cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
20 – Biotechnology and Its Products

This chapter explores about biotechnology and its products. Recent scientific advances in molecular biology, recombinant DNA technology, and monoclonal antibody production have led to the development of a new class of therapeutic agents, biopharmaceuticals, for the treatment of both human and veterinary disease. These novel therapeutic agents are produced by recombinant DNA technology, which involves the cloning and expression of a specific gene followed by large-scale production of the purified protein for therapeutic use. One of the advantages of biopharmaceuticals is that they can be targeted to individual cell types by utilizing specific receptor-ligand interactions, eliminating many of the side effects associated with the administration of nontargeted therapies. The two most important issues to be addressed in the safety evaluation of recombinant human therapeutics are as follows: (1) the selection of an appropriate (reactive) test species and (2) the immunogenicity of the molecule in the test species and in humans. Both of these factors influence the design, interpretation, and relevance of the preclinical toxicity program.
CRYSTAL FIELD THEORY (AND ATOMIC PHYSICS)

A well-constructed plot should, therefore, be single in its issue, rather than double as some maintain.
A synthetic enzymatic pathway for extremely thermophilic acetone production based on the unexpectedly thermostable acetoacetate decarboxylase from Clostridium acetobutylicum

One potential advantage of an extremely thermophilic metabolic engineering host (T opt ≥ 70°C) is facilitated recovery of volatile chemicals from the vapor phase of an active fermenting culture. This process would reduce purification costs and concomitantly alleviate toxicity to the cells by continuously removing solvent fermentation products such as acetone or ethanol, a process we are calling "bio-reactive distillation." Although extremely thermophilic heterologous metabolic pathways can be inspired by existing mesophilic versions, they require thermostable homologs of the constituent enzymes if they are to be utilized in extremely thermophilic bacteria or archaea. Production of acetone from acetyl-CoA and acetate in the mesophilic bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum utilizes three enzymes: thiolase, acetoacetyl-CoA: acetate CoA transferase (CtfAB), and acetoacetate decarboxylase (Adc). Previously reported biocatalytic pathways for acetone production were demonstrated only as high as 55°C. Here, we demonstrate a synthetic enzymatic pathway for acetone production that functions up to at least 70°C in vitro, made possible by the unusual thermostability of Adc from the mesophile C. acetobutylicum, and heteromultimeric acetoacetyl-CoA:acetate CoA-transferase (CtfAB) complexes from Thermosipho melanesiensis and Caldanaerobacter subterraneus, composed of a highly thermostable α-subunit and a thermally labile β-subunit. The three enzymes produce acetone in vitro at temperatures of at least 70°C, paving the way for bio-reactive distillation of acetone using a metabolically engineered extreme thermophile as a production host.
Reading gesture: Katherine Dunham, the Dunham Technique, and the vocabulary of dance as decolonizing archival praxis

This paper examines how the African diasporic dance works of anthropologist, dancer, and choreographer Katherine Dunham has endured over time through both archival intervention and through Dunham’s dance pedagogy, the Dunham Technique. Interrogating the ways that dance and gesture are rendered readable through visual literacies, the paper explores codification and transmission as apparatus for ensuring the continuation of culturally informed movement such as the Dunham Technique. The author argues that reading gesture as a document or as a record functions as a decolonial archival praxis, opening archives to modes of cultural expression that might otherwise be rendered invisible by extant western archival practices. The gestural document is conceptualized as a codified, culturally informed, and embodied record capable of being engaged at the archival threshold. The author also argues that gestural documents are capable of capturing and preserving cultural context as well as bringing into the present more robust and culturally informed readings of the past, generating conditions of possibility for remediating anti-Blackness in the archives.
Recipes for Breaking Data Free: Alternative Interactions for Experiencing Personal Data

How do the specific, predefined ways data brokers like Garmin or Fitbit render personal biometric data for us hinder-or enhance-our ability to find meaning in our data? Using a Garmin activity tracker as a platform, I present a series of recipes for alternative modes to experience personal data. Recipes are sets of instructions people can follow or remix to create personal, novel data interactions. These recipes highlight how the under-used medium of sound can be a creative material for producing meaning. When we allow our personal data to be brokered by companies like Garmin, we exchange the hidden labor of data representation for an easy-to-access personal data experience; but in doing so, we forfeit the ability to do unexpected things with our data. By exposing these tradeoffs, these recipes encourage us to reclaim control of our own data and embrace the effortful process of data representation as a sense-making practice.
Scaffolds for bridging sciatic nerve gaps

Abstract Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is a common affliction for which there are few effective treatment options. PNI, including root avulsions, occurs in 2%–5% of all trauma cases in the United States, including assaults and motor vehicle accidents, and a significant proportion of warfighter injuries involve peripheral nerves (Wang et al., 2017; Robinson, 2000; Pfister et al., 2011). PNIs that do not result in damage to overall nerve structure, such as crush or stretch injuries, generally result in a wait-and-see approach to determine if function returns spontaneously (Ali et al., 2014, 2015; Zager, 2014). However, PNI resulting from a nerve transection requires a surgical procedure to reconnect the proximal and distal nerve stumps directly (if possible) or by inserting a biological or synthetic bridging graft between them (Pfister et al., 2011). Overall, in cases requiring surgical intervention, outcomes of surgical repair for traumatic PNI are generally unsatisfactory as only 50% of patients achieve good to normal restoration of function, irrespective of repair strategy or injury location (Ruijs et al., 2005).
Men over women: The social transmission of gender stereotypes through spatial elevation

Abstract People draw from physical properties like spatial location to better understand complex concepts like power (Landau, Meier, & Keefer, 2010; T. W. Schubert, 2005). We examined the cultural implications of such associations for gender stereotypes. Specifically, we hypothesized that people would make location-based attributions of power and dominance when targets are situated in noisy, real-world environments (i.e., magazine pages; Study 1); that men generally appear higher than women across print media (Study 2: Content Analysis); and that this gender-location association would ultimately cause perceivers to think that men (in general) are more powerful and dominant people than are women (Study 3; meta-analysis). Results supported hypotheses and indicate that exposure to this cultural pattern in which men are higher than women (i.e., male spatial elevation) causes perceivers to endorse gender stereotypes of dominance. Accordingly, gender-location associations may account in part for the social transmission of gender stereotypes.
BET proteins are required for transcriptional activation of the senescent beta cell secretome in Type 1 Diabetes

Abstract OBJECTIVE Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) results from progressive loss of pancreatic beta cells due to autoimmune destruction. We recently reported that during the natural history of T1D in humans and the female nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse model, beta cells acquire a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) that is a major driver of disease onset and progression, but the mechanisms that activate SASP in beta cells were not explored. The objective of this study was to identify transcriptional mechanisms of SASP activation in beta cells. METHODS We used the female NOD mouse model of spontaneous autoimmune T1D and ex vivo experiments on NOD mouse and human islets to test the hypothesis that Bromodomain Extra-Terminal domain (BET) proteins activate the beta cell SASP transcriptional program. RESULTS Here we show that beta cell SASP is transcriptionally controlled by BET proteins, including BRD4. Chromatin analysis of key beta cell SASP genes in NOD islets revealed binding of BRD4 at active regulatory regions. BET protein inhibition in NOD islets diminished not only the transcriptional activation and secretion of SASP factors but also the non-cell autonomous activity. BET protein inhibition also decreased the extent of SASP induction in human islets exposed to DNA damage. The BET protein inhibitor iBET-762 prevented diabetes in NOD mice and also attenuated SASP in beta cells in vivo. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, our findings support a crucial role for BET proteins in the activation of the beta cell SASP transcriptional program. These studies suggest avenues for preventing T1D by transcriptional inhibition of SASP.
Leptomeningeal metastatic cells adopt two phenotypic states

Background Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM), or spread of cancer cells into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), is characterized by a rapid onset of debilitating neurological symptoms and markedly bleak prognosis. The lack of reproducible in vitro and in vivo models has prevented the development of novel, LM-specific therapies. Although LM allows for longitudinal sampling of floating cancer cells with a spinal tap, attempts to culture patient-derived leptomeningeal cancer cells have not been successful. Aim We, therefore, employ leptomeningeal derivatives of human breast and lung cancer cell lines that reproduce both floating and adherent phenotypes of human LM in vivo and in vitro. Methods and results We introduce a trypsin/EDTA-based fractionation method to reliably separate the two cell subsets and demonstrate that in vitro cultured floating cells have decreased proliferation rate, lower ATP content, and are enriched in distinct metabolic signatures. Long-term fractionation and transcriptomic analysis suggest high degree plasticity between the two phenotypes in vitro. Floating cells colonize mouse leptomeninges more rapidly and associate with shortened survival. In addition, patients harboring LM diagnosed with CSF disease alone succumbed to the disease earlier than patients with adherent (MRI positive) disease. Conclusion Together, these data support mechanistic evidence of a metabolic adaptation that allows cancer cells to thrive in their natural environment but leads to death in vitro.
The Impact of the New Heart Allocation System: Is Donor-Recipient Mismatch Still Clinically Important?

Purpose The heart allocation system underwent major changes 1 year ago and the clinical impact is yet to be fully analyzed. We sought to examine clinical characteristics that have been viewed as critical to the donor-recipient matching process before and after the allocation change. Methods The United Network for Organ Sharing database was queried from 2006 to 2019 for all adult recipients who underwent heart transplant. Patients were excluded if they were listed for multiple organs, re-transplant, or a diagnosis of congenital heart disease. Six mismatch variables between donor and recipients were used for a logistic regression analysis that included difference for age, height, and weight, sex mismatch, ethnicity mismatch, and distance between procurement and transplant centers. These results were then analyzed for pre- and post- implementation of the allocation system: January, 2006- September, 2018 (Era 1) and October, 2018 - June, 2019 (Era 2). Results A total of 25,820 patients were identified with 25,209 and 619 patients in Era 1 and Era 2, respectively. Results from the logistic regression analysis are summarized in Table 1. All six mismatch variables significantly impact overall survival and survival in Era 1; however, they lose significance in Era 2. Further analysis comparing mismatch variables in Eras 1 and 2 demonstrate an increased use of ethnicity mismatch (p=0.023), oversized donors by weight (p Conclusion Early results from the new heart allocation system demonstrate practice changes most notably with increased use of oversized donors. However, donor-recipient mismatch in other clinically relevant characteristics often used to select donors did not predict poorer outcomes in the early new era whereas they did prior to the change. Further data collection in the new era of heart allocation will show if these conclusions are valid.
Precipitation-site competition in duplex stainless steels: Cu clusters vs spinodal decomposition interfaces as nucleation sites during thermal aging

Abstract Competing microstructural evolution mechanisms can exist simultaneously when duplex stainless steels are operating for several decades in a high temperature service environment. Such competition between different microstructural evolution pathways can be difficult to ascertain using simple model alloy systems necessitating detailed microstructural analysis of phase transformation mechanisms in complex alloys. Thus, duplex stainless steels with complex but well understood chemistries were used to investigate the relative importance of different heterogeneous nucleation sites – specifically, spinodal decomposition and Cu clustering – on Ni-Si-Mn precipitation during thermal aging. Precipitation of Ni-Si-Mn particles in ferrite-bearing steels during thermal aging and irradiation can greatly change mechanical properties. Using duplex stainless steels with custom-modified compositions along with advanced microstructural characterization and first-passage kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, it is revealed that while the interface between Cr and Fe formed during spinodal decomposition can be a pathway for solute diffusion, it is not a preferred site for Ni-Si-Mn precipitation. Instead, the presence of a higher concentration of Cu leads to the formation of small Cu-rich clusters with high energy interfaces that act as nucleation sites for Ni-Si-Mn particles. These results will inform predictive models for the use of precipitation-hardened alloys for extended operation at high temperatures.
Discrepancies in Measurement of the Thoracic Aorta: JACC Review Topic of the Week

Clinicians often encounter discrepant measurements of the ascending aorta that impede, complicate, and impair appropriate clinical assessment-including key issues of presence or absence of aortic growth, rate of growth, and need for surgical intervention. These discrepancies may arise within a single modality (computed tomography scan, magnetic resonance imaging, or echocardiography) or between modalities. The authors explore the origins and significance of these discrepancies, revealing that some "truth" usually underlies all the discrepant measurements, which individually look at the ascending aorta with different perspectives and dimensional definitions. The authors conclude with a practical "question and answer" section that addresses common specific issues in interpretation and management of patients in the real-world setting.
A retrospective physiological noise correction method for oscillating steady-state imaging.

PURPOSE Oscillating steady-state imaging (OSSI) is an SNR-efficient steady-state sequence with T2∗ sensitivity suitable for FMRI. Due to the frequency sensitivity of the signal, respiration- and drift-induced field changes can create unwanted signal fluctuations. This study aims to address this issue by developing retrospective signal correction methods that utilize OSSI signal properties to denoise task-based OSSI FMRI experiments. METHODS A retrospective denoising approach was developed that leverages the unique signal properties of OSSI to perform denoising without a manually specified noise region of interest and works with both voxel timecourses (oscillating steady-state correction [OSSCOR]) or FID timecourses (F-OSSCOR). Simulations were performed to estimate the number of principal components optimal for denoising. In vivo experiments at 3 T field strength were conducted to compare the performance of proposed methods against a standard principal component analysis-based method, measured using mean t score within an region of interest, number of activations, and mean temporal SNR. RESULTS Correction using OSSCOR was significantly better than the standard method in all metrics. Correction using F-OSSCOR was not significantly different from the standard method using an equal number of principal components. Increasing the number of OSSCOR principal components decreased activation strength and increased the number of suspected false positives. However, increasing the number of principal components in F-OSSCOR increased activation strength with little to no increase in false activation. CONCLUSION Both OSSCOR and F-OSSCOR substantially reduce physiological noise components and increase temporal SNR, improving the functional results of task-based OSSI functional experiments. F-OSSCOR demonstrates a proof of concept utilization of coil-localized FID signal information for physiological noise correction.
Human genetic variants disrupt RGS14 nuclear shuttling and regulation of LTP in hippocampal neurons

The human genome contains vast genetic diversity in the form of naturally occurring coding variants, yet the impact of these variants on protein function and physiology is poorly understood. RGS14 is a multifunctional signaling protein that suppresses synaptic plasticity in dendritic spines of hippocampal neurons. RGS14 also is a nucleocytoplasmic shuttling protein, suggesting that balanced nuclear import/export and dendritic spine localization are essential for RGS14 functions. We identified genetic variants L505R (LR) and R507Q (RQ) located within the nuclear export sequence (NES) of human RGS14. Here we report that RGS14 carrying LR or RQ profoundly impacts protein functions in hippocampal neurons and brain. Following nuclear import, RGS14 nuclear export is regulated by Exportin 1 (XPO1/CRM1). Remarkably, LR and RQ variants disrupt RGS14 binding to Gαi1-GDP and XPO1, nucleocytoplasmic equilibrium, and capacity to inhibit LTP. Variant LR accumulates irreversibly in the nucleus, preventing RGS14 binding to G proteins, localization to dendritic spines, and inhibitory actions on LTP induction, while variant RQ exhibits a mixed phenotype. When introduced into mice by CRISPR/Cas9, RGS14-LR protein expression was detected predominantly in the nuclei of neurons within hippocampus, central amygdala, piriform cortex, and striatum, brain regions associated with learning and synaptic plasticity. Whereas mice completely lacking RGS14 exhibit enhanced spatial learning, mice carrying variant LR exhibit normal spatial learning, suggesting that RGS14 may have distinct functions in the nucleus independent from those in dendrites and spines. These findings show that naturally occurring genetic variants can profoundly alter normal protein function, impacting physiology in unexpected ways.
From Doppler to duplex: A personal early history of the vascular laboratory:

In the mid-1970s, a group of clinicians and bioengineers at the University of Washington, under the direction of Dr D Eugene Strandness, Jr, built a prototype duplex scanner that combined B-mode im...
Scheduling and Control of Flexible Building Loads for Grid Services based on a Virtual Battery Model

Abstract This paper presents a framework for modeling, scheduling, and controlling residential thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs) to provide multiple grid services, such as energy shifting, peak load reduction, and ancillary services. A modeling method is proposed to characterize aggregate flexibility from heterogeneous TCLs using a virtual battery model. Based on the flexibility model, a multi-period optimal scheduling formulation is developed to best utilize the flexibility from building loads and maximize total benefits from stacked value streams. An algorithm is proposed to control individual devices to follow the desired power consumption in real-time. The proposed methods are illustrated and validated through simulations.
“They don’t always think about that”: Translational Needs in the Design of Personal Health Informatics Applications

Personal health informatics continues to grow in both research and practice, revealing many challenges of designing applications that address people’s needs in their health, everyday lives, and collaborations with clinicians. Research suggests strategies to address such challenges, but has struggled to translate these strategies into design practice. This study examines translation of insights from personal health informatics research into resources to support designers. Informed by a review of relevant literature, we present our development of a prototype set of design cards intended to support designers in re-thinking potential assumptions about personal health informatics. We examined our design cards in semi-structured interviews, first with 12 student designers and then with 12 health-focused professional designers and researchers. Our results and discussion reveal tensions and barriers designers encounter, the potential for translational resources to inform the design of health-related technologies, and a need to support designers in addressing challenges of knowledge, advocacy, and evidence in designing for health.
Factors Affecting Interactive Television Course Satisfaction

The purpose of this study was to create a model of student satisfaction in interactive television (ITV) courses. To do so, we analyzed both in-the-moment student satisfaction ratings and end-of-cou...
Excess Returns in Electric Utility Mergers During Transition to Competition

A standard event methodology is used to evaluate recent electric utility mergers as the industry moves to competitive generation markets. Statistically significant effects were focused on the day before the announcement and the day of the announcement, and were fairly small, although statistically significant. Shareholders perceive very little merger benefits occurring in a highly competitive generation sector. Markets reacted more positively to the gas/electric mergers, indicating stockholder appreciation for opportunities for scope economies. U.S. acquirers suffered no significant wealth losses in mergers with British and Australian utilities.
Reply to “Comment on “Sensitivity of the global climate system to initial conditions” by A.A. Tsonis” Autoagressive models not sensitive to initial conditions

The sensitivity of the global climate system to the initial conditions via a statistical approach was studied by Tsonis [1991]. The philosophy behind this approach was to model a global temperature record with an optimum autoregressive model ]see Katz, 1982[ and then to use this model to infer the average time that it takes for two records initially nearby to diverge significantly.
Regression Discontinuity Design

The Regression-Discontinuity (RD) research design is a quasi-experimental design that can be used to assess the effects of a treatment or intervention. The unique characteristic of the design is the use of assignment to treatment solely on the basis of a cutoff score on a pretreatment measure. In its simplest form, the design has two groups (those scoring above and below the cutoff), a pretest (the assignment variable) and a post-test (the outcome). More complex variations are also possible. The major attraction of RD designs is that they can be used to estimate the effects of treatments given to those who most need or deserve them, provided that need or merit is determined as a qualification score on the assignment variable (i.e., the cutoff) and nothing else. Because the design does not require some needy individuals being assigned to a no-treatment group, it has ethical advantages over experiments for assessing treatment effects. RD designs have lower statistical power than randomized experimental designs. Avoiding model misspecification, especially the threat posed by curvilinearity in the pre-post relationship, is the major analytic challenge. The analysis can be accomplished using a general polynomial regression model. Alternative approaches have also been offered
The VC-dimension of SQL queries and selectivity estimation through sampling

We develop a novel method, based on the statistical concept of VC-dimension, for evaluating the selectivity (output cardinality) of SQL queries - a crucial step in optimizing the execution of large scale database and data-mining operations. The major theoretical contribution of this work, which is of independent interest, is an explicit bound on the VC-dimension of a range space defined by all possible outcomes of a collection (class) of queries. We prove that the VC-dimension is a function of the maximum number of Boolean operations in the selection predicate, and of the maximum number of select and join operations in any individual query in the collection, but it is neither a function of the number of queries in the collection nor of the size of the database. We develop a method based on this result: given a class of queries, it constructs a concise random sample of a database, such that with high probability the execution of any query in the class on the sample provides an accurate estimate for the selectivity of the query on the original large database. The error probability holds simultaneously for the selectivity estimates of all queries in the collection, thus the same sample can be used to evaluate the selectivity of multiple queries, and the sample needs to be refreshed only following major changes in the database. The sample representation computed by our method is typically sufficiently small to be stored in main memory. We present extensive experimental results, validating our theoretical analysis and demonstrating the advantage of our technique when compared to complex selectivity estimation techniques used in PostgreSQL and the Microsoft SQL Server.
Small angle neutron scattering study of creep deformation and fracture of Type 304 stainless steel

A small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) study has been performed to determine the size distribution of carbide precipitates that were formed during creep deformation in Type 304 stainless steel. The hardening mechanism during primary creep by a fine dispersion of carbide particles in the matrix was confirmed by the SANS measurement and also by direct TEM observations. The size distribution of creep-induced cavities was also determined by SANS measurements after post-creep solution heat treatment.
The purification of the trypsin inhibitor from human pregnancy urine.

Abstract A trypsin inhibitor (UTI) was isolated from pooled urine from pregnant women by DEAE (diethylaminoethyl)-cellulose chromatography with a yield of 30 per cent and purified to a nearly homogeneous preparation. The majority of the antitrypsin activity in urine appears to be due to a single inhibitor which is a glycoprotein containing approximately 12 per cent carbohydrate with an estimated molecular weight of 70,000. The original crude fractions contained a heat-labile enzyme which under acid conditions rapidly modified UTI to a less anionic form without affecting the trypsin inhibitor activity. The inhibitor isolated in the present study has a significantly larger molecular weight than inhibitors prepared by other investigators. The procedures used by previous workers included an initial exposure of the crude inhibitor to acid conditions. Our results suggest that the UTI obtained in earlier studies probably represented the isolation of the modified inhibitor(s). From the results of this investigation, it is not yet possible to interrelate UTI to any of the known plasma trypsin inhibitors. The origin of UTI in urine remains a project of future research.
Analysis of paraffin wax in fire remains.

Candles are sometimes used for arson because of fairly predictable delay in ignition of other combustibles as the candle burns down. Also, they are easily consumed in the resulting fire. It has been known that residues of paraffin often survive a fire and can be detected by chemical or physical means. Extraction procedures have usually been used to remove paraffin residues from fire remains. The isolated paraffin could then be characterized by infrared spectrophotometry, melting point, or X-ray pattern [1]. There are a number of other analytical procedures that have been used for paraffin wax, although not necessarily with regard to arson investigation. These include differential scanning calorimetry [2], differential thermal analysis [3], mass spectrometry [4], liquid-phase chromatography [5], and vapor-phase chromatography starting with Ogilvie et al [6]. Some of the methods are useful for distinguishing among samples of known waxes but do not give a detailed fingerprint of composition. Vapor-phase chromatography combines simplicity with the best yield of information on wax composition.
A New Method for the Determination of Nitrofurantoin in Urine

Nitrofurantoin is presently used as an antibacterial agent for the urinary tract of both man and animals. A new, quantitative procedure for the determination of this drug in urine consists of direct extraction of the nonionized form of the drug by the use of nitromethane, addition of an alkaline reagent to the extract to produce a visible color, and determination of the nitrofurantoin concentration by spectrophotometry. The method has a sensitivity of 5 mg./L., with recoveries of 99-101% and a standard curve that is linear to 100 mg./L. Results indicate that the method measures nitrofurantoin alone, and not its metabolites, in rat, dog, and human urine.
Boundary conditions of methamphetamine craving.

Methamphetamine use has increased significantly and become a global health concern. Craving is known to predict methamphetamine use and relapse following abstinence. Some have suggested that cravings are automatic, generalized, and uncontrollable, but experimental work addressing these claims is lacking. In 2 exploratory studies, we tested the boundary conditions of methamphetamine craving by asking: (a) is craving specific to users' preferred route of administration?, and (b) can craving be regulated by cognitive strategies ? Two groups of methamphetamine users were recruited. In Study 1, participants were grouped by their preferred route of administration (intranasal vs. smoking), and rated their craving in response to photographs and movies depicting methamphetamine use (via the intranasal vs. smoking route). In Study 2, methamphetamine smokers implemented cognitive regulation strategies while viewing photographs depicting methamphetamine smoking. Strategies involved either focusing on the positive aspects of smoking methamphetamine or the negative consequences of doing so-the latter strategy based on treatment protocols for addiction. In Study 1, we found a significant interaction between group and route of administration, such that participants who preferred to smoke methamphetamine reported significantly stronger craving for smoking stimuli, whereas those who preferred the intranasal route reported stronger craving for intranasal stimuli. In Study 2, participants reported significantly lower craving when focusing on the negative consequences associated with methamphetamine use. Taken together, these findings suggest that strength of craving for methamphetamine is moderated by users' route of administration and can be reduced by cognitive strategies. This has important theoretical, methodological, and clinical implications.
The Discovery of Renin 100 Years Ago.

In 1898, Tigerstedt and Bergman published their observation that kidney extracts produce pressor effects. They characterized the substance and named it “renin.” Although this was the beginning of u...
Glucocorticoid cascade hypothesis revisited: Role of gonadal steroids

Sex differences in HPA axis regulation have been documented in other species, particularly in rats, where estrogen regulates cortisosteroid binding globulin (CBG). Given that depression is more common in women, gonadal steroids may impact upon the HPA axis dysregulation often seen in depression. A number of our studies comparing HPA axis dysregulation in depressed men and women suggest that there are differences. We suggest that gonadal steroids may play a modulatory role in premenopansal depressed women. In particular, estrogen increases the level of CBG providing a greater buffering capacity against hypercortisolemia. In addition, progesterone can function as a glucocorticoid antagonist, thus blocking some of the negative sequellae of hypercortisolemia. Following menopause, the incidence of resistance to dexamethasone suppression increases to almost 100%, suggesting that loss of gonadal steroids is an important aspect of the age-HPA axis interaction. Depression 3:20–27 (1995). © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
CAT—caching address tags: a technique for reducing area cost of on-chip caches

This paper presents a technique for minimizing chip-area cost of implementing an on-chip cache memory of microprocessors. The main idea of the technique Caching Address Tags, orCAT cache for short. The CAT cache exploits locality property that exists among addresses of memory references for the purpose of minimizing chip area-cost of address tags. By keeping only a limited number of distinct tags of cached data rather than having as many tags as cache lines, the CAT cache can reduce the cost of implementing tag memory by an order of magnitude without noticeable performance difference from ordinary caches. Therefore, CAT represents another level of caching for cache memories. Simulation experiments are carried out to evaluate performance of CAT cache as compared to existing caches. Performance results of SPEC92 programs show that the CAT cache with only a few tag entries performs as well as ordinary caches while chip-area saving is significant. Such area saving will increase as the address space of a processor increases. By allocating the saved chip area for larger cache capacity, or more powerful functional units, CAT is expected to have a great impact on overall system performance.
Numerical Study on Composite Material Marine Current Turbine Under Various Hydrodynamic Conditions

A novel manufacturing approach similar to filament winding has been developed and automated and is able to produce the Composite Material Marine Current Turbines (CMMCT), which have significant advantages over traditional designs. This paper presents numerical results to investigate the performance of these turbines. The numerical approach was performed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in a free stream of water with various hydrodynamic flow conditions. Static torque and extracted power are calculated at different rotating speeds in a free stream with various hydrodynamics flow conditions. The calculated results will provide a fundamental understanding of the impeller as a water turbine, and this design method is used to shorten the design process and improve the water turbine’s performance.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Persona and parody in Donne's the anniversaries

In each of the poems the speakers reveal their responses to the death of a young girl. The first persona is a puritanical and overly rational speaker who employs rhetoric and scientific thought to explain her death; the second, a speaker of mystical tendencies who tries to transcend the pain of life and death religiously. Donne seems to have composed these poems as a way of examining and parodying opposing seventeenth century philosophies of life and art, a process that leads him to the middle way of Anglicanism and a career as a preacher.
Activation of Multiple Transcription Factors and fos and jun Gene Family Expression in Cells Exposed to a Single Electric Pulse

We report that exposure of cells to a single electric pulse (250-1250 V/cm) results in the rapid and persistent activation of the DNA binding activities of a number of transcription factors, including AP-1, SP1, AP-2, and NF-kappa B, and the transient expression of select members of the fos and jun gene families. Induction of gene expression occurs primarily at the level of transcription, although c-jun expression also appears to be regulated posttranscriptionally. Interestingly, maximal induction of gene expression is detected at electrical field strengths that do not result in pore formation in the plasma membrane and that do not significantly affect cell viability. Exposure of cells to electric pulses does not result in the activation of HSF1 DNA binding activity, or the induction of hsp70 or p53 protein synthesis, indicating that the induction of fos and jun gene expression is not coincident with protein or DNA damage. The results of these studies suggest that electrical pulses may represent a novel mechanism for inducing the activities of multiple transcription factors and the expression of select members of the fos and jun gene families.
Acquisition and extinction following extended partial reinforcement training under small or large reward

Forty-one rats were given either 30, 90, or 300 50% partial reinforcement trials to either a 1- or 15-pellet reward. Following both 30 and 90 trials, large reward led to faster acquisition responding and greater resistance to extinction than small reward. Following 300 trials, small and large reward groups were responding equally rapidly in acquisition, but the small reward group tended to be more resistant to extinction than the large reward group.
On a machine interference problem with several types of machines attended by a single repairman

We consider a machine interference problem with several types of machines attended by a single repairman. Assuming exponentially distributed time to failures, generally distributed repair times arid head of the line non-preemptive priority repair discipline, an imbedded Markov chain model is formulated. Using this Markov chain model and a discrete state level crossing analysis the steady state probability distribution of the number of machines in failed state at an arbitrary time epoch is derived. An algorithm is developed to compute these probabilities and some numerical results illustrating some basic features of this machine interference problem is also presented
Association of Conditionability with Degree of Reactivity in Psychiatric Patients

A positive relationship exists between the number of times a subject responds with a psychogalvanic response to an orienting or alerting stimulus (tone) and the rate of learning in classical conditioning. This is seen by a correlation (p=.65 and .643 when corrected for ties) between the number of orienting responses and the resistance to extinction of the conditioned psychogalvanic response.
Effect of Quaternization of the Glucose Oxidase “Wiring” Redox Polymer on the Maximum Current Densities of Glucose Electrodes

Redox polymers based on the poly(vinylpyridine) complex of [Os(bpy)2Cl]+/2+ were quaternized with methyl iodide, and the quaternized polymers were used to “wire” glucose oxidase. Quaternization enhanced both the rate of electron transport in cross-linked redox hydrogels containing glucose oxidase and the strength of the electrostatic complex formed between the polycationic redox polymer and the polyanionic glucose oxidase. Quaternization with methyl groups also decreased the number of pyridine rings available for cross-linking by the water soluble cross-linker poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether. The current densities of glucose electrooxidation increased with the degree of quaternization of the “wires” until one-third of the pyridine rings were quaternized, and the activation energies decreased until one-half of the rings were quaternized.
Potentiostatic polarization studies in fused carbonates—I. The noble metals, silver and nickel

Abstract Electrochemical studies in the temperature range 600–700°C are reported for gold, platinum, silver, nickel and a noble metal alloy, gold-20% palladium, in the ternary carbonate eutectic mixture, using the potentiostatic polarization method. Referred to a Ag/Ag + reference half-cell, the steady-state or corrosion potentials for this series of metals at 600°C are: AuPd −430 mV, Au −470 mV, Pt −475 mV, Ag −680 mV and Ni −1166 mV. For nickel at 600°C the anodic potentiostatic polarization curve is characteristic of metal passivation; a primary passive potential is found at −1015 ±5 mV, but the protection conferred appears far from complete. Further data are reported to contribute to the nature of the anodic and cathodic processes in molten carbonate electrolyses. The phenomenon of carbon deposition at the cathode is reported and examined in light of free energy calculations.
Investigation of interfacial shear strength in a SiC fibre/Ti-24Al-11Nb composite by a fibre push-out technique

A fiber push-out technique applied at several sample thicknesses was used to determine both the debond shear stress and the frictional shear stress at the fiber-matrix interface at room temperautre for a unidirectional SiC fiber-reinforced T-24Al-11Nb (in at. pct) composite prepared by a powder cloth technique. The push-out technique measures the separate contributions of bond strength and friction to the mechanical shear strength at the fiber-matrix interface. It was found that the fiber-matrix bond shear strength of this material is significantly higher than the fiber-matrix frictional shear stress (119.2 and 47.8 MPa, respectively).
Yeast has homologs (CNA1 and CNA2 gene products) of mammalian calcineurin, a calmodulin-regulated phosphoprotein phosphatase.

Abstract Calcineurin, or phosphoprotein phosphatase type 2B (PP2B), is a calmodulin-regulated phosphoprotein phosphatase. We isolated a gene encoding a yeast PP2B homolog (CNA1) by screening a yeast genomic DNA library in the expression vector lambda gt11, first with 125I-labeled yeast calmodulin and then with a human cDNA encoding the catalytic (or A) subunit of calcineurin. The predicted CNA1 gene product is 54% identical to its mammalian counterpart. Using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with oligonucleotide primers based on sequences conserved between CNA1 and mammalian PP2B genes, we isolated a second gene, CNA2. CNA2 is identical to PP2Bw, a partial cDNA clone previously described by others as originating from rabbit brain tissue. Our findings demonstrate that a unicellular eukaryote contains phosphoprotein phosphatases of the 2B class. Haploid cells containing a single cna1 or cna2 null mutation, or both mutations, were viable. MATa cna1 cna2 double mutants were more sensitive than wild-type cells or either single mutant to growth arrest induced by the mating pheromone alpha factor and failed to resume growth during continuous exposure to alpha factor. Thus, calcineurin action antagonizes the mating-pheromone response pathway.
An optimal campaign structure for multicomponent batch distillation with reversible reaction

When resource utilization and/or minimization of waste is comparable in importance to the production rate, the design of the operation policy should encompass an entire campaign of batches rather than a single batch. This notion of campaign optimization is particularly relevant to batch distillation with reversible reaction which produces significant amounts of off-cuts. Reprocessing these off-cuts merely based on consideration of a single batch may lead not only to inefficient production rates but also to the inefficient utilization of reactants. A general strategy for deciding the campaign structure for such an operation is presented. The concept of distillation characteristic is introduced, and its exploitation is shown to result in a simple but effective reprocessing policy for off-cuts. The economic benefits of such a campaign structure are demonstrated with the help of a case study.
Intracoronary, adenovirus-mediated Akt gene transfer in heart limits infarct size following ischemia-reperfusion injury in vivo.

Background: Previous data have shown that enhanced Akt signaling inhibits cardiac myocyte apoptosisin vitro and in vivo. To elucidate the contribution of apoptosis to the pathogenesis of the infarct, we investigated whether intra-coronary Akt gene delivery could reduce gross infarct size following ischemia/reperfusion injury. Methods and Results: Replication-defective adenoviral constructs encoding a myristoylated, constitutively-active form of Akt (myrAkt) or β -galactosidase were delivered to rat hearts by intracoronary perfusion. Twenty-four h after gene transduction, hearts in both groups underwent 45 min of ischemia followed by 4 h of reperfusion. A third group of animals also underwent ischemia–reperfusion injury but were not transduced with an adenoviral vector. The proportion of the left ventricle at risk was not different among the experimental groups. However, infarct size as a proportion of the area at risk was significantly lower in myrAkt-treated group than in the β -galactosidase treated group or in the control group that was not subject to intracoronary perfusion (myrAkt=20.9±2.7%v β -galactosidase=56.1±3.9% and control=46.2±4.6%, P<0.05), as was infarct size as a proportion of the total left ventricle (myrAkt=11.4±3.2 v β -galactosidase=32.9±3.3 and control=23.5±3.0, P<0.05). Conclusions: These data demonstrate that Akt signaling limits infarct size following ischemia/reperfusion injury and they indicate that the activation of this pathway may be useful in protecting against myocardial loss in the diseased heart.
Green's function calculations of ground-state correlation energies

Abstract A computationally convenient and numerically stable procedure is reported for the direct calculation of ground-state correlation energies employing one-particle Green's functions.
Thermodynamics of solubilization

Abstract A model is proposed for solubilization of an organic species in an aqueous surfactant solution. The model predicts the size distribution function for surfactant aggregates and surfactant-organic aggregates in terms of free energies of formation of these aggregates from amphiphiles and single organic molecules. The free energies are estimated from statistical thermodynamics. The model identifies a critical concentration for solubilization (analogous to the critical concentration for micellization in surfactant-water systems) and a solubilization number. The model is valid for systems containing either ionic or nonionic surfactants and either polar or nonpolar organic solutes. Fitting the model to experimental data on a variety of such systems yields a physically realistic and internally consistent set of parameters for the components.