cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Liberty, Life, and Happiness for All: The Ideals and Legacies of the Enlightenment in Modern Societies Revisited

Most people in modern Western and other democratic societies take the latter’s constitutive values and institutions as parametric, namely given or granted. This applies to such values and institutions as liberty, equality, justice, democracy, inclusion, human rights, dignity, well-being and happiness, humane life, civil liberties, scientific rationalism, technological and social progress and optimism, economic prosperity, free markets, secularism, pluralism and diversity, individualism, universalism, humanism, and the like. For instance, in modern democratic societies most people, with certain exceptions, consider social, including political, ideological, and increasingly cultural, pluralism or diversity as “a given” (Dombrowski 2001) and the necessary condition of individual and other freedom (Habermas 2001; Hirschman 1982; Van Dyke 1995). This also holds true for the concept and pursuit of individual happiness, well-being, and humane life in society (Artz 1998; Lane 2000) considered almost universally a given value or incontestable, inalienable human right of individuals solely for being humans (Cole 2005) within modern democratic societies. Overall, most people regard these and related foundational values and institutions of modern democratic society as if they were somehow preexisting, present, and unproblematic, simply always being “out there.”
Herpes zoster vaccine and varicella zoster virus infection among cancer patients having chemotherapy.

1563Background: Varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection is an opportunistic infection among immunocompromised patients. The herpes zoster (HZ) vaccine is a live vaccine not approved for administrati...
Advances in neural recording and stimulation devices

Abstract Electrical recording and stimulation circuits have contributed to various novel neuroscience studies and clinical applications for treating disease. Many neurological disorders have their own gradual degradation of neuronal circuitry; thus, it becomes necessary to accurately study the connections amongst neurons. Therefore, there is a demand today for generating and enhancing neuroscience tools which could allow individuals to study circuit dynamics, by recording and stimulating neurons with high spatiotemporal resolution. Existing neural technologies suffer from degraded signal quality, large size, low channel count, and they also consume enormous power. Further, associated large stimulation artifacts cause saturation, which limits the current recorders from monitoring neuron activities in a window up to a few hundred milliseconds after a stimulation onsite. This chapter describes innovative neuroengineering platform technologies and miniaturized devices that enable more precise neural stimulation, recording, and subsequent processing function. The proposed technologies feature high-precision, low-power, and low-noise elements, all in a very compact system. They also provide the ability to simultaneously record and stimulate neurons, to enable novel experimental designs that ultimately improve our understanding of the human brain’s circuits and functions.
Demographic, lifestyle, and reproductive risk factors for ectopic pregnancy.

Objective To evaluate the relationship between demographic, lifestyle, and reproductive factors and the risk of ectopic pregnancy (EP). Design Prospective cohort. Setting United States. Patient(s) Nurses' Health Study II cohort comprising 41,440 pregnancies from 22,356 women. Intervention(s) Demographic, lifestyle, and reproductive factors self-reported in 1989 then updated every 2 years. Multivariable log-binomial regression models with generalized estimating equations were used to estimate adjusted risk ratios (aRR). Main Outcome Measure(s) Ectopic pregnancy. Result(s) Incident EP was reported in 411 (1.0%) pregnancies. Former and current smokers had 1.22 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97–1.55) and 1.73 (95% CI, 1.28–2.32) times, respectively, the risk of EP compared with never smokers. The risk of EP 10 years after quitting was similar to never smokers (aRR 0.90; 95% CI, 0.60–1.33). Women consuming ≥10 g/day of alcohol had 1.50 (95% CI, 1.08–2.09) times the risk of EP compared with never consumers. In utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol (aRR 3.55; 95% CI, 2.51–5.01), earlier initiation of oral contraceptives (aRR 2.64; 95% CI, 1.70–4.09 for Conclusion(s) Women who were current or former smokers, consumed ≥10 g/day of alcohol, were exposed to diethylstilbestrol in utero, initiated oral contraceptives at earlier than age 16 years (which may be a marker of riskier sexual behaviors), and who had a history of infertility, intrauterine device use, or tubal ligation had a higher risk of EP.
Experimental investigation of prepreg slit tape wrinkling during automated fiber placement process using StereoDIC

Abstract For the first time, an experimental investigation is presented quantifying out-of-plane wrinkle formation and in-plane deformations occurring in prepreg slit tape specimens during automated fiber placement (AFP). The AFP process is conducted on 6.35 mm wide individual prepreg tows that are placed along a straight path and steered along circular paths with radii of curvature, ρ = 2540 mm, 1270 mm and 305 mm. Full-field shape, displacement and strain measurements are obtained using StereoDIC in three successive stages; (i) immediately after lay-up of the tow, (ii) one hour after lay-up and (iii) after reheating of the as-placed tow by traversing the AFP head close to the tow path and exposing the specimen to the same levels of heating as employed during the initial lay-up (without compaction pressure). Measurements obtained in stage (i) showed that (a) all tows exhibited local wrinkling at locations where the underlying substrate had defects (e.g., gaps, overlaps), (b) excluding the substrate defect locations, tows steered with ρ = 2540 mm showed no evidence of additional out-of-plane wrinkling after placement, (c) tows steered with ρ = 1270 mm exhibited several small amplitude wrinkles initiated at locations outside the substrate overlap regions and (d) tows steered with ρ = 305 mm incurred significant additional localized wrinkling along the inner radius of the tow with an increase in both the amplitude and frequency of the wrinkles. In addition, higher variability in the wrinkle wavelength is observed for ρ = 305 mm. Measurements obtained in stages (ii) and (iii) showed an increase in wrinkle amplitude, indicating that wrinkle amplitude is a function of both time and temperature for an as-placed tow.
Consumer Law Myopia

People make mistakes with debt, partly because the chance to buy now and pay later tempts them to do things that are not in their long-term interest. Lenders sell credit products that exploit this vulnerability. In this Article, I argue that critiques of these products, particularly those that draw insights from behavioral law and economics, have a blind spot: they ignore what the borrowed funds are used for. By evaluating financing transactions in isolation from the underlying purchase, the cost-benefit analysis of consumer financial regulation is truncated and misleading. I show that the same bias that causes someone to take an exploitative loan may also imply that the loan benefits them by causing them to purchase a product or service that they should, but wouldn’t otherwise, buy. I demonstrate the importance of this effect in a study of tax refund anticipation loans. I find that regulation curtailing these loans reduced the use of paid tax preparers and the takeup of the earned income tax credit, which is the second largest federal transfer to low-income households.
A new era for migraine: Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic insights into monoclonal antibodies with a focus on galcanezumab, an anti-CGRP antibody:

PurposeTo review pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics of antibodies that bind to soluble ligands within the framework of calcitonin gene-related peptide antibodies.OverviewCalcitonin...
The role of inflammation and the gut microbiome in depression and anxiety

The study of the gut microbiome has increasingly revealed an important role in modulating brain function and mental health. In this review, we underscore specific pathways and mechanisms by which the gut microbiome can promote the development of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. First, we review the involvement of the stress response and immune system activation in the development of depression and anxiety. Then, we examine germ-free murine models used to uncover the role of the gut microbiome in developing and modulating pertinent activity in the brain and the immune system. We also document multiple pathways by which stress-induced inflammation harms brain function and ultimately affects mental health, and review how probiotic and prebiotic treatments have shown to be beneficial. Lastly, we provide an overview of gut microbiome-derived compounds (short-chain fatty acids, tryptophan catabolites, microbial pattern recognition) and related mechanisms (vagal nerve activity and fecal microbiota transplants) involved in mediating the influence of the gut microbiome to mental health. Overall, a picture of the gut microbiome playing a facilitating role between stress response, inflammation, and depression, and anxiety is emerging. Future research is needed to firmly establish the microbiome's causal role, to further elucidate the mechanisms by which gut microbes influence brain function and mental health, and to possibly develop treatments that improve mental health through microbiotic targets.
User misrepresentation in online social networks: how competition and altruism impact online disclosure behaviours

Their sheer size and scale give social networks significant potential for shaping popular opinions. While the spread of information and influence within social networks has been popular area of res...
Physical Mobility Impairment and Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

Background: People with disabilities (PWD) often self-report reduced access to preventive health services and poorer health than people without disability. Risk factors for chronic disease are more prevalent in PWD, increasing risk for secondary conditions including cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods: Logistic regression was used to analyze data from the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey to explore the relationship between disability with mobility impairment and CVD. Results: Difficulty walking and climbing stairs significantly predicted concomitant CVD and diabetes in logistic regression models. Conclusion: Information from this study may be useful in addressing CVD risk for adults with mobility impairments.
Addressing Hepatitis C in the American Incarcerated Population: Strategies for Nationwide Elimination.

The prevalence of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the US incarcerated population is disproportionately high, and when inmates with infection are released back into the general population, they play a substantial role in the spread of disease. This review provides support for targeting the jail/prison population to eliminate HCV in the general population. It will also summarize various screening/treatment models to curtail the burden of disease behind and beyond bars. Transitioning from risk-based testing to opt-out testing in prisons/jails would be cost-effective through greater identification of cases and treatment to prevent complications from cirrhosis. Other innovative strategies, such as the nominal pricing mechanism or the “Netflix” DAA subscription model, have the potential to be cost-effective and to increase access to treatment. Addressing HCV in the incarcerated population is a strategy to bring the US closer to successfully eradicating the epidemic. Such findings should incentivize policymakers to implement care models that target this population.
Adaptive OFDM waveform design for spatio-temporal-sparsity exploited STAP radar

We propose a sparsity-based space-time adaptive processing (STAP) algorithm to detect a slowly-moving target using an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) radar. The motivation of employing an OFDM signal is that it improves the target-detectability from the interfering signals by increasing the frequency diversity of the system. However, due to the addition of one extra dimension in terms of frequency, the adaptive degrees-of- freedom in an OFDM-STAP also increases. Therefore, to avoid the construction a fully-adaptive OFDM-STAP, we propose a sparsity-based STAP algorithm. We observe that the interference spectrum is inherently sparse in the spatio-temporal domain, as the clutter responses occupy only a diagonal ridge on the spatio-temporal plane and the jammer signals interfere only from a few spatial directions. Hence, we exploit that sparsity to develop an efficient STAP technique that utilizes considerably lesser number of secondary data compared to the other existing STAP techniques, and produces nearly optimum STAP performance. In addition to designing the STAP filter, we propose to optimally design the transmit OFDM signals by maximizing the output signal- to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) in order to improve the STAP-performance. The computation of output SINR depends on the estimated value of the interference covariance matrix, which we obtain by applying the sparse recovery algorithm. Therefore, we analytically assess the effects of the synthesized OFDM coefficients on the sparse recovery of the interference covariance matrix by computing the coherence measure of the sparse measurement matrix. Our numerical examples demonstrate the achieved STAP-performance due to sparsity- based technique and adaptive waveform design.
Risk and Return Characteristics of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Equity ETFs

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ETFs attract investors who are driven by their personal values in investing, but also by investors who believe that ESG investing will produce a favorable return–risk tradeoff. This article looks at the risk and return characteristics of ESG ETFs since their inception (February 2005) through July 2019 and compares them with investable proxies for US (Russell 3000 ETF—IWV) and global (SPDR® Global Dow ETF—DGT) equity markets. Using absolute and risk-adjusted performance measures, the author finds that equal- and value-weighted ESG portfolios outperformed the IWV and DGT in some periods and underperformed in others. However, during the entire period, IWV and DGT outperformed ESG portfolios and had higher absolute- and risk-adjusted performance. TOPICS:Exchange-traded funds and applications, ESG investing Key Findings • Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ETFs attract investors who are driven by their personal values in investing, but also by investors who believe that ESG investing will produce a favorable return–risk tradeoff. • This article looks at the risk and return characteristics of ESG ETFs since their inception (February 2005) through July 2019 and compares them with the US (Russell 3000 ETF—IWV) and global (SPDR® Global Dow ETF—DGT) equity markets. • The period of study is divided into two bull markets (February 2005 to September 2007 and April 2009 to July 2019) and one bear market (October 2007 to March 2009). ESG portfolios outperformed IWV and DGT in some periods and underperformed in others. However, during the entire period, both IWV and DGT outperformed ESG portfolios, with higher absolute- and risk-adjusted performance. • Results indicate that investors can definitely allocate a portion of their portfolios toward their desired ESG investment as it would help them diversify and lower risk.
Human cells contain myriad excised linear intron RNAs with potential functions in gene regulation and utility as disease biomarkers

We used thermostable group II intron reverse transcriptase sequencing (TGIRT-seq), which gives full-length end-to-end sequence reads of structured RNAs, to identify > 8,500 short full-length excised linear intron (FLEXI) RNAs originating from > 3,500 different genes in human cells and tissues. Most FLEXI RNAs have stable predicted secondary structures, making them difficult to detect by other methods. Some FLEXI RNAs corresponded to annotated mirtron pre-miRNAs (introns that are processed by DICER into functional miRNAs) or agotrons (introns that bind AGO2 and function in a miRNA-like manner) and a few encode snoRNAs. However, the vast majority had not been characterized previously. FLEXI RNA profiles were cell-type specific, reflecting differences in host gene transcription, alternative splicing, and intron RNA turnover, and comparisons of matched tumor and healthy tissues from breast cancer patients and cell lines revealed hundreds of differences in FLEXI RNA expression. About half of the FLEXI RNAs contained an experimentally identified binding site for one or more proteins in published CLIP-seq datasets. In addition to proteins that have RNA splicing- or miRNA-related functions, proteins that bind ≥ 30 different FLEXI RNAs included transcription factors, chromatin remodeling proteins, and proteins involved in cellular stress responses and growth regulation, potentially linking FLEXI RNA binding to these processes. Our findings suggest previously unsuspected connections between intron RNAs and cellular regulatory pathways and identify a large new class of RNAs that may serve as broadly applicable biomarkers for human diseases.
Three New Sesquiterpenoid Glycosides from Tobacco

Three sesquiterpenoid glycosides, 3β-hydroxysolanascone-β-sophoroside 1a, 3β-hydroxy-solavetivone-β-glucoside 2a and rishitin glycoside 3a, were isolated from tobacco.
Flexible Bronchoscopy and Pediatric Asthma

The role of flexible bronchoscopy in the management of pediatric asthma is not defined by the guidelines. However, flexible bronchoscopy plays an important role in the differential diagnosis of pediatric wheezing. Flexible bronchoscopy together with bronchoalveolar lavage and endobronchial biopsy allows for the assessment of anatomical airway abnormalities and characterization of airway inflammation in children with severe uncontrolled asthma. In this chapter, several bronchoscopy-based phenotypes of severe uncontrolled asthma, specifically “persistent airway eosinophilia,” “airway remodeling,” “severe uncontrolled asthma/bacterial bronchitis overlap,” and “severe uncontrolled asthma/esophagitis” are described. Practical approach to the management of severe uncontrolled asthma via phenotype-based individualized management plans is suggested.
Highly Multiplexed Mass Cytometry Identifies the Immunophenotype in the Skin of Dermatomyositis.

Dermatomyositis (DM) is a rare, systemic autoimmune disease that most frequently affects the skin, muscles, and lungs. The inflammatory infiltrate in the skin has not been fully characterized, and, in this study, we took a single-cell, unbiased approach using imaging mass cytometry. Substantial monocyte‒macrophage diversity was observed, with the CD14+ population correlating positively with Cutaneous Dermatomyositis Disease Area and Severity Index scores (P = 0.031). The T-cell compartment revealed CD4+ T, CD8+ T, and FOXP3+ T cells. Activated (CD69+) circulating memory T cells correlated positively with Cutaneous Dermatomyositis Disease Area and Severity Index scores (P = 0.0268). IFN-β protein was highly upregulated in the T-cell, macrophage, dendritic cell, and endothelial cell populations of DM skin. Myeloid dendritic cells expressed phosphorylated peroxisome proliferator‒activated receptor γ, phosphorylated IRF3, IL-4, and IL-31, and their quantity correlated with itch as measured in Skindex-29. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells colocalized with IFN-γ in addition to the known colocalization with IFN-β. Nuclear phosphorylated peroxisome proliferator‒activated receptor γ expression was found in the DM endothelium. Imaging mass cytometry allows us to characterize single cells in the immune cell population and identify upregulated cytokines and inflammatory pathways in DM. These findings have important implications for the development of future targeted therapies for DM.
Charge Trapping in Polymer Electrets with Highly Dilute Blended Arylamine Donors

The nature of and the ability to control biasing across dielectrics is a key area of research for the design of more versatile organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). One important technique to a...
Relative salience signaling within a thalamo-orbitofrontal circuit governs learning rate

Learning to predict rewards is essential for the sustained fitness of animals. Contemporary views suggest that such learning is driven by a reward prediction error (RPE) — the difference between received and predicted rewards. The magnitude of learning induced by an RPE is proportional to the product of the RPE and a learning rate. Here we demonstrate using two- photon calcium imaging and optogenetics in mice that certain functionally distinct subpopulations of ventral/medial orbitofrontal cortex (vmOFC) neurons signal learning rate control. Consistent with learning rate control, trial-by-trial fluctuations in vmOFC activity positively correlates with behavioral updating when RPE is positive, and negatively correlates with behavioral updating when RPE is negative. Learning rate is affected by many variables including the salience of a reward. We found that the average reward response of these neurons signals the relative salience of a reward, as it decreases after reward prediction learning or the introduction of another highly salient aversive stimulus. The relative salience signaling in vmOFC is sculpted by medial thalamic inputs. These results support emerging theoretical views that the prefrontal cortex encodes and controls learning parameters.
Basolateral Amygdala Regulates EEG Theta-activity During Rapid Eye Movement Sleep.

Abstract Pharmacological and optogenetic studies have demonstrated that the basolateral amygdala (BLA) plays a pivotal role in regulating fear-conditioned changes in sleep, in particular, rapid eye movement sleep (REM). However, the linkage between BLA and REM regulation has been minimally examined. In this study, we optogenetically activated or inhibited BLA selectively during spontaneous REM, and determined the effects on REM amounts and on hippocampus regulated EEG-theta (θ) activity. Excitatory (CaMKIIα-hChR2 (E123A)-eYFP-WPRE) or inhibitory (CaMKIIα-eNpHR3.0-eYFP-WPRE) optogenetic constructs were stereotaxically delivered targeting glutamatergic cells in BLA (BLAGlu) of mice. Viral constructs without opsin (CaMKIIα-eYFP-WPRE) were used as controls. All mice were implanted with telemetry transmitters for monitoring electroencephalography (EEG), activity, and body temperature, and with optic cannulas for light delivery to the BLA. BLAGlu were optogenetically activated by blue light (473 nm), or inhibited by green light (532 nm), in 10 s epochs during REM, or non-REM (NREM), in undisturbed mice. Sleep amounts and EEG activity were analyzed. Projections from BLAGlu to neurons in hippocampus were immunohistochemically (IHC) examined. Brief optogenetic activation of BLAGlu during REM immediately reduced EEG theta activity (5–8 Hz, REM-θ), without affecting overall amount and propensity of sleep, while optogenetic inhibition increased REM-θ. Stimulation during NREM had no effect on EEG spectra or sleep. IHC results showed that glutamatergic and GABAergic cells in CA3 of the hippocampus received inputs from BLAGlu projection neurons. Activation of BLAGlu reduced, and inhibition increased, REM-θ without otherwise altering sleep. Optogenetic stimulation of BLAGlu may be useful for systematically manipulating sleep-related amygdalo-hippocampal interactions.
Th17 T Cells and Immature Dendritic Cells Are the Preferential Initial Targets after Rectal Challenge with a Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Based Replication-Defective Dual-Reporter Vector.

Understanding the earliest events of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) sexual transmission is critical to developing and optimizing HIV prevention strategies. To gain insights into the earliest steps of HIV rectal transmission, including cellular targets, rhesus macaques were intrarectally challenged with a single-round simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-based dual reporter that expresses luciferase and near-infrared fluorescent protein 670 (iRFP670) upon productive transduction. The vector was pseudotyped with the HIV-1 envelope JRFL. Regions of tissue containing foci of luminescent transduced cells were identified macroscopically using an in vivo imaging system, and individual transduced cells expressing fluorescent protein were identified and phenotyped microscopically. This system revealed that anal and rectal tissues are both susceptible to transduction 48 h after the rectal challenge. Detailed phenotypic analysis revealed that, on average, 62% of transduced cells are CCR6-positive (CCR6+) T cells-the vast majority of which express RORγT, a Th17 lineage-specific transcription factor. The second most common target cells were immature dendritic cells at 20%. These two cell types were transduced at rates that are four to five times higher than their relative abundances indicate. Our work demonstrates that Th17 T and immature dendritic cells are preferential initial targets of HIV/SIV rectal transmission. IMPORTANCE Men and women who participate in unprotected receptive anal intercourse are at high risk of acquiring HIV. While in vitro data have developed a framework for understanding HIV cell tropism, the initial target cells in the rectal mucosa have not been identified. In this study, we identify these early host cells by using an innovative rhesus macaque rectal challenge model and methodology, which we previously developed. Thus, by shedding light on these early HIV/SIV transmission events, this study provides a specific cellular target for future prevention strategies.
Gentamicin nephrotoxicity in the dog: sequential light and electron microscopy.

Sequential percutaneous renal biopsies in six dogs given gentamicin at 10 mg/kg every 8 hours (intramuscular) were examined before treatment and 5, 9 and 12 days after treatment. Renal function tes...
Calorie Restriction Suppresses Age-Dependent Hippocampal Transcriptional Signatures.

Calorie restriction (CR) enhances longevity and mitigates aging phenotypes in numerous species. Physiological responses to CR are cell-type specific and variable throughout the lifespan. However, the mosaic of molecular changes responsible for CR benefits remains unclear, particularly in brain regions susceptible to deterioration during aging. We examined the influence of long-term CR on the CA1 hippocampal region, a key learning and memory brain area that is vulnerable to age-related pathologies, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Through mRNA sequencing and NanoString nCounter analysis, we demonstrate that one year of CR feeding suppresses age-dependent signatures of 882 genes functionally associated with synaptic transmission-related pathways, including calcium signaling, long-term potentiation (LTP), and Creb signaling in wild-type mice. By comparing the influence of CR on hippocampal CA1 region transcriptional profiles at younger-adult (5 months, 2.5 months of feeding) and older-adult (15 months, 12.5 months of feeding) timepoints, we identify conserved upregulation of proteome quality control and calcium buffering genes, including heat shock 70 kDa protein 1b (Hspa1b) and heat shock 70 kDa protein 5 (Hspa5), protein disulfide isomerase family A member 4 (Pdia4) and protein disulfide isomerase family A member 6 (Pdia6), and calreticulin (Calr). Expression levels of putative neuroprotective factors, klotho (Kl) and transthyretin (Ttr), are also elevated by CR in adulthood, although the global CR-specific expression profiles at younger and older timepoints are highly divergent. At a previously unachieved resolution, our results demonstrate conserved activation of neuroprotective gene signatures and broad CR-suppression of age-dependent hippocampal CA1 region expression changes, indicating that CR functionally maintains a more youthful transcriptional state within the hippocampal CA1 sector.
Spinal Muscular Atrophies

The spinal muscular atrophies are common causes of muscle weakness and atrophy in children. These disorders, previously referred to as Werdnig-Hoffman disease and Kugelberg-Welander disease, are now much better diagnosed and understood, particularly after the identification of the survival motor neuron gene and their common linkage to the long arm of chromosome 5. This chapter discusses the clinical manifestations, genetics, diagnosis, and management of the spinal muscular atrophies.
Gruppe der Pockenviren

Pocken (Variola major) sind eine akute Infektionskrankheit, die durch eine schwere Allgemeininfektion und charakteristische Hautlasionen gekennzeichnet ist, die uber ein maculoses, papuloses, vesiculares schlieslich in ein pustuloses Stadium innerhalb eines Zeitraumes von 5–10 Tagen ubergehen. Neben dieser Erkrankungsform kennt man auch eine milde verlaufende Form (Variola minor). Vaccinia ist ein verwandtes Pockenvirus, das fur den Menschen abgeschwacht ist und seit langer Zeit als (erste) Lebendvaccine Verwendung findet. Das Yaba-Virus, ein Pockenvirus der Affen, fuhrt bei Affen zur Ausbildung gutartiger Histocytome und kann auch ahnliche Veranderungen beim Menschen hervorrufen.
Recent advances towards 1 W/cm single mode fiber lasers

The paper reports on the experimental results showing that short length (7 cm) phosphate fiber lasers generates more than 9.3 W multimode and 4.0 W single mode output power. To the authors' knowledge, the power generated per unit fiber length of 1.33 W/cm represents a record in fiber laser field. This research opens possibilities to develop on-chip watt-level single-frequency light sources at the 1550 nm wavelength band.
Five Takes on McDonald v. Chicago

McDonald v. Chicago made clear that the Second Amendment’s right to arms recognized in the 2008 Heller decision extends to individuals regardless of whether the infringement takes place at the hands of federal, state, or local officials. This brings to an end the first era of Second Amendment scholarship, in which discussion on the part of scholars was largely untempered by actual judicial authority. Now, though scholars may (and no doubt will) charge the Supreme Court with error, they are no longer writing on a blank slate. Instead, as with other areas of constitutional law, the discussion will focus on whether the judiciary is doing what it should do, as opposed to focusing on whether the judiciary will do anything at all. In this paper, we offer five takes on what the McDonald case means. While these do not, of course, exhaust the potential ramifications of the McDonald decision, we hope that they will at least serve as a springboard for numerous lines of discussion. First, we argue that the Second Amendment, post-McDonald, is now normal constitutional law, constraining governments after the fashion of other, familiar provisions of the Bill of Rights. This change in and of itself represents a substantial departure from prior history. Second, we look at the argument that the McDonald result was, in current parlance, "overdetermined." Third, we note the surprisingly large role played by the racial history of gun control, and Reconstruction views of the right to arms, in the McDonald decision, and what that might portend for future case law. Fourth, we look at the second death (or is it the rebirth?) of the Privileges or Immunities Clause following the plurality’s (and dissenters’) rejection of the McDonald petitioners’ invitation to incorporate the Second Amendment via that Clause. And finally, Fifth, we look at McDonald’s likely reception in the lower courts. A brief conclusion follows.
Myelin-associated glycoprotein protects neurons from excitotoxicity

In addition to supporting rapid nerve conduction, myelination nurtures and stabilizes axons and protects them from acute toxic insults. One myelin molecule that protects and sustains axons is myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG). MAG is expressed on the innermost wrap of myelin, apposed to the axon surface, where it interacts with axonal receptors that reside in lateral membrane domains including gangliosides, the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored Nogo receptors, and β1-integrin. We report here that MAG protection extends beyond the axon to the neurons from which those axons emanate, protecting them from excitotoxicity. Compared to wild type mice, Mag-null mice displayed markedly increased seizure activity in response to intraperitoneal injection of kainic acid, an excitotoxic glutamate receptor agonist. Mag-null mice also had larger lesion volumes in response to intrastriatal injection of the excitotoxin NMDA. Prior injection of a soluble form of MAG partially protected Mag-null mice from NMDA-induced lesions. Hippocampal neurons plated on proteins extracted from wild-type rat or mouse myelin were resistant to kainic acid-induced excitotoxicity, whereas neurons plated on proteins from Mag-null myelin were not. Protection was reversed by anti-MAG antibody and replicated by addition of soluble MAG. MAG-mediated protection from excitotoxicity was dependent on Nogo receptors and β1-integrin. We conclude that MAG engages membrane-domain resident neuronal receptors to protect neurons from excitotoxicity, and that soluble MAG mitigates excitotoxic damage in vivo.
Detection of water quality trends at high, median, and low flow in a Catskill Mountain stream, New York, through a new statistical method

[1] The effects of changes in acid deposition rates resulting from the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 should first appear in stream waters during rainstorms and snowmelt, when the surface of the watershed is most hydrologically connected to the stream. Early detection of improved stream water quality is possible if trends at high flow could be separately determined. Trends in concentrations of sulfate (SO42−), nitrate (NO3−), calcium plus magnesium (Ca2++Mg2+), and acid-neutralizing capacity (ANC) in Biscuit Brook, Catskill Mountains, New York, were assessed through segmented regression analysis (SRA). The method uses annual concentration-to-discharge relations to predict concentrations for specific discharges, then compares those annual values to determine trends at specific discharge levels. Median-flow trends using SRA were comparable to those predicted by the seasonal Kendall tau test and a multiple regression residual analysis. All of these methods show that stream water SO42− concentrations have decreased significantly since 1983; Ca2++Mg2+ concentrations have decreased at a steady but slower rate than SO42−; and ANC shows no trend. The new SRA method, however, reveals trends that differ at specified flow levels. ANC has increased, and NO3− concentrations have decreased at high flows, but neither has changed as significantly at low flows. The general downward trend in SO42− flattened at median flow and reversed at high flow between 1997 and 2002. The reversal of the high-flow SO42− trend is consistent with increases in SO42− concentrations in both precipitation and soil solutions at Biscuit Brook. Separate calculation of high-flow trends provides resource managers with an early detection system for assessing changes in water quality resulting from changes in acidic deposition.
Investigating the organizational sources of high-wage earnings growth and rising inequality

Abstract Recent studies indicate that the growth of earnings inequality in the United States since the late 1970s reflects organizational changes in the process of earnings determination. Existing research primarily focuses on workplace changes that reduce earnings levels for middle- and low-wage workers despite the importance of high-wage gains for rising inequality. This paper investigates how organizational context affects the relationship between occupation and earnings, with a focus on high-wage occupations. The earnings associated with low-wage occupations do not vary across industry groups. By contrast, the earnings advantages associated with high-wage occupations vary across industry groups in relation to the industry’s prevalence of performance pay practices. Pay initiatives that reward individuals for company performance explain much of the inter-industry variance in managerial and professional earnings slopes. The growth of performance-based pay represents an organizational change in earnings determination that may serve as a mechanism of high-wage earnings growth and rising inequality.
Models for ammonia

Ammonia is almost a unique molecular species, with respect to its prevalence in the cosmos and on Earth. It plays special roles in the Chemical and Physical sciences. In this essay, attention is directed to its structure, dielectric, and spectroscopic properties that upon first consideration suggest an inconsistency, which is resolved when the roles of models are properly assessed.
Tissue-specific regulation of glutamine synthetase gene expression in acute pancreatitis is confirmed by using interleukin-1 receptor knockout mice

Background. Acute pancreatitis causes a pronounced depletion of plasma and muscle glutamine pools. In several other catabolic disease states expression of the enzyme glutamine synthetase (GS) is induced in lung and muscle to support glutamine secretion by these organs. The hormonal mediators of GS induction have not been conclusively identified. We used mice deficient for the expression of the type 1 interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R1 knockout mice) to investigate the expression of GS during acute edematous pancreatitis. Methods. Acute edematous pancreatitis was induced in adult male wild-type and IL-1R1 knockout mice by means of the intraperitoneal administration of cerulein, and their conditions were monitored. Five organs, including lung, liver, gastrocnemius muscle, spleen, and pancreas, were assayed for relative GS messenger RNA (mRNA) content by Northern blotting. Results. The ultimate severity of pancreatitis was reduced by IL-1R1 deficiency. GS mRNA levels increased during progression of pancreatitis in lung, spleen, and muscle tissue from each group. No consistent increase in GS mRNA level was observed in liver. IL-1R1 deficiency did not affect GS mRNA expression in lung tissue but consistently retarded GS induction in the spleens of knockout animals. IL-1R deficiency altered the kinetics of GS induction in muscle. Conclusions. Cerulein-induced experimental pancreatitis causes an induction in GS mRNA levels in a tissue-specific fashion. IL-1R1 deficiency reduced the ultimate severity of the condition and altered the induction of GS mRNA in the spleen and muscle.
Observation of Locked Intrinsic Localized Vibrational Modes in a Micromechanical Oscillator Array

The nonlinear vibrational properties of a periodic micromechanical oscillator array have been measured. For sufficiently large amplitude of the driver, the optic mode of the di-element cantilever array becomes unstable and breaks up into excitations ranging over only a few cells. A driver-induced locking effect is observed to eternalize some of these intrinsic localized modes so that their amplitudes become fixed and the modes become spatially pinned.
Neo-pathway formation of dissociated neural grafts demonstrated by immunocytochemistry, fluorescent microspheres, and retrograde transport.

Abstract Embryonic neural tissues were taken from the ventral mesencephalon, the striatal anlage, the cerebellum, or the dorsal telencephalon. Prior to grafting these tissues were dissociated. This provided the opportunity to generate experimental cografts and allowed the introduction of neuronal tracers. Projections from grafts that contained dopaminergic neurons of the mesencephalon were identified immunocytochemically with antisera to tyrosine hydroxylase. Acetylcholinesterase histochemistry was employed to both stain the graft and to visualize graft efferent fibers. Moreover, dissociated tissues, with the exception of the ventral mesencephalon, were treated in vitro with rhodamine-conjugated microspheres. The immature cells incorporated the tracer in vitro. Labeled grafts were placed adjacent to large fiber tracts of the recipient brain or into the lateral ventricle and grown for one to two months. Different types of neurons within the grafts retained the rhodamine tracer. Some of the labeled neurons were positive for acetylcholinesterase. Efferent fibers from the different neural grafts followed similar routes within the host brain. Fibers containing microspheres projected commonly along the nearest host pathway or the labeled fibers followed the reactive glia along the original stab wound. Grafts that were located within the lateral ventricle projected their efferent fibers adjacent to the ventricular surface. Similar routes were followed by efferent fibers from trasplanted dopaminergic neurons. One of the projection routes along the hosts corpus callosum was confirmed by horseradish peroxidase tracer transport. We conclude that elongation of graft pathways may occur along existing fiber tracts of the host brain, near structures of the ventricular surface, and alongside glia scars of a graft placement tract.
Distance Inputs and the Space-Economy Part I: The Conceptual Framework

I. Empirical regularities and the distance factor, 181. — II. The need for and definition of distance inputs, 186. — III. Distance inputs contrasted with capital inputs: spatial roundaboutness and extent of production; space preference and discounting, 190. — IV. Transport rate: the price of a distance input, 195. — V. Distance inputs and the classification of factors, 197.
Fracture characterization of short glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic polyester in mode II by the J-integral

Abstract An experimental investigation was conducted to show that the J-integral could be applied to characterize mode II fracture ( J IIc ) as successfully as it has been applied to mode I fracture ( J Ic ). Non-symmetrical four-point bend tests were performed using center-cracked specimens for this investigation. A J IIc value was obtained from the slope of a least-squares fitted line relating the strain energy to initial crack length. The strain energy was obtained by subtracting the remotely dissipated energy away from the crack tip region from the total energy. The value of J IIc for short glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic polyester (PBT) was found to be 3·1 kJ/m 2 which is nearly halfthe value of J Ic (6·0 kJ/m 2 ) reported previously.
Transcatheter hemostasis in the genitourinary tract

Transcatheter hemostasis is applicable in a large variety of causes of genitourinary hemorrhage. The method is particularly useful in the management of trauma since temporary occlusion of the bleeding vessel usually produces cessation of hemorrhage without significant sacrifice of additional parenchyma. Control of arteriovenous fistulas requires an assessment of flow characteristics and careful tailoring of catheter and embolization technique; large emboli or glue is frequently required for occlusion of large fistulas, whereas small ones can be treated with Ivalon. Hemorrhage from renal or pelvic neoplasm is also effectively managed by transcatheter therapy.
NAtural halocarbons in the air and in the sea.

ORGANOCHLORINE compounds are usually taken to be man made; yet methyl chloride has been demonstrated as a product of microbial fermentation1 and of the smouldering combustion of vegetation (A. E. O'Keeffe, personal communication) and Zafiriou2 has predicted its ubiquitous presence in the environment. Here I report measurements of methyl chloride and other halomethanes in the air and coastal waters of southern England between December 1974 and April 1975. These measurements confirm those of R. A. Rasmussen (personal communication) who found methyl chloride in rural air over the West Coast of the USA; they reveal methyl chloride as the dominant halocarbon of the atmosphere. The possible bearing of this discovery on the chlorine-catalysed destruction of stratospheric ozone is discussed.
Possible Mechanism for the Antiarrhythmic Effect of Helium in Anesthetized Dogs

Breathing a mixture of 75 percent helium and 25 percent oxygen instead of 75 percent nitrogen and 25 percent oxygen reduced the occurrence of dangerous cardiac arrhythmias after ligation of the circumflex coronary artery in open-chest dogs anesthetized with pentobarbital. In dogs not subjected to circumflex ligation, the sensitivity of blood pressure, heart rate, and extrasystoles to epinephrine injected intravenously was not altered by the substitution of helium for nitrogen; however, helium did reduce the baseline heart rate and the concentration of endogenous plasma catecholamines. The antiarrhythmic effect of helium may thus be mediated by changes in sympathetic activity.
Mathematical and numerical approaches to a one-dimensional dynamic thermoviscoelastic contact problem

Abstract In this paper, we propose numerical schemes for solving a nonlinear system which consists of a coupled partial differential equations and two conditions, called normal compliance contact condition and Barber’s heat exchange condition. The convergence of numerical trajectories is shown by using a time discretization and passing the limit of the time step size. The uniqueness of the weak solution is proved as well. We derive the extensive form of an energy balance which will be a criterion to examine numerical stability. An example is provided to present and discuss numerical results.
Resolving barometric pressure waves in seasonal snowpack with a prototype-embedded wireless sensor network.

Networked micro-sensors have the capacity to enable improvements in ground-based data collection at resolutions that are currently unresolved. Crossbow® Environmental Motes (MEP410 models) were embedded in an accumulated snowpack in a meadow at Niwot Ridge long-term ecological research (LTER) C1 site. Motes were mounted to a custom designed deployment structure that constitutes an adaptive sensor ‘tower’ at a maximum height of 142 with sensors deployed at depths of 122, 71 and 17 cm from the ground. Barometric pressures measured from this embedded wireless network indicate low frequency fluctuations over the study period with higher frequency components varying as a function of depth. Mean pressures measured over the analysis period were 707·82 mb (122 cm), 702·48 mb (71 cm), and 704·09 mb (17 cm). Results indicate filtering of high frequency components of pressure measured at depth with reduced amplitude and time-lag (phase shift) modulated by changes in snowpack permeability related to density changes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reduction of Tropospheric Noise Fluctuations at Centimetre Wavelengths

SOME time ago, Conway1 suggested the use of a special technique for radio astronomical observations at centimetre wavelengths. It should eliminate the influence of radiation fluctuations from the troposphere on the sensitivity of the radio telescope. This communication reports the success of tests at wavelengths of 9.5 mm and 2 and 6 cm on a 140 ft. telescope. The radiometer is switched between two feed horns, both located close to the focal point of the paraboloid, and the difference in power is recorded. Two similar beams are projected on the sky separated by some angle. Close to the antenna (in the Fresnel region) the cylindrical beams overlap partially. By keeping the source in one of the beams only, we can measure its flux density and simultaneously cancel the atmospheric noise, because it enters the two overlapping beams. The method is restricted to observations of sources with angular extent less than the beam separation.