cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Innovative pattern reversal displays for visual electrophysiological studies

Pattern Reversal (PR) stimulation is a frequently used tool in the evaluation of the visual pathway. The PR stimulus consists of a field of black and white segments (usually checks or bars) of constant luminance, which change phase (black to white and white to black) at a given reversal rate. The Pattern Electroretinogram (PERG) is a biological potential that is evoked from the retina upon viewing PR display. Likewise, the Pattern Visual Evoked Potential (PVEP) is a biological potential recorded from the occipital cortex when viewing a PR display. Typically, PR stimuli are presented on a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) or Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitor. This paper presents three modalities to generate pattern reversal stimuli. The three methods are as follows: a display consisting of array of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), a display comprised of two miniature projectors, and a display utilizing a modified LCD display in conjunction with a variable polarizer. The proposed stimulators allow for the recording of PERG and PVEP waveforms at much higher rates than are capable with conventional stimulators. Additionally, all three of the alternative PR displays will be able to take advantage of advanced analysis techniques, such as the recently developed Continuous Loop Averaging Deconvolution (CLAD) algorithm.
Detection of certain brominated long-chain fatty acid esters by gas liquid chromatography.

EVIDENCE has recently been presented which demonstrated the effects of alteration of the chemical composition of the stationary liquid upon the resolution of the methyl esters of long-chain saturated and unsaturated fatty acids by gas-liquid chromatography1–4. When the adipate, glutarate and succinate polyesters of diethylene glycol were used as liquid phases, the more polar unsaturated fatty acid esters were retained on the column to a greater degree than the saturated members of similar carbon chain-length. The number and position of the unsaturated linkages appeared to be the dominating factors in determining the affinity of the component vapour for the stationary liquid. The greater the degree of unsaturation beyond the 9,10 position in the fatty acid ester molecule, the slower was the movement of the substance down the column. This effect appeared to be modified somewhat by the occurrence of a double bond closer to the carboxyl group, that is, before the 9,10 position, which tended to hasten the emergence of the compound from the column. Although the polyesters were much more efficient as stationary liquids than the comparatively non-polar ‘Apiezon’ and silicone greases5,6 for achieving separations of saturated and unsaturated fatty acid esters, when samples of fatty acid esters of unknown composition were analysed by gas-liquid chromatography, the possible presence of esters of branched-chain acids, odd-numbered acids, and unusual mono-, di- and poly-unsaturated acids still made difficult the positive identification of the individual components on the basis of comparative retention times and volumes.
“To Virgo or not to Virgo”: Examining the Closure and Reopening of a Neighborhood School in a Predominantly African American Community

Neighborhood schools engender the idea that schools can be integral community centers, with learning facilitated by the personal relationships developed among teachers, administrators, students, and parents. Neighborhood schools also have represented stigmatized segregated spaces located in communities with high poverty rates, low high school graduation rates, and little opportunity for social mobility. Drawing from print and online media sources related to the closure and reopening of D.C. Virgo Middle School (Virgo), a racially- and economically-segregated middle school in an urban, southern community, this study uses conceptual content analysis to examine the competing discourses surrounding Virgo. The authors conclude that the public discourse examined herein represents the tension between public schools as stigmatizing beloved spaces. As a stigmatizing space, the school can transfer the stigmatized identity to associated students and personnel. As a beloved space, the school can nurture possibility a...
EXTENSION OF THE YAKHOT–ORSZAG RENORMALIZATION GROUP-BASED CLOSURE SCHEME TO ISOTROPIC AND ANISOTROPIC TWO-DIMENSIONAL TURBULENCE

The renormalization group based closure developed by Yakhot and Orszag for the analysis of three-dimensional turbulence is extended to the two-dimensional case. The logarithmically corrected Ek ∝ (log k/k1)–1/3 k–3 energy spectrum of the enstrophy inertial range and the k−5/3 spectrum of the energy range are derived self-consistently by the method. The values for the Kolmogorov constants C′ = 2.29 in the enstrophy range and C = 6.45 in the energy range are obtained without the need of adjustable parameters. These solutions are proven to be linearly stable against anisotropic perturbations and the decay of anisotropy at small scales given anisotropic large scales is shown to be ∝ (In k/k1)−1/12 in the enstrophy range and ∝ k−1/6 in the energy range. The difficulty in observing a k−3 spectrum in two-dimensional turbulence has a counterpart in the renormalization group closure, in the fact that such a spectrum would require an enstrophy input from the stochastic force exceeding the contribution of the flux from larger scales. Application of the method to the problem of the passive scalar leads to Prandtl numbers equal to one and Batchelor constants equal to the Kolmogorov constant of the respective range. Calculation of the two-dimensional skewness s2 = /[ 1/2 ] leads to the result s2 ≃ −.265 in the enstrophy range.
Mitofusins: Mighty Regulators of Metabolism

Mitochondria are central regulators of cellular metabolism but how their function in a subset of cells affects whole-body energy balance is less understood. Two studies in this issue of Cell identify how diet-dependent modulation of mitochondrial fusion in specific neuronal circuits impact the metabolic status of an animal.
Improvement of secondary metabolite production in Streptomyces by manipulating pathway regulation

Titer improvement is a constant requirement in the fermentation industry. The traditional method of “random mutation and screening” has been very effective despite the considerable amount of time and resources it demands. Rational metabolic engineering, with the use of recombinant DNA technology, provides a novel, alternative strategy for titer improvement that complements the empirical method used in industry. Manipulation of the specific regulatory systems that govern secondary metabolite production is an important aspect of metabolic engineering that can efficiently improve fermentation titers. In this review, we use examples from Streptomyces secondary metabolism, the most prolific source of clinically used drugs, to demonstrate the power and utility of exploiting natural regulatory networks, in particular pathway-specific regulators, for titer improvement. Efforts to improve the titers of fredericamycin, C-1027, platensimycin, and platencin in our lab are highlighted.
Multi-fluid model of comet 1P/Halley

Abstract A new three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic model of the coma of a comet has been developed and applied to simulations of a Halley-class coma using the solar-wind conditions of the Giotto flyby of Halley in 1986. The code developed for high-performance parallel processing computers, combines the high spatial resolution of smaller than 1 km grid spacing near the nucleus, with a large computational domain that enables structures nearly 10 million km down the comet tail to be modeled. Ions, neutrals, and electrons are considered as separate interacting fluids. Significant physical processes treated by the model include both photo and electron impact ionization of neutrals, recombination of ions, charge exchange between solar-wind ions and cometary neutrals, and frictional interactions between the three fluids considered in the model. A variety of plasma structures and physical parameters that are the output of this model are compared with relevant Giotto data from the 1986 Halley flyby.
Gamma mode of infiltration associated with poor prognosis in malignant teratoma of the ovary: A case report.

Abstract Background. Although mature cystic teratoma is the most common tumor of the ovary, squamous cell carcinoma arising from a mature teratoma is a rare event. Prognosis depends on clinical stage, grade, and recently described mode of tumor infiltration. Case. This case involves a 52-year-old woman with stage II squamous cell carcinoma arising in a mature cystic teratoma of the left ovary. Final pathology demonstrated poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma with gamma mode of tumor infiltration. The patient completed adjuvant chemotherapy and subsequently died of progressive disease. Conclusion. Squamous cell carcinoma arising from a benign cystic teratoma is a rare event. Studies have shown stage, grade, and mode of infiltration to be predictors of recurrence and prognosis. This case supports the growing evidence linking the mode of tumor infiltration with overall prognosis of survival.
Pharmacokinetic Based Design of Individualized Dosage Regimens Using a Bayesian Approach

Clinical trials and health care studies generate an enormous amount of data. This data is used by pharmaceutical companies during new drug development processes to characterize patient populations and determine a standardized dosage regimen for new patients, make commercial decisions, and gain approval from regulatory agencies. Nevertheless, the knowledge embedded in such data is rarely further exploited for customized patient care. In most cases, there is a significant difference between the pharmacokinetic profile of patients in a population, yet these differences are not reflected in the standardized dosage regimen. Here, a Bayesian methodology is proposed to individualize dosage regimens by combining the pharmacokinetic data collected from a patient population during clinical trials and additional data coming from a minimal number of serum samples from the new patient. In the Bayesian sense, the distribution of pharmacokinetic parameters from the population data is treated as prior information, and th...
Fisher ratio method applied to third-order separation data to identify significant chemical components of metabolite extracts

This report is about applying a Fisher ratio method to entire four dimensional (4D) data sets from third-order instrumentation data. The Fisher ratio method uses a novel indexing scheme to discover the unknown chemical differences among known classes of complex samples. This is the first report of a Fisher ratio analysis procedure applied to entire 4D data sets of third-order separation data, which, in this case, is comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry analyses of metabolite extracts using all of the collected mass channels. Current analysis methods for third-order separation data use only user-defined subsets of the 4D data set. First, in a validation study, the Fisher ratio method was demonstrated to objectively evaluate and determine the chemical differences between three controlled urine samples that differed by known spiked chemical components. It was determined that, out of more than 600 recognizable chemical components in a single sample, the six spiked components, along with only two other matrix components, differed most significantly in concentration among the control samples. In a second study, the Fisher ratio method was used in a novel application to discover the unknown chemical differences between urine metabolite samples from pregnant women and nonpregnant women. A brief list of the top 11 components that were most significantly different in concentration between the pregnant and nonpregnant samples was generated. Because the Fisher ratio calculation statistically differentiates regions of the chromatogram with large class-to-class variations from regions containing large within-class variations, the Fisher ratio method should generally be robust against biological diversity in a sample population. Indeed, application of principal component analysis in this second study failed due to biological diversity of the samples.
Outcomes and prognostic factors in nodular melanomas

Background The nodular subtype of cutaneous melanoma has a more pronounced vertical phase and less of a radial growth phase compared with other histologic subtypes. This study was performed to determine prognostic factors and outcomes for nodular melanomas. Methods A post hoc analysis of a prospective clinical trial was performed in all patients with nodular histologic subtype. Univariate and multivariate analyses of factors associated with disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and local and in-transit recurrence-free survival (LITRFS) were performed. Kaplan–Meier survival analyses were performed. Results There were 736 patients available for analysis, and 189 (25.7%) were sentinel lymph node (SLN) positive. Breslow thickness of ≥2.3 mm, presence of ulceration, nonextremity tumor location, positive SLN, and non–SLN-positive status were independent risk factors for worse OS and DFS. Kaplan–Meier analysis demonstrated that ulceration predicted worse OS and DFS in all nodular melanoma patients, and in both SLN-positive and -negative subsets. The presence of ulceration and a positive SLN together predicted significantly worse DFS and OS. Conclusion The most important risk factors that determine prognosis in nodular melanomas are SLN status and ulceration. The presence of both a positive SLN and ulceration significantly affect DFS and OS, and to a lesser degree LITRFS.
Direct numerical simulation of flow separation around a NACA 0012 airfoil

Abstract Direct numerical simulation (DNS) for the flow separation and transition around a NACA 0012 airfoil with an attack angle of 4° and Reynolds number of 10 5 based on free-stream velocity and chord length is presented. The details of the flow separation, detached shear layer, vortex shedding, breakdown to turbulence, and re-attachment of the boundary layer are captured in the simulation. Though no external disturbances are introduced, the self-excited vortex shedding and self-sustained turbulent flow may be related to the backward effect of the disturbed flow on the separation region. The vortex shedding from the separated free shear layer is attributed to the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability.
Regulation of flowering time by light quality

The transition to flowering in plants is regulated by environmental factors such as temperature and light. Plants grown under dense canopies or at high density perceive a decrease in the ratio of red to far-red incoming light. This change in light quality serves as a warning of competition, triggering a series of responses known collectively as the 'shade-avoidance syndrome'. During shade avoidance, stems elongate at the expense of leaf expansion, and flowering is accelerated. Of the five phytochromes-a family of red/far-red light photoreceptors-in Arabidopsis, phytochrome B (phyB) has the most significant role in shade-avoidance responses, but the mechanisms by which phyB regulates flowering in response to altered ratios of red to far-red light are largely unknown. Here we identify PFT1 (PHYTOCHROME AND FLOWERING TIME 1), a nuclear protein that acts in a phyB pathway and induces flowering in response to suboptimal light conditions. PFT1 functions downstream of phyB to regulate the expression of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), providing evidence for the existence of a light-quality pathway that regulates flowering time in plants.
Renin-angiotensin system in normal and in hypertensive disease of pregnancy.

Abstract Plasma-renin activity, plasma-renin substrate, and plasma-angiotensinase activity have been determined in seven normotensive and six hypertensive pregnant women. Plasma-renin activity and plasma-renin substrate were significantly elevated in both groups; but there were no significant differences between the normotensive and the hypertensive pregnant women. Plasma-angiotensinase activity was increased in the normotensive pregnant group; by contrast, the hypertensive group did not show this increase, and plasma-angiotensinase activity was significantly lower in the post-partum period in hypertensive pregnant women. This study favours the hypothesis that decreased inactivation of angiotensin II may have a role in the pathogenesis of hypertensive disease of pregnancy.
Subunit Composition of MinK Potassium Channels

Expression of minK protein in Xenopus oocytes induces a slowly activating, voltage-dependent, potassium-selective current. Point mutations in minK that alter current gating kinetics, ion selectivity, pharmacology, and response to protein kinase C all support the notion that minK is a structural protein for a channel-type transporter. Yet, minK has just 130 amino acids and a single transmembrane domain. Though larger cloned potassium channels form functional channels through tetrameric subunit association, the subunit composition of minK is unknown. Subunit stoichiometry was determined by coexpression of wild-type minK and a dominant lethal point mutant of minK, which reaches the plasma membrane but passes no current. The results support a model for complete minK potassium channels in which just two minK monomers are present, with other, as yet unidentified, non-minK subunits.
CLAY MINERALOGY OF THE BOTTOM SEDIMENTS, RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER, VIRGINIA

Bottom sediment clay mineral assemblages from the Rappahannock River and estuary contain kaolinite, illite, unorganized illite, dioctahedral vermiculite, 12.4A montmorillonite, 14.2 A montmorillonite, chlorite, feldspar and quartz. The x-ray diffraction characteristics of these species and their thermal modifications at 25–500°C are described and illustrated. Progressive changes in the mineralogical composition of bottom sediments occur between the fresh-water and saline-water portions of the Rappahannock system. Chlorite and feldspar occur exclusively in the saline portions of the estuary. Illite shows progressive increase in crystallization quality. There appears to be less kaolinite, proportionately, in the estuarine sediments of the most saline zone. x-Ray diffraction diagrams showing these progressive changes are illustrated.
Cu(I)/O2 Chemistry Using a β-Diketiminate Supporting Ligand Derived from N,N-Dimethylhydrazine: A [Cu3O2]3+ Complex with Novel Reactivity

A Cu(I) complex, LCu(CH(3)CN), was prepared and characterized, where L(-) is a sterically unencumbered β-diketiminate ligand, the deprotonated version of 4-(2,2-dimethylhydrazino)dimethylhydrazone-3-penten-2-one (LH). Analysis of FTIR spectra of the products of the reaction of LCu(CH(3)CN) with CO indicate that L(-) is strongly electron donating, and support an equilibrium in solution between monomeric and dimeric forms with terminal and bridging CO ligands, respectively. Low temperature oxygenation of LCu(CH(3)CN) generated a bis(μ-oxo)tricopper complex with a S = 1 [Cu(3)O(2)](3+) core that was identified on the basis of UV-vis (λ(max) (e, M(-1) cm(-1) per Cu) = 328 (10700), 420 (1500), 590 (835) nm) and X-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy (Δm(s) = 2 transition at 1500 G), electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry, and spectrophotometric titration (0.35(2) equiv of O(2) per copper atom), magnetic susceptibility (μ(eff) = 2.8(1) BM), and H(2)O(2) detection experiments (no H(2)O(2) evolved upon acidification). Unlike other reported variants supported by neutral N-donor ligands, L(3)Cu(3)O(2) is not reduced by ferrocene, does not abstract H-atoms from phenols or 1,2-dihydroanthracene, oxidizes PPh(3) to Ph(3)P═O, and generates carbonate species upon exposure to CO(2). This unique reactivity for a [Cu(3)O(2)](3+) complex may be traced to the anionic charge and strong electron donating characteristics of L(-).
TORTUROUS AMBIVALENCE: Judaic Struggles with Torture

A surprising lack of consensus exists among contemporary Jewish scholars about Judaism's position vis-a-vis torture. Some claim that Judaism condones torture while others insist that Judaism condemns it. These diverging opinions on such a troubling practice suggest an ambivalence deep within the Judaic textual tradition about torturing bodies. This brief essay critiques both perspectives for twisting the textual tradition and offers some preliminary suggestions for a more robust Judaic approach to torture.
Tools and Apps to Enhance Situational Awareness for Global Disease Surveillance

Situational awareness is important for both early warning and early detection of a disease outbreak. We will describe a suite of tools developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory that provide actionable information and knowledge for enhanced situational awareness during an unfolding event. The BRD is a searchable database, a one stop shop for disease surveillance resources and can be used for validating information received about disease outbreaks. The BaRD is a searchable database that catalogs and classifies epidemiological model-specific information to allow facile selection. The SWAP is an app to provide a context for a rapidly unfolding event through graphical visualization.
Staged Climate Change Adaptation Planning for Water Supply in Amman, Jordan

AbstractThis research develops a multistage stochastic linear programming (LP) model to assist in the process of water system planning and management under demographic and climate change in Amman, Jordan, over the next 75 years. Climate change is projected to have a gradual exacerbating effect on Amman’s water stress over the next century, and water resources management strategies and policies put in place now will likely influence water use patterns for generations to come. A multistage decision model allows the identification of both adaptation strategies that should be implemented now and actions likely to be needed later, depending on future climate and demographic conditions. For Amman, the model recommends that household water reuse be expanded immediately, large-scale wastewater reclamation begin within 25 years, and mega-scale water import projects be postponed for several decades. Although these recommendations for the future will almost certainly change as additional information is acquired, by ...
Diagnosis and management of the newborn with suspected congenital heart disease

In critical congenital heart lesions, the ultimate outcome depends on timely and accurate diagnosis of the structural anomaly, the evaluation and resuscitation of secondary organ damage, effective lesion-specific preoperative management, and the appropriate timing and type of surgery. Crucial to this process is continuous communication among medical, surgical, and nursing disciplines.
Vision and Viscosity in Goa’s Psychedelic Trance Scene Arun Saldanha

This article tries to conceive what difference vision makes in organising different bodies in the rave tourism scene of Goa in southern India. Drawing on participant observations, the differentiation of bodies is conceived through the concept of ‘viscosity’. With some help of Deleuze and Guattari, viscosity will allow me to discuss the non-subjective, self-organising but dynamic orderings in space and time of brown and white, male and female, rich and poor. Human bodies are not billiard balls, however. I also investigate the negotiations and ethics involved in the practical dealings with otherness. In contrast to much of the reception of Deleuze and Guattari in Anglophone geography, therefore, the concept of viscosity stresses the materialist understanding of social aggregation that they advocate, not simply their insistence on open-endedness and flux. Three sites within Goa’s rave scene will be explored, each highlighting an aspect of its visual economy. Firstly, the popular bars show how architecture contributes to the pigeonholing of bodies; secondly, the beach shows that bodies actively perform rituals of touristic encounter; lastly, at the mystical moment of sunrise at the raves, the profoundly ethical complications of this particular theater of globalisation and counterculture become painfully apparent.
The endocannabinoid anandamide is a precursor for the signaling lipid N-arachidonoyl glycine by two distinct pathways.

Background: N-arachidonoyl glycine (NAGly) is an endogenous signaling lipid with a wide variety of biological activity whose biosynthesis is poorly understood. Two primary biosynthetic pathways have been proposed. One suggests that NAGly is formed via an enzymatically regulated conjugation of arachidonic acid (AA) and glycine. The other suggests that NAGly is an oxidative metabolite of the endogenous cannabinoid, anandamide (AEA), through an alcohol dehydrogenase. Here using both in vitro and in vivo assays measuring metabolites with LC/MS/MS we test the hypothesis that both pathways are present in mammalian cells. Results: The metabolic products of deuterium-labeled AEA, D 4 AEA (deuterium on ethanolamine), indicated that NAGly is formed by the oxidation of the ethanolamine creating a D2NAGly product in both RAW 264.7 and C6 glioma cells. Significantly, D4AEA produced a D0NAGly product only in C6 glioma cells suggesting that the hydrolysis of AEA yielded AA that was used preferentially in a conjugation reaction. Addition of the fatty acid amide (FAAH) inhibitor URB 597 blocked the production of D0NAGly in these cells. Incubation with D8AA in C6 glioma cells likewise produced D8NAGly; however, with significantly less efficacy leading to the hypothesis that FAAH-initiated AEA-released AA conjugation with glycine predominates in these cells. Furthermore, the levels of AEA in the brain were significantly increased, whereas those of NAGly were significantly decreased after systemic injection of URB 597 in rats and in FAAH KO mice further supporting a role for FAAH in endogenous NAGly biosynthesis. Incubations of NAGly and recombinant FAAH demonstrated that NAGly is a significantly less efficacious substrate for FAAH with only ~50% hydrolysis at 30 minutes compared to 100% hydrolysis of AEA. Co-incubations of AEA and glycine with recombinant FAAH did not, however, produce NAGly.
Phenylephrine-Induced Hypertension Reduces Ischemia Following Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion in Rats

We studied the influence of phenylephrine-induced hypertension on the area of ischemia during brief middle cerebral artery occlusion. Rats were anesthetized with 1.2 minimal alveolar concentration (MAC) isoflurane, and the middle cerebral artery was occluded via a subtemporal craniectomy. Immediately thereafter, in one group (n = 9) arterial blood pressure was increased 30-35 mm Hg above the preocclusion level by intravenous infusion of phenylephrine. In a second, control, group (n = 10) there was no manipulation of blood pressure. Local cerebral blood flow was determined autoradiographically 15 minutes after occlusion. The areas (expressed as a percentage of the total coronal cross-sectional area) in which local cerebral blood flow decreased to three ranges (0-6 ml/100 g/min [rapid neuronal death probable], 6-15 ml/100 g/min [delayed neuronal death probable], and 15-23 ml/100 g/min [electrophysiologic dysfunction with prolonged survival probable]) were measured. The areas in which local cerebral blood flow decreased to the two more severely ischemic ranges were smaller in the phenylephrine group than in the control group. For example, in the coronal section in the center of the middle cerebral artery distribution, local cerebral blood flow was 0-6 ml/100 g/min in 6.7 +/- 1.4% of the section in normotensive rats but was in that range in only 1.7 +/- 0.6% of the section during phenylephrine-induced hypertension (p less than 0.05). For the 6-15 ml/100 g/min range, the areas were 6.8 +/- 0.8% and 3.8 +/- 0.7%, respectively (p less than 0.05). For the 15-23 ml/100 g/min range, there were no differences between groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Social Projection of Transient Drive States

The authors hypothesized that people's predictions of how other people feel in emotionally arousing situations are often based on people's predictions of how they themselves would feel in those situations. Indeed, most participants in Study 1 reported predicting hungry hikers' feelings by mentally trading places with them, imagining what their own feelings would be in the hikers' situation. Because people's predictions of their own feelings tend to be biased in the direction of their current drive states, we hypothesized that mentally trading places would lead to social projection of transient drive states. In Study 2, participants' predictions of whether thirst or hunger would be more bothersome to hikers lost without food or water were biased in the direction of participants' own exercise-induced thirst. Furthermore, participants' predictions of how they would feel in the hikers' situation statistically mediated the effect of exercise on their predictions of the hikers' feelings.
Role of OCA-B in 3′-IgH Enhancer Function

OCA-B (alternately called Bob1 and OBF-1) is a B cell-specific coactivator that interacts with the ubiquitously expressed Oct-1 and the B cell-restricted Oct-2 to activate transcription via the octamer site (5'-ATGCAAAT-3'). OCA-B-/- mice appear to undergo normal Ag-independent B cell maturation. However, Ag-dependent B cell differentiation, including germinal center formation, production of secondary Ig isotypes, and proliferation in response to surface Ig cross-linking, is greatly affected. We demonstrate that the observed reductions in expression of class-switched isotypes in OCA-B-/- mice may be due in part to deficiencies in the function of the 3'-IgH enhancer elements. Furthermore, we find that surface Ig cross-linking represses all the Ig enhancers and that this repression is absent in OCA-B-/- B cells. These results suggest an important role for OCA-B in Ig enhancer function in vivo.
The quantitative infrared and NIR spectrum of CH 2 I 2 vapor: vibrational assignments and potential for atmospheric monitoring

Diiodomethane (CH 2 I 2 ) has recently become a molecule of significant atmospheric interest as it can contribute to coastal IO formation. As part of the PNNL database of gas-phase infrared spectra, the quantitative absorption spectrum of CH 2 I 2 has been acquired at 0.1 cm -1 resolution. Two strong b 2 symmetry A-type bands at 584 and 1114 cm -1 are observed, but are not resolved when broadened to 760 Torr with nitrogen and appear as B-type. In contrast, the b 1 symmetry C-type bands near 5953, 4426 and 3073 cm -1 are resolved with rotational structure, including Q-branches with widths ≤1 cm -1 . The quantitative infrared and near-infrared vapor-phase spectra (600–10 000 cm -1 ) are reported for the first time. Some bands are discussed in terms of their potential for atmospheric monitoring and theoretical detection limits on a selected basis. FT-Raman spectra and ab initio calculations are used to complete vibrational assignments in the C 2 v point group.
Bringing Geography Back In: Civilizations, Wealth, and Poverty1

This essay focuses on how we can account for the gap between rich and poor nations. The literature is organized under two subsuming analytical categories: space (geographical environment) and culture. At issue is the primacy of environmental factors versus culture in explaining the development of civilizations and their divergence. If geographical environment is primary, then development is determined by natural endowments and constraints. If culture is dominant, then geography can be overcome with luck, effective political institutions, determination, and inventiveness. The literature in this essay is intended to help to sharpen and focus this debate.
A Safety Driven Approach to the Development of an Airborne Sense and Avoid System

Sense and avoid is the primary technical barrier to increased unmanned aircraft system airspace access. A safety assessment driven approach to sense and avoid system design and requirements validation is being employed to ensure safety and operational suitability. The foundation of this approach is a fast-time modeling and simulation architecture originally used to support the certication of the Trac Alert and Collision Avoidance System. This paper describes the safety assessment methodology, including the architecture and evaluation metrics, and presents preliminary results for key system architecture and design tradeos.
INTRODUCTION TO BAYESIAN REASONING

Interest in Bayesian analyses has increased recently, in part as a response to policy makers wanting sound scientific bases for health technology assessments, and associated healthcare funding decisions. This paper provides a brief and simplified description of Bayesian reasoning. Bayes is illustrated in a clinical setting of an expert helping a woman understand the potential risk of passing on an inheritable disease (hemophilia) to her next child, based on disease occurrence in two living children. The illustration describes fundamental concepts and derivations, such as Bayes theorem, likelihood functions, prior probability, and posterior probability. A second illustration shows the use of Bayes for interpreting clinical trial results. The uncertainty in the clinical effect before and after the trial analyses has been completed is characterized by the Bayes prior and posterior probabilities, respectively. Techniques are also shown for estimating the potential loss (e.g., in lives lost) for making the wrong decision with and without knowledge of the trial results, an estimation that cannot be carried out using techniques of hypotheses testing associated with the frequentist school of statistics. Information from Bayes analysis then may be used to help policy makers decide, or justify, whether the analyses provides a sufficient basis for making a treatment recommendation, or whether there remains a need to request more information. Subsequent papers in this volume offer additional examples and clarification of the use of Bayes in clinical practice and in interpretation of clinical studies.
Carboxyl-mediated pictet-spengler reaction. Direct synthesis of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro β-carbolines from tryptamine-2-carboxylic acids.

Abstract The Pictet-Spengler condensation of various tryptamine-2-carboxylic acids 1 with carbonyl compounds in benzene/dioxane/trifiuoroacetic acid (Table) with simultaneous loss of carbon dioxide, afforded directly the corresponding 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro β-carbolines 4 in good to excellent yields.
The effect of matrix metalloproteinase 2 and matrix metalloproteinase 2/9 deletion in experimental post-thrombotic vein wall remodeling

Background Vein wall fibrotic injury following deep venous thrombosis (VT) is associated with elevated matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Whether and by what mechanism MMP2 contributes to vein wall remodeling after VT is unknown. Methods Stasis VT was produced by ligation of the inferior vena cava and tissue was harvested at 2, 8, and 21 days in MMP2 -/- and genetic wild type (WT) mice. Tissue analysis by immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and zymography was performed. Results Thrombus resolution was less at 8 days in MMP2 -/- compared with WT, evidenced by a 51% increase in VT size ( P P P = .013), fourfold lower procollagen III gene expression ( P P P = .03) with threefold decreased apoptosis ( P P Conclusions In stasis VT, deletion of MMP2 was associated with less midterm vein wall fibrosis and inflammation, despite an increase in monocytes. Consideration that VT resolution was impaired with MMP2 (and MMP2/9) deletion suggests direct inhibition will likely also require anticoagulant therapy.
Hepatocellular carcinoma: the need for progress.

to 25%, and systemic chemotherapy has never been shown to prolong survival in patients with HCC. The majority of HCC occurs in patients with liver cirrhosis and consequent hepatic dysfunction, which complicates safe administration of systemic therapy and poses a challenge to conducting clinical trials in this patient population.Hepatocellularcarcinomaisaheterogeneousdisease in terms of etiology and underlying associations as well as biologic and clinical behavior. The underlying liver dysfunction, aggressive nature of the disease, lack of general consensus regarding treatment, and lower incidence in the United States contribute to the challenges of studying and developing effective systemic therapies for HCC.
Extent of prevalence and size of flat neoplasms in a heterogeneous population undergoing routine colorectal cancer screening

Background The importance of identifying flat colorectal neoplasms is increasingly appreciated, although the extent of prevalence of these lesions in a general population is not known. Objective To determine the extent of prevalence of flat neoplasms in a diverse population undergoing routine endoscopic screening for colorectal cancer. Design Patients referred to the Colorectal Cancer Screening Clinic over a 12-month period (n = 642). Results The patient population was 56% African American and 21% Caucasian; with a mean age of 59 ± 9 years. Flat neoplasms were detected in 5.5% of all patients, similar to that reported elsewhere, with extent of prevalence being similar regardless of gender or race. Average size of flat neoplasms was of 2.8 ± 2.3 mm (range 1–20 mm). However, there was no evidence of advanced pathology in any of the flat neoplasms identified. Conclusions Flat neoplasms are common but may not be associated with advanced pathology in a population undergoing routine screening.
Quantitative analysis of intratumoral infusion of color molecules.

Intratumoral infusion has a potential for improving distribution of drugs. To optimize the infusion, we developed a novel technique to quantify the distribution volume of color molecules (Vd) in so...
Retirement Option with Flexible Labor Supply and Borrowing Constraints

In this paper I investigate the optimal consumption-portfolio choice of an agent who exerts effort to earn labor income and has the option to retire from work. The decision to retire is irreversible: the agent cannot join the labor force again, once the retirement option has been exercised. I show that the optimal time to retire is when the wealth level reaches a threshold. As the wealth level approaches the threshold, the investor decreases consumption and increases investment in the risky assets. The investment in the risky assets jumps down at retirement. The threshold level of wealth is higher when the agent can choose how much effort to exert than when a constant amount of effort has to be exerted.
An Emerging Unified View of Dynamic Interphases in Polymers

The properties of nanostructured polymeric materials reflect the presence of a dynamic interphase in which polymer segmental dynamics, glass formation, mechanics, and transport properties are altered from their bulk states. Examples include nanoconfinement effects on polymer nanofilms, reinforcement effects in polymer nanocomposites and filled rubbers, formation of a rigid amorphous fraction in semicrystalline polymers, and observation of suppressed-mobility domains around ionic aggregates in ionomers. Whereas many of these phenomena have been viewed as emerging from system-specific mechanisms, here recent work is highlighted that contributes to an emerging unified understanding of the dynamic interphase in all of these systems. This view suggests that the size scales of dynamic interphases in polymers are generally determined by the scale of cooperative rearrangements intrinsic to relaxation dynamics in supercooled glass-forming liquids. It also implicates alterations in local segmental rattling as playing a central role in the dynamic interphase, and it suggests that near-interface modifications in dynamics exhibit a general dependence on the interfacial work of adhesion and the relative high-frequency moduli of the interface-adjacent domains.
The Photoluminescence and TEM Studies of Patterned GaAs films on Si Substrate Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Patterned epitaxial GaAs films have been formed on Si substrates by either growth over patterned substrate (selective -area epitaxy) or chemical etching of patterns after growth. The optical properties of these samples are studied by 77K photoluminescence (PL) and the defect structures are investigated by transmission electron microscope (TEM). The patterned substrate consisted of bare Si stripes with width ranging from 10 µm to 100 µm surrounded by Si3N4 films on both sides and a reference area of bare Si. For 1.5 µmiann d 3 µm thick films, PL intensities from the films inside the 10 µm stripe shows 140% and 75% increase over unpatterned areas while the residual tensile stress in the patterned films is very similar to that of the unpatterned area. The increase in the photoluminescence intensity is ascribed to the reduction of crystalline defects inside the the window area. In the chemically etched sample, the pattern consisted of 4 µm by 4 µm squares and 1 mm long stripes with widths ranging from 100 µm to 4 plm. From the shift of PL peaks, a monotonic decrease in the tensile stress versus stripe width is observed. In particular, when the width of the stripe is less than 7 µm. tensile stress becomes essentially uniaxial in agreement with the results obtained by Yacobi et al [16] on a GaAs on InP sample. The polarization of the luminescence spectra parallel and perpendicular to the uniaxial stress of a 4 µm wide stripe agrees well with theoretical prediction. It is also observed that tensile stress is almost completely relieved in the 4 µm by 4 muentc hed squares.
Imidazole-buffered cardioplegic solution. Improved myocardial preservation during global ischemia.

Progressive acidosis is a constant finding in global myocardial ischemia and is associated with reduced myocardial contractility after ischemia. The hypothesis tested in these experiments was that imidazole (pKa = 6.7 at 37° C), a commonly used buffer in physiology and microbiology, would provide superior buffering capacity when used in lieu of bicarbonate (pKa = 6.1 at 37° C) in a cardioplegic solution. Twenty-eight isolated, working rabbit hearts were perfused, and preischemic and postischemic determinants of performance were measured. The 30 minute interval of normothermic global ischemia was altered by the injection at 0 and 15 minutes of 2 ml/gm wet weight of a buffered cardioplegic solution. Control hearts received a bicarbonate-buffered cardioplegic solution and experimental hearts received a solution buffered with imidazole. In the imidazole-buffered group, there was a superior recovery of coronary flow, developed left ventricular pressure, peak rate of rise of left ventricular pressure, peak rate of relaxation, and stroke work indices (p
Comparison of two clomiphene citrate dosage regimens for follicular recruitment in an in vitro fertilization program

Clomiphene citrate (CC) (150mg/day) is used in most clinical in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) programs to induce maturation of several preovulatory follicles rather than the one characteristic of the unstimulated cycle. This study examines whether a reduced dosage of CC will induce the maturation of a similar number of follicles. The advantage of the reduced dosage should be a decrease in the dose-dependent antiestrogenic effects of CC. Normally ovulating women undergoing treatment in an IVF-ET program received CC on cycle days 5 to 9. Thirty-six patients received 150mg/day, and 60 patients received 50mg/day. There were no significant differences between the groups in the number or the size of follicles as measured by ultrasonography on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin administration. All seven clinical pregnancies were in the 50mg group ( P
Proliferative glomerulonephritis with unusual, organized, cylindrical deposits associated with angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy-like T-cell lymphoma

We describe an elderly man who developed angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy-like T-cell lymphoma, followed by acute renal failure 2 months later. Renal biopsy revealed proliferative glomerulonephritis, which was characterized by enlarged glomeruli with increased cellularity, thickened capillaries, intracapillary inflammatory cells, focal necrosis, and fibrin extravasation. Immunofluorescence studies revealed capillary and mesangial deposits of IgG, IgM, IgA, Ig kappa, Ig lambda, and C3. Electron microscopy revealed unusual, organized, electron-dense deposits in the capillary walls and mesangium. The deposits occurred as accumulations of large rigid tubules or cylinders, which, in longitudinal section, were double-walled. In transverse section, the deposits were annular or horseshoe shaped and occasionally had a central filament. The morphologic characteristics of these deposits are different from those seen in cryoglobulinemia or fibrillary and immunotactoid glomerulopathies. The significance of these deposits is uncertain; they may represent a cryoglobulin or an abnormal serum protein related to angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy-like T-cell lymphoma. The findings in this case expand the morphologic spectrum of glomerular lesions that may be associated with malignant lymphoproliferative disorders and, particularly, angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy-like T-cell lymphoma.
Analytic of the Prototype

It is time to interrupt the main scenario now for an extensive description of the procedures required to demonstrate the purity of synthetic human relaxin. The physiologists should particularly appreciate a rigorous approach to this portion of the research for if there are questions about the purity or authenticity of a hormone, enzyme, factor or whatever, unequivocal interpretation of their measurements in whole animals would be even more difficult. Relaxin obliges to provide an example of such an occurrence which casts a shadow over many years of painstaking measurements in whole animals. This chapter is set aside for important technical know-how that is required to ascertain authenticity and purity of the product of a synthesis. Students of this discipline might think of it as a protein chemists’ bootcamp, designed to make him exert a great deal of effort to destroy his illusions about a “pure” product.
OPS5 user's manual

Abstract : This is a combination introductory and reference manual for OPS5, a programming language for production systems. OPS5 is used primarily for applications in the areas of artificial intelligence, cognitive psychology, and expert systems. OPS5 interpreters have been implemented in LISP and BLISS.
Light Sheet Microscopy by Dual Line Scanning of Two Bessel Beams

We have developed a light-sheet microscope that uses confocal scanning of dual-Bessel beams for illumination. A digital micro-mirror device (DMD) is placed in the intermediate image plane of the objective used to collect fluorescence and is programmed with two lines of pixels in ‘on’ state such that the DMD functions as a spatial filter to reject the out-of-focus background generated by the side-lobes of the Bessel beams. The optical sectioning and out-of-focus background rejection capabilities of this microscope were demonstrated by imaging of human A431 cells whose actin was fluorescently stained. The dual-Bessel beam system enables twice as many photons to be detected per imaging scan, which is useful for low light applications (e.g. single molecule localization) or imaging at high speed with superior signal to noise. While demonstrated for two Bessel beams, this approach is scalable to a larger number of beams.