peak stress. The maximum mean strain-rate, or cyclic creep rate, for a given peak tensile stress was achieved when the mean stress was just slightly above zero. Increasing the mean stress caused the mean strain rate to de-crease. The sensitive dependence of the mean strain-rate on the plastic strain ampli-tude and inverse dependence on the mean stress indicates that remobilization of disloca-tions by the reverse strain is an important mechanism for cyclic-creep acceleration. Although rapid cyclic creep was observed at both temperatures, a measurable mean strain rate was found for a much narrower range of stress conditions at 560 than at 300°C. The strain accumulated during cyclic creep did not produce any strain hardening, but did influence the shape of the stress-strain curve in a subsequent tensile test.
Central gray modulation of affective defense is differentially sensitive to naloxone

Specific areas of feline central gray (CG) modulate affective aggression elicited by hypothalamic stimulation and produce analgesia, possibly mediated by enkephalins. Despite correlations between opiates and aggressive behavior suggested previously, their relationship has not been clearly demonstrated. The goal of this study was to examine the possible role of endogenous opiate mechanisms in CG modulation of affective aggression. Electrodes were placed in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VM) which, when stimulated, elicited affective attack. Control latency to VM-elicited hiss was established. CG cannula-electrodes were then implanted. Response modulation was determined by dual stimulation of CG and VM electrodes, alternated with VM stimulation alone. Naloxone was introduced through the CG electrodes and VM-elicited hiss latency was again determined, followed by paired trials of dual and single stimulation. Six ventral facilitatory and eight dorsal inhibitory sites were identified. Naloxone had no effect on CG facilitation but completely blocked CG inhibition of VM-elicited hissing. In support of these findings, it was observed that D-A1A2-MET5-enkephalin injected directly into CG-inhibitory sites suppressed VM-elicited hissing. These results demonstrate that opiate mechanisms are operative in the inhibitory modulation of intra-specific aggression.
Calculation of hydrogen density in toroidal plasma

Abstract Calculation of hydrogen recycling in toroidal plasmas (tokamaks, stellarators) requires three-dimensional spatial models. We present numerical results for the distribution of H 0 in the torus for a number of typical examples: standard limiter in a tokamak, stellarator with uniform wall emission, neutral-beam stimulated (“halo”) neutrals, axisymmetric tokamak with a gettered surface, and a pump-limiter with the dimensions of that tried on ISX-B. We find that spatial asymmetries are pronounced, as expected from previous experimental work. The asymmetric spatial distribution is needed to calculate radiative emission from low-Z impurities (e.g., carbon and oxygen) which are strongly influenced by impurity thermal charge exchange.
Wittgenstein in Exile. By James C. Klagge

Wittgenstein in Exile. By James C. Klagge (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2011), xi + 249 pp. $35.00 cloth. Ludwig Wittgenstein predicted that his work would not be understood, and his readers today ten...
Identification of JAK2 as a growth hormone receptor-associated tyrosine kinase

Growth hormone receptor (GHR) forms a complex with a tyrosine kinase, suggesting involvement of a ligand-activated tyrosine kinase in intracellular signaling by growth hormone (GH). Here we identify JAK2, a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase, as a GHR-associated tyrosine kinase. Immunological approaches were used to establish GH-dependent complex formation between JAK2 and GHR, activation of JAK2 tyrosine kinase activity, and tyrosyl phosphorylation of both JAK2 and GHR. The JAK2-GHR and JAK2-erythropoietin receptor interactions described here and in the accompanying paper provide a molecular basis for involvement of tyrosyl phosphorylation in physiological responses to these ligands and suggest a shared signaling mechanism among members of the cytokine/hematopoietin receptor family.
Ramp loading in Russian doll poroelasticity

Abstract Aporoelastic model for porous materials with a nested pore space structure is developed to represent the interstitial fluid flow in bone tissue. The nested porosity model is applied to the problem of determining the exchange of pore fluid between the vascular porosity (PV) and the lacunar–canalicular porosity (PLC) in bone tissue in a ramp loading in the case where the fluid and solid constituents are assumed to be compressible. The compressibility assumption is appropriate for hard tissues while the incompressibility assumption is appropriate for soft tissues. The influence of blood pressure in the PV is included in the analysis. A formula for the fluid that moves between the two porosities is developed. The analysis showed the coupling of the two porosities and their influence on each other and concluded that the PV pore pressure has an influence less than 3% on the PLC pore pressure while the absence of the PV pore pressure will affect the fluid exchange between the PV and PLC by less than 6% (the blood pressure range is 40–60 mmHg). Also the analysis has shown that the draining time of the PLC is inversely proportional to its permeability. The significance of the result is basic to the understanding of interstitial flow in bone tissue that, in turn, is basic to understanding of nutrient transport from the vasculature to the bone cells buried in the bone tissue and to the process of mechanotransduction by these cells.
Statistical Quality Control in the First Statistics Course

Abstract Articles regularly apppear in the “Teacher's Corner” of The American Statistician and elsewhere discussing which topics to include in the first statistics course, the order of presentation, and relative emphasis. The basic premise of this article is that some aspects of statistical quality control (SQC) should be incorporated into that first course. In brief, three points are made: (a) SQC concepts are not now widely taught; (b) they should be; and (c) it is relatively painless to do so.
Interaction between CD45-AP and Protein-tyrosine Kinases Involved in T Cell Receptor Signaling

CD45-AP associates specifically with CD45, a protein-tyrosine phosphatase essential for antigen receptor-mediated signal transduction. CD45 modulates the activity of Src family protein-tyrosine kinases involved at the onset of antigen receptor-mediated signaling by dephosphorylating their regulatory tyrosyl residues. We have shown that lymphocyte responses to antigen receptor stimulation are impaired in CD45-AP-null mice. To examine the possibility that CD45-AP coordinates the interaction between CD45 and its substrates, we investigated the associations of CD45-AP with several protein-tyrosine kinases. Endogenous CD45-AP coimmunoprecipitated with Lck and ZAP-70 in both CD45-positive T cells and their CD45-negative variants after stimulation by antigen receptor ligation. Concomitantly, CD45 coimmunoprecipitated with Lck and ZAP-70 after T cell receptor-mediated stimulation of CD45-positive cells. Recombinant CD45-AP exhibited specific binding to Lck and ZAP-70 protein-tyrosine kinases, but not to Fyn or Csk, in lysates of both CD45-positive and -negative T cells. Specific interactions were demonstrated between the respective recombinant proteins as well. These results demonstrate that CD45-AP associates directly and selectively with Lck and ZAP-70 in response to T cell receptor-mediated stimulation. The associations of CD45-AP with Lck and ZAP-70 may mediate the functional interactions of these kinases with CD45 during antigen receptor stimulation.
IntroPerf: transparent context-sensitive multi-layer performance inference using system stack traces

Performance bugs are frequently observed in commodity software. While profilers or source code-based tools can be used at development stage where a program is diagnosed in a well-defined environment, many performance bugs survive such a stage and affect production runs. OS kernel-level tracers are commonly used in post-development diagnosis due to their independence from programs and libraries; however, they lack detailed program-specific metrics to reason about performance problems such as function latencies and program contexts. In this paper, we propose a novel performance inference system, called IntroPerf, that generates fine-grained performance information -- like that from application profiling tools -- transparently by leveraging OS tracers that are widely available in most commodity operating systems. With system stack traces as input, IntroPerf enables transparent context-sensitive performance inference, and diagnoses application performance in a multi-layered scope ranging from user functions to the kernel. Evaluated with various performance bugs in multiple open source software projects, IntroPerf automatically ranks potential internal and external root causes of performance bugs with high accuracy without any prior knowledge about or instrumentation on the subject software. Our results show IntroPerf's effectiveness as a lightweight performance introspection tool for post-development diagnosis.
Supraesophageal Reflux: Validation of a Symptom Questionnaire

Objective To develop and validate a questionnaire for supraesophageal manifestations of reflux (SER) that will facilitate its study in clinical and research settings. Study design The Supraesophageal Reflux Questionnaire (SERQ) and previously validated Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) were subjected to multiple types of validity testing, including content validity, concurrent validity, reproducibility, and predictive validity. Results The concurrent validity and reproducibility of both instruments was good to excellent for most items tested. The predictive validity of the SERQ was superior to the RSI when it included the covariates of history of sinusitis, use of over-the-counter antacid medications, age, gender, and body mass index. Conclusions The SERQ will serve as both a useful clinical and research tool by offering not only SER symptom information, like the RSI, but also information about the patient’s medical history and medication usage that will facilitate use of the SERQ in research protocols. EBM rating: B-2b
The photosynthetic unit of hydrogen evolution.

A study of the absolute photoproduction of hydrogen by autotrophically grown Chlorella vulgaris with single-turnover flashes of light indicates that (i) while the Emerson and Arnold photosynthetic unit has the value chlorophyll: oxygen ≈ 1700 : 1, the hydrogen analog of this unit has the value chlorophyll: hydrogen ≈ 1400 : 1, and (ii) whereas the yield of oxygen from dark-adapted algal cells is zero on the first flash and then undergoes damped oscillations of period 4 about the steady-state value, the corresponding yield of hydrogen is fixed at the steady-state value from the first flash onward. These observations suggest that in the molecular mechanism of photosynthetic hydrogen evolution (i) the light reaction is at least 60 percent as efficient as the corresponding oxygen evolution reaction as measured by the ability to utilize absorbed visible quanta, and (ii) there are no sequential, photoproduced, metastable intermediates as there are in the case of oxygen evolution. Therefore, a minimum of two reducing equivalents from two different photosystems must have access to a common pool in producing molecular hydrogen if these photosystems each produce one electron per single-turnover flash.
Channel-anchored Protein Kinase CK2 and Protein Phosphatase 1 Reciprocally Regulate KCNQ2-containing M-channels via Phosphorylation of Calmodulin

M-type potassium channels, encoded by the KCNQ family genes (KCNQ2–5), require calmodulin as an essential co-factor. Calmodulin bound to the KCNQ2 subunit regulates channel trafficking and stabilizes channel activity. We demonstrate that phosphorylation of calmodulin by protein kinase CK2 (casein kinase 2) rapidly and reversibly modulated KCNQ2 current. CK2-mediated phosphorylation of calmodulin strengthened its binding to KCNQ2 channel, caused resistance to phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate depletion, and increased KCNQ2 current amplitude. Accordingly, application of CK2-selective inhibitors suppressed KCNQ2 current. This suppression was prevented by co-expression of CK2 phosphomimetic calmodulin mutants or pretreatment with a protein phosphatase inhibitor, calyculin A. We also demonstrated that functional CK2 and protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) were selectively tethered to the KCNQ2 subunit. We identified a functional KVXF consensus site for PP1 binding in the N-terminal tail of KCNQ2 subunit: mutation of this site augmented current density. CK2 inhibitor treatment suppressed M-current in rat superior cervical ganglion neurons, an effect negated by overexpression of phosphomimetic calmodulin or pretreatment with calyculin A Furthermore, CK2 inhibition diminished the medium after hyperpolarization by suppressing the M-current. These findings suggest that CK2-mediated phosphorylation of calmodulin regulates the M-current, which is tonically regulated by CK2 and PP1 anchored to the KCNQ2 channel complex. Background: Calmodulin binding to KCNQ subunit is required for maintaining the M-current. Results: Protein kinase CK2-mediated phosphorylation of CaM enhances KCNQ2 current. KCNQ2 subunit tethers protein kinase CK2 and protein phosphatase 1. Conclusion: Phosphorylation status of CaM regulates the M-current. Significance: Phosphorylation status of calmodulin regulates neuronal excitability via M-current modulation.
Isolation of a herpes-like virus from lymphosarcomatous cattle.

Apparently identical herpes-like viruses were isolated from the leukocytes of two lymphosarcomatous cows. The isolates caused syncytial formation in bovine embryonic spleen cell cultures but were structurally and antigenically unrelated to a bovine syncytial virus previously isolated and described byMalmquist et al. (11). Inoculation of the isolates into guinea pigs, rabbits, mice, hamsters and calves failed to reveal any evidence of pathogenicity but the virus was reisolated from three inoculated calves. The isolates were antigenically distinct from infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus and pseudorabies virus. Neither their relationship to bovine herpes mammillitis virus nor their possible role in the etiology of bovine lymphosarcoma has been ascertained.
Development of Rules and Strategies: Balancing the Old and the New.

The experiments described in the lead articles replicate findings from previous studies of development of knowledge about balance scales, add several new findings, and raise four key questions: (a) How can rule use best be assessed? (b) How can we reconcile systematic use of rules with variable use of strategies? (c) When do children begin to use rules? and (d) How do children generate new rules? In this Reflection, we summarize current understanding of development of knowledge about balance scales and consider each of the four questions.
Quantitative High-Throughput Screen Identifies Inhibitors of the Schistosoma mansoni Redox Cascade

Schistosomiasis is a tropical disease associated with high morbidity and mortality, currently affecting over 200 million people worldwide. Praziquantel is the only drug used to treat the disease, and with its increased use the probability of developing drug resistance has grown significantly. The Schistosoma parasites can survive for up to decades in the human host due in part to a unique set of antioxidant enzymes that continuously degrade the reactive oxygen species produced by the host's innate immune response. Two principal components of this defense system have been recently identified in S. mansoni as thioredoxin/glutathione reductase (TGR) and peroxiredoxin (Prx) and as such these enzymes present attractive new targets for anti-schistosomiasis drug development. Inhibition of TGR/Prx activity was screened in a dual-enzyme format with reducing equivalents being transferred from NADPH to glutathione via a TGR-catalyzed reaction and then to hydrogen peroxide via a Prx-catalyzed step. A fully automated quantitative high-throughput (qHTS) experiment was performed against a collection of 71,028 compounds tested as 7- to 15-point concentration series at 5 µL reaction volume in 1536-well plate format. In order to generate a robust data set and to minimize the effect of compound autofluorescence, apparent reaction rates derived from a kinetic read were utilized instead of end-point measurements. Actives identified from the screen, along with previously untested analogues, were subjected to confirmatory experiments using the screening assay and subsequently against the individual targets in secondary assays. Several novel active series were identified which inhibited TGR at a range of potencies, with IC50s ranging from micromolar to the assay response limit (∼25 nM). This is, to our knowledge, the first report of a large-scale HTS to identify lead compounds for a helminthic disease, and provides a paradigm that can be used to jump-start development of novel therapeutics for other neglected tropical diseases.
Index Option Returns: Still Puzzling

Previous research indicates mixed conclusions on the potential mispricing of equity index put options. We examine the returns of put writing and other option strategies by comparing historical option returns with returns generated using option pricing models. We find it is generally possible to reject the hypothesis that put returns are consistent with option pricing models. An implication is that the average cost of buying out-of-the-money put options to provide tail-risk protection to a portfolio may include a significant premium. Our results are based on a sample period of 1987�2012 that includes periods of high volatility in equity returns.